This Vintage, Bookish Rehearsal Dinner Gives London Vibes in Bloomington, Indiana

Fate intervened and caused Alyssa and Fain to meet when they both swiped right on a dating app. After a week of messaging back and forth, the two decided to connect in person for a lunch date. They hit it off and the rest is history.
 

Instead of going the typical route, Alyssa and Fain recruited the help of Kelley at Haviland Events to style their rehearsal dinner like a wedding reception. Since the groom's family was the one who invited everyone to the dinner, the creative team wanted to base the design around him. "We drew inspiration from our groom who is an English professor earning his masters in rhetoric and logic and designed this rehearsal dinner to feel like you're in the Oxford Library," Kelley explains.
 

FAR Center for Contemporary Arts ended up being the perfect venue for their rehearsal dinner! Kelley raves, "We used the space called 'The Library' and had the opportunity to style a full wall of shelves with books, photos of the bride and groom growing up, and special mementos." The main color scheme was rich and vintage! They utilized mustard, navy, and a vintage red to accent the space.
 

Since the Oxford Library was their main influence, the team utilized tartans and vintage bookish décor. "The menu was designed to be a book mark with a vintage tassel hanging from the top," Kelley shares. "We used etched glasses, ornate silverware and opted for champagne coups instead of flutes to keep it vintage-leaning." There were also poems that were rebound to match the tartan with the couple's monogram and guests' names on the table acting as place cards.
 

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