The Wedding Story of... Douglas & Melanie Mcgregor

When you ask a bride about the theme of her wedding, most will give you a color scheme or an object that will appear many times throughout the day, like butterflies, hearts, pears or polka dots. But theme is much more than that. It is an attitude and an atmosphere that evokes an emotion from those attending. It is an overall ambiance that surrounds the day and inspires the guests. A theme can be romantic, whimsical, family oriented or trendy but all the elements of the day should contribute to make the wedding a cohesive event.

After getting engaged in Scotland in the shadow of ancient European architecture, when Melanie Cismowski and Doug McGregor planned their wedding day, they were looking for the elegance of Old World Europe with a touch of New World fun. The choice of the majestic Trinity English Lutheran Church in downtown Fort Wayne was a magnificent place to start building on that theme. From the ornate altar area with vaulted ceilings to stained glass windows to the long stone aisle, the venue was reminiscent of the cathedrals of Europe that the bride and groom had seen on their trip to Scotland. Add to that scene classic black menswear with bronze accents and the luscious richness of the brown/black iridescent taffeta gowns for the bridesmaids and the stage was set for the bride and her dad's walk of a lifetime down the aisle.

Melanie chose the vintage inspired "Rhianna Royale" gown by Maggie Sottero topped with a mantilla style fingertip veil to complete the picture perfect look. Although blue is her favorite color (it matches her eyes), she chose to stay with rich fabrics and colors for the bridal party attire and accented with flowers of the blue and ivory with a touch of yellow for fun and contrast. Details like a bagpiper playing as they exited and an old fashioned trolley to take the wedding party from church to reception added just the right touch to the ceremony.

At the reception, the couple added more of the element of fun to the theme. Guest tables were covered with sheer ivory embroidered overlays, and a variety of floral art incorporating glass, flowers, curly willow, river rock, copper accents and water features were displayed throughout the country club. Candles and blue uplighting gave a glow to the evening as the family and friends danced and partied. The evening was capped off with a fantastic fireworks display?a surprise gift from the bride to the groom, reminding them of watching fireworks together over the lake when they were young. They completed their Old World theme with a honeymoon cruise through northern Europe
and Russia.