The Wedding Story of Alex Gouty and Sara Rudwell

Photos ByStacy Able Photography

Written By

Date

August 31, 2016

the details

Sara's sister came up with the most brilliant idea we've heard of yet (and we're in the planning business!). Because the couple was experiencing difficulty narrowing down their options, Sara's sister created a set of about 25 flashcards in which she wrote down different aspects of the wedding like "great local food," "outdoor venue," and "natural setting." Then she instructed the couple to individually place the flashcards into categories to identify which wedding features were the most important to them. They placed the flashcards into one of three categories: very important, somewhat important and not important with a limit of five things that could be placed in the "very important" category. It turned out that Sara and Alex had very similar features that they deemed "very important." The planning flowed effortlessly after that.

As mentioned, Sara was not the average bride. Rather than rely on resources like Pinterest or a wedding planner, the inspiration for her wedding came from...her wedding dress. She had tried on several traditional wedding dresses, but never quite reached that "this is the one" moment. Sara then visited Bella Bridesmaids in Indianapolis where she fell in love with the idea of wearing a non-traditional gown. She was intrigued by an Adrianna Papell gown which was a floor-length, black dress with silver sequins and beads, gap sleeves and a V-neck. According to Sara, it had a Great Gatsy-feel and that set the tone for the rest of her wedding.

At one point, Alex and Sara were set on having a destination wedding, but as they considered it, they decided they wanted to be surrounded by friends and family. They frequently went to Traders Point Loft in Zionsville for date nights and felt that the surrounding grounds were the idyllic quiet spot away from the city. Traders Point Loft is the restaurant part of the Traders Point Creamery, where the couple chose to have their wedding outdoors. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn't feeling cooperative and the couple had to move the reception in the historic Red Barn.

However, the barn's stunning interior was a beautiful background for the couple's reception. Sara selected black linens and her florist from Blooms & Lace created bright pops of color with the floral arrangements. Her florist also incorporated the couple's love of herbs into the floral arrangements including sprigs of rosemary in each napkin fold. Alex planted herbs in small metal pots, and they stamped labels for the herbs on metal strips and tags.

What we love

We love brides who think outside the box and rely on inspiration other than Pinterest (although Pinterest will ALWAYS have a place in our hearts). We appreciate the fact that Sara didn't adhere to tradition but instead went with her heart on her wedding dress. Not only that, but to base the remainder of the reception off the unconventional gown created an absolutely stunning reception.

Sara and Alex only invited immediate family to the ceremony and invited each set of parents and siblings to participate in a tree planting ceremony in which everyone added some soil to a red maple tree that is now planted in the couple's backyard.