The Wedding Story of Eric and Kacey Bell

Eric Bell and Kacey Weaver fought fate a number of times. The eventual couple first met in pre-school and later re-connected when they were 16. Eric drove Kacey to the SAT exams. They ended up going on a date, but didn't pursue a relationship. THEN, they lived next door to each other while attending Indiana University and they STILL didn't get together or even converse besides the occasional wave hello. After college, Eric moved to Chicago while Kacey packed her bags in pursuit of Florida sunshine. She randomly reached out to Eric years later and finally, the two caught on to the universal fact that you just can't fight fate! After seven months of conversation, Kacey moved to Chicago!

Eric proposed during a trip to Puerto Rico and the two began to plan their forever by reserving a venue in their hometown of Columbus, Indiana. The majority of their vendors were also local to their hometown, but Kacey designed most of it herself. In fact, she found that she had a knack for design and has since launched her own event design business, Kacey Bell Event Design.

the details

Kacey had a vision right away for her and Eric's wedding day. She wanted romance, floral and lots of personalization. She loved the idea of a modern garden party with white candles, gold accents and flowers everywhere. Kacey originally hoped to find a garden venue near Columbus but with planning a spring wedding in the Midwest, she decided to play it safe and bring the garden indoors. That was also a challenge in and of itself as there is not an abundance of wedding venues in Columbus. However, Eric and Kacey fell in love with the Factory 12 Event Loft, an old shirt factory turned into an industrial event space. Kacey appreciated that the venue was a blank space and was not adorned with tons of competing decor. 

Kacey designed the entire wedding herself but when it came to the flowers, she sought help from Pomp & Bloom who executed her dreamy garden vision. "Once I found the look of the colors I wanted for floral, I planned everything around those flowers and greenery, keeping everything else in the venue simple," explains Kacey. "These colors seemed romantic to me, yet not overpowering." Centerpieces included both low and tall arrangements with mixed greens like eucalyptus and blooms like peonies, peach spray roses and hanging amananthus. The wedding party table donned greenery in lieu of a table runner. But the real stunner was the moss wall that included white hydrangeas, white stock, coral roses, peach spray roses, hanging amaranthus  and eucalyptus greens. All of the floral was donated to the local nursing home!

Kacey wore an Angel Sanchez gown purchased from Dimitras Bridal Couture in Chicago. Although she made it clear that she was not interested in a strapless gown, her bridal consultant snuck one into her fitting room. The modern look of it was enough to make Kacey change her mind on wearing a strapless dress. "It had a crumb catcher, trumpet style and a silk I'd never seen. It was so simple but so elegant," says Kacey.

what we love

Beyond having their wedding in their hometown, Eric and Kacey planned their entire day with special moments and touches from friends and family. One of their friends officiated the wedding and the women in their families made all of the desserts for the wedding. Additionally, Kacey's dad gave Eric a shotgun on the wedding day to welcome him to the family. The shotgun was a family heirloom. It also symbolized how Eric asked Kacey's dad for permission to marry his daughter since it was during a hunting trip. Eric's dad was also in on the special moments as he offered his antique Triump for the couple's getaway car!

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