Kelsey & Kyle : Ben & Les Photography

Now this is how your do a winter wedding! Everything from the flowers, to the hair, and the fresh snow made it the perfect mix of vintage and warmth. And it doesn't hurt to have one of my favorites Ben & Les Photography to make it look ah-mazing! But as we know- there's always more to the story. Kelsey & Kyle's I Guess I Do moments include a 22 person bridal party, winter weather, and a name tag mishap. Enjoy Kelsey's story in her own words below.

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I am Kelsey Racette and my husband and I wed on December 29, 2012. I am a fourth grade educator, so I pretty much teach the awkward stages of life, while my husband Kyle works in downtown Cleveland as a sourcing analyst. With the chaos of my first year teaching, I also decided that getting married would be feasible. It was insanely crazy, but magnificently beautiful. I am so blessed to have my spouse Kyle to venture on this wild ride of life with.

Being obsessed with snow it seemed only fitting to get married during this holiday season. My prayers for snow were answered just as Kyle & I were exiting the church. It certainly was a winter wonderland. Although the snow served as an excellent accent to the pictures, it created a hassle when trying to back out of the driveway on the morning of the wedding. With accessories in hand and just leggings and a “Mrs. Racette” robe as my wardrobe, I was digging myself out of the snow. Yep, my morning started with loads of shoveling, laughter and a wet bottom. Talk about an awkward view.

In addition to my stuck in the snow story, I had a few other I Guess I Do Moments along the way, including a bridal party of 22, the size of our invitations, the labors of love and the nametag mishap. With a bridal party of that multitude, it made it hard to book all of the bridesmaids together for up-dos. Rather than having my bridesmaids at my side throughout the preparation process, I did not get to see them until I was preparing to head over to the church.

Our invitations were homemade, so they had many inserts, pockets & additions. Upon having it weighed, the post office in Tiffin, Oh indicated that it met the requirements. Well Sandusky seemed to think differently. They sent certain mailing areas notes stating that they needed to come and pick –up/pay for a piece of mail. Yep, it was our invitation. How embarrassing. Luckily, my family was able to get them from the post office, pay the bill and deliver the invitations. Talk about frustrating.

Since our wedding reception was held in a large building (similar to a warehouse) at the Erie County Fairgrounds, it required a bit of a transformation. My wedding week was spent overseeing, directing & contributing toward the decoration. From fabric on all the walls to placing R’s on the backs of the chairs, the décor took loads of time & was frustrating at times.

The last I Guess I Do Moment occurred on our wedding day. We have assigned tables for our guests with small nametags at the entrance. Somewhere in our crazy week of transforming the structure, we forgot to create nametags for two whole tables! Luckily, we had the tables but just neglected to assign the guests to them. Two of the families were relaxed about it and just hung out at the bar until they saw the open tables. One of the others actually came out to us in the hall before our entrance and told us about their absence of a table. It was embarrassing and frustrating. 

Through the chaos and mishaps of our wedding experience, we were able to focus our energy toward what was truly important. The I Guess I Do Moments added spontaneity and directed us toward the real purpose of the event, that being marriage.

For more DIY bridal tips and to see more details from Kelsey's wedding - visit her blog Desire for Love.

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Photographers: Ben & Les Photography  Hair: Holly Lang via Locksmith's Hair Studio Makeup: Brittany Wolfe via Locksmith's Hair Studio Caterers: Creative Cuisine  Cake: Tonya’s Cakes Bouquets & Reception Décor: Dana Opfer (Mother of the Bride), with assistance from Kelsey Racette  Wedding Dress: Morilee  Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff  Wedding Shawls: Michelle Karas (Aunt of Kelsey Racette) DJ: Nyte Flyte

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