An Elegant and Romantic Celebration in Grand Rapids: The Real Wedding of Alanna and Cameron Wagoner

Despite Alanna noticing Cameron in high school and trying to get his attention by many subtle walks by in class, they didn't get together until a mutual friend set them up. After a few years together, Cameron decided to propose in a way he knew Alanna would love. Alanna had talked about having her mom and sister be there for her proposal as well as somehow incorporating her Mimi—who had sadly passed—in the proposal. Cameron drove Alanna to her Mimi's cottage where he had a small aisle with candles and flowers set up so he could get down on one knee and ask her to marry him!
 

The first thing that Alanna bought for the wedding was her dress, which she wasn't even intending to buy. "I actually went in for my veil
which I knew was the one when I saw it on their site and thought I might as well make an appointment to try on dresses too," Alanna shares. "My consultant, Hannah, pulled out a dress she had picked and the second—and I mean the second—I pulled it on, I knew it was the one." We love this elegant satin gown. The A-line shape is super flattering, and with the flower crown and veil, Alanna looks like the beautiful bride she envisioned!
 

Since they were getting married in November, the search for warmth in the colder months played into their wedding theme. They kept the color palette pretty classic with black and ivory touches with a few flourishes of emerald green. To add some more color to their day, they included a deep red, gold, silver and even a light blue. We love the way all of there colors came together in this gorgeous wedding scene! When it came to designing the reception space, Alanna and Cameron had very clear visions. "We also played a lot off of the candlelit vibe. Guests even said it felt like a candlelit dinner party! Our design was very candle heavy with some micro florals and bows," Alanna explains.
 

To assemble their team of vendors, Alanna and Cameron mostly followed reviews left by previous clients. They loved the photos that their photographer took and even found a wedding that they shot at the same venue! After that, they mostly looked at reviews, and their planner helped them with a few spots they weren't sure about. However, their venue was an easy decision. Alanna raves, "The minute I stepped foot into the old converted manor I was in love. I knew it was the one." We think it was the perfect place to host their wedding!
 

 

What we Love

Wanting to make their wedding meaningful to them and the friends and family they shared it with, Alanna and Cameron added many cute details around their reception space. "One of the many things we did was make custom cocktail napkins with some of our old love notes from high school on them! One of the other favorite things we did was our 'To all the love stories before ours' table, where we had our loved ones'
wedding pictures displayed. We wanted guests to know the other love stories in our families," Alanna gushes. They also wanted to keep some parts of their wedding intimate and private, so they had a private ceremony and cake-cutting to take some time for themselves during the busy day.
 

 

Advice from the Couple

Alanna and Cameron advise, "I would say to remember this is your wedding, no one else’s. You can do whatever you want to do! At the
end of the day, it’s you and your significant other. Do what feels right and if a big wedding doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. If you can’t imagine not having a big party, then have that big party! Make sure not to stress over the little details because you will. There will probably come a point in wedding planning where you just don’t care so try to get everything you definitely do care about done towards the beginning of the planning process! Enjoy yourselves and this process because it only happens once. Make sure to take time for yourself and your relationship while wedding planning as well because it can sometimes feel like all you talk about. Don’t forget why you are planning the wedding in the first place. Remember to have fun, make memories and do all of that together."
 

 

 

are you a bride or groom-to-be?

We'd love to plan with you on weddingday-online.com. Let's get started!

 

are you a wedding extraordinaire?

Join WeddingDay Magazine in inspiring brides by partnering with us! See how here.