The Wedding Story of Brittney & Conor Casey

Photos ByJessica Strickland Photography

Written By

Date

April 27, 2016

get blown away by this fire & ice wedding

Brittney Braun and Conor Casey met while freshmen at Culver Military Academy. While friends tried to set them up, the future groom didn’t catch on. “I am a guy and I did not notice subtle hints,” Conor says. Eventually the two of them started spending more time together and everything fell into place.

THE PROPOSAL

Conor accelerated proposal plans when Brittney’s father had planned a trip to the Bahamas for New Year’s. Conor decided to work with her family jeweler and quickly get a ring in the works. He proposed after the fireworks on a small balcony overlooking the island and the ocean. “Perhaps I am a nervous fidget and she could hear the (ring) box being opened and closed while I fumbled with it in my pocket as we walked around before the fireworks,” he says. “Got to the spot, popped the question, and she said yes.”

the Ceremony

While the ceremony itself was short, the couple chose to do something unusual to show their unity: the pair combined their turquoise and red glass pieces and after the wedding, the glass blower made a sculpture out of the particles that were poured together.

the Floral

A bouquet made to look like a giant white rose was designed for the bride. The bridesmaids carried a hand-blown red glass flower. Guests were given a small packet of rose petals to throw as the two walked down the aisle after the ceremony. White roses cascaded down the middle of the head table inside the ballroom to accentuate the ice theme. Crystal centerpieces topped by white flowers became the reception centerpieces, which were accented by a glass-blown turquoise flower.

Fire & Ice DÉCOR

Brittney and Conor originally picked the colors of turquoise and red and when their planner, Monica Richard of Mon Amie Events, knew they had decided on The Alexander as the wedding venue, she suggested going with the theme because of the blown glass chandeliers at the hotel. Fire and ice also fit the couples’ personalities really well.

The outdoor ceremony in the courtyard became the fire element of the wedding, complete with a glass blower doing demonstrations and crafting wedding favors. The bride selected lots and lots of red rose petals to be strewn in a pattern on the ground. Red seat cushions added to the fiery ambiance.

Richard said as guests first entered the ballroom for the reception, the space was lit in red with a “fire” wall, but once guests were seated, they were cooled down for the Ice portion using blasts of coolant, filling the space as the bridal party entered the room.

The final touch was the liquid dance floor which looked like cracked ice and changed from blue to white when stepped on.

the Cake & Artful Dinner

The four-layer cake had two layers that were a white shade to simulate ice. The second and top layer were covered in sparkles to give it shine. The food choices included chilled iceberg salad, fire-roasted entrée courses and a cryogenic ice cream sundae station.

Funny Story

The cake cutting did not go as planned. The two did not cut into the cake enough so when they pulled out their pieces, all they got was frosting.

Special Moment

“No one knew that my bridesmaids were going to be carrying a glass flower instead of regular flowers, including my bridesmaids,” Brittney says. “It was a surprise element.”