Meet Cute
Hailey & Drew
Hailey hadn’t planned to be there that day. She was filling in for a friend who had double booked herself, working as a production assistant on a commercial shoot. But she was certainly meant to be there — it’s where she met Drew. Years later, after a romantic proposal on Dublin’s James Joyce Bridge, the couple were married in the backyard of Hailey’s family home. Read on for the details behind the ceremony, from secret vows to the diamanté mid-heels the bride can’t wait to wear again.
Photography by Aimee Dianne Photography
"My vision for my ceremony look was heavily inspired by classic film noir, 20’s and 40’s fashion and Art Deco architecture. I wanted to create a look that was timeless, comfortable, and that I still looked like myself in. On a whim I looked at The Row’s dress selection online and ordered the Cerise dress in ivory, a deceivingly simple shift silhouette, sans sleeves, almost absurdly oversized, with a stunning scoop-back featuring deconstructed bow pleats. It was understated, sculptural, and very obviously designed with intention while still having an air of ease about it. I think it not being a wedding dress specifically is what drew me to it the most. Above all, I wanted each thing I wore on the day to be something I felt comfortable in that really spoke to my personal style.
"I knew I wanted to wear a headpiece of some kind, something vintage and a little unconventional to go along with my engagement ring from the early 1900s. I tried a birdcage-style headband, a pearl encrusted flapper comb, and an Art Deco crystal tiara from the 1940s before I found my Juliet Cap on Etsy from the 1970s. The cap portion (which I affectionately refer to as a 'helmut') thankfully covered up the majority of my hair, so I wore it natural. The double-layered tulle was sheer enough to not completely obscure the back of my dress, and the embroidered daisy edging was just the right amount of sweet without being overly saccharine."
"Once I had the dress, the inspiration for how I would further style accessories became more clear. The length meant whatever shoes I wore would be prominently featured and with the entirety of the day being outside on grass (with several small hills and slopes to navigate) I would need to choose a reasonable shoe option. Something with a block heel that I would have a zero percent chance of slipping in. The Jackie immediatley drew me in, with no trade-off for function over fashion. The crystal band was just the right amount of added glam to compliment my dress, and the laces allowed me to really control the fit. I kept my jewelry simple, and the shoes added that extra level of sparkle. I loved that they were comfortable upon the first wear, no blisters or achy feet! While they worked perfectly for the bridal moment, I’m so pleased to know I’ll reach for them on special occasions for years to come."
Shop Jackie
"After our Dublin proposal Drew and I began researching wedding venues in California. Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, San Francisco — all places we have strong ties to after living in Los Angeles for 10 years, but none that felt right. I had secretly always dreamed of being married in the backyard of my family home in Eastern Washington, which leads out to the 16th hole of Meadow Springs Golf Course. It’s incredibly scenic and lush, and has always served as a reprieve and respite from city life over the years whenever Drew and I would visit. I envisioned a colorful afternoon garden party that would be wholly unique and individual to us as a couple, while also serving up major nostalgia and sentimentality. The idea of always being able to come back to the place we were married in the future was enough to seal the deal for us. My mother was THRILLED, and we immediately went to work planning."
"One of my bridesmaids said it best: 'Each detail discovery was like another puzzle piece of your lives and we were living for it!' As deeply personal as the act of marriage is, it’s also a deeply personal event for guests and family to be part of. I wanted the entire day to be bursting with personal touches. I designed everything I possibly could myself: our save the dates, the invitation suite, all the signage, cocktail napkins, matchbooks, seating chart, custom golf balls, and flag. It gave me an enormous sense of pride to know that all of these details were seen by our community, and that they appreciated them just as much as Drew and I.
"Drew and I exchanged private vows and did our first look on a footbridge over a small creek: a nod to our proposal in Dublin that took place on the James Joyce Bridge one year before. We asked Drew’s father, Ken, to marry us, and he did such a wonderful job, even improvising a joke mid ceremony when we realized we forgot to tell him we had already exchanged our vows. We kept the ceremony short and sweet!"
"If everything was perfect, the memories wouldn’t hold the same depth."
"Our ceremony floral installations were done by a family friend who is a former Master Gardener. She grew all of the stems herself locally and with a small team of my mother’s friends built it on the day, using a sketch I drew as a guide. I gave her a few photos for color inspiration but largely let whatever was in season and ready for harvest be the driving force. The end result couldn’t have come out more spectacular.
"Our seating chart was one of my favorite tasks that Drew and I collaborated on. He’s a writer and massive film aficionado, so instead of table numbers we created a list of our favorite films, printing them onto a large-scale flag. We hung it to one side of an arbour with silk ribbons that guests could walk through on their way to cocktail hour.
"As a self proclaimed oyster gal, with a tattoo as proof, having fresh oysters for cocktail hour was one of my top must have’s for the wedding. The team at Pop Up Oyster Bar was actually the first vendor I reached out to and booked! They were a massive hit, and together with negronis and martinis, made for a raucous cocktail hour people are still talking about."
"I loved every moment of the planning process, and was able to work extremely closely with my mother throughout. She has over twenty years of experience planning charity events and galas as well as a talented musician very involved in the local community. Planning the wedding remotely from Los Angeles, I was only confident we would be able to pull it off because she was at the helm. It was very Father of the Bride-coded, if my mother was Steve Martin. The week of the wedding she had the house painted, windows replaced, fountains fixed, and landscaping ‘scaped. I will forever be grateful for the countless hours she put in making my dream wedding a reality. Without her it just wouldn’t have been possible.
"We sent an insert card in our invitation suite with extra information regarding dress code. We wanted our guests to have a reason to wear the things in their closet that were a little over the top, colorful, and that they may not have a lot of reasons to wear. It brought us so much joy to see all of the colorful outfit choices and you could tell folks had a lot of fun in putting them together. Everyone absolutely nailed the brief.
"I wouldn’t call it a secret, but what gave me comfort leading up to the wedding and eased any anxieties was pinpointing a few small moments and details I was most excited for and holding tight to them. On the day I was able to really relish in these things as they happened, and everything else was truly an added delight."
"A few favorite moments: Choosing to spend the morning of the big day together with Drew is something I will never regret, as it allowed time for us to relax and be alone together before the events took over. We slept in, donned hotel robes and slippers and indulged in a room service breakfast looking out over the Columbia River.
"I loved getting ready at home with just my mom and sisters, it kept me calm and in the moment while also allowing me to be part of the process as all the vendors and friends arrived to help setup.
"Music is a large part of my life with Drew it only felt right to curate the day with our favorite songs on vinyl. We picked 30 of our favorite records from home and carried them on the flight to Washington with us. Incorporating the music that has become the soundtrack to our relationship on our wedding day was so special. We boogied out of the ceremony to 'Darlin'' by the Beach Boys, swayed to 'Dedicated To The One I Love' by the Temprees for our first dance, and rounded it out with a Bobby Vinton cover of 'Blue Hawaii' for a dance with our parents.
"We had a strict neighborhood noise curfew to abide by, and so we headed to a local dive bar to keep the festivities going. There were two other wedding parties that had the same idea, it being a relatively small town there are only so many options, and after several rounds of tequila shots, everyone from all the various wedding parties was intermingling. I don’t think the bar had ever seen so many suits and full-length dresses at one time. I had planned four different outfit changes (too many, I know now) but I actually only made it into my second look, a stunning vintage Jean Paul Gaultier dress from Happy Isles.
"One not so secret secret — there is only so much planning you can do. At a certain point you truly have to let go and enjoy the day. If everything was perfect, the memories wouldn’t hold the same depth. Wearing that dress in the most unlikely of locations with Drew, drinking pitchers of beer, and dishing with our friends about the day ended up being one of my favorite moments."
