The Wedding Story of Chrissy and Kevin Johnston

After meeting in the hospitality industry over a decade ago working for the same hotel, Kevin proposed to Chrissy on Thanksgiving—one of Chrissy’s favorite holidays. Chrissy recalls, “We were enjoying our annual Thanksgiving dinner when Kevin all of a sudden got up and walked to the head of the table and asked me to join him. I made my way up to the front of the room with my heart pounding out of my chest, thinking that this could be the moment I've waited for my whole life. Kevin dropped down to one knee and said, ‘I love you dearly. Will you marry me?’...It was one of the best days of my life.”
 

Like many other hopeful ladies, Chrissy started a secret Pinterest board before even getting engaged. Chrissy says, “I decided years prior to getting engaged that whenever the day came, our wedding would take place at the Indianapolis Public Library in the Simon Reading Room. The room itself is so effortlessly elegant with double staircases and a gorgeous balcony. I could just picture myself walking down the staircase to my groom.” The two also sweetly decided to hold their reception at the hotel where they met and had so many wonderful memories. “Our Chef, Raul Roges, makes the most delicious cuisine and customized our wedding menu (complete with my favorite dish – butternut squash soup, perfect for a cold, December wedding),” says Chrissy.

Using many online resources, Chrissy pinned her way to the wedding of her dreams. She says, “I always knew I wanted a winter wonderland wedding and the upcoming New Year’s Eve was going to be on a Saturday, which was perfect. I also knew I wanted a classic wedding so I could look at photos years from now and still love every aspect.”

After going to many different bridal shops in Indianapolis and spending hours trying on dresses with different silhouettes and fabrics, Chrissy started to worry. “I continued my search online and came across a bridal shop, MH Pomanders, a few blocks from my house and decided to make an appointment. I didn't invite anyone to tag along because I had done that before and didn't want to inconvenience my family and friends due to my extreme indecisiveness. I ended up trying on a few Lea-Ann Belter designs during my appointment and knew I was on the right track. I felt beautiful in all of her designs. The last dress I selected to try on that day was a gorgeous lace gown with a dramatic train - the perfect mix of modern and elegance,” says Chrissy. “MH Pomanders also had a gorgeous display of veils so I chose a chapel length, lace-trimmed veil that matched perfectly. My mother had passed away a year prior and the veil I chose reminded me of my mother's.”

Desiring a classic, crisp color scheme that also tied into New Year’s Eve, Chrissy chose mostly white with hints of black and gold. “All of our flowers were white and the bridesmaids’ dresses were black to give the wedding a classic feel,” says Chrissy.

From a magical unity candle lighting and a caricature artist, to personalized “do not disturb signs” for guests to hang on their door and signed bottles of wine and champagne for the couple to open on their first 5 anniversaries together, this wedding was filled with extra special touches.

​Chrissy says, “I ordered save-the-date cards and taped mini bags of confetti to the back of the card to tie in the NYE theme. I also purchased all of the vases and gold glittery spray used for our reception flowers and assisted with the construction of the arrangements, along with my friends. I hand wrote our menu on individual mirrors that were placed at each place setting, and I made the backdrop (along with my brother-in-law) for our reception photos instead of hiring a photo booth company.”

Advice From the Bride

Chrissy says, “I would definitely suggest that future brides hire a wedding planner or at least a day-of coordinator. A lot of stress could be avoided by hiring someone who can delegate and assist at the same time.”
 

 

What We Love

At WeddingDay, we love to inspire! Chrissy says, “A coworker gave me a copy of WeddingDay Magazine shortly after my engagement and I absolutely loved it. I also utilized the WeddingDay website during the planning process to look at other weddings to get a grasp of what style I wanted to go with.”

 

 

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