The Wedding Story of Marina & David Piechocki

Photos ByAngel Canary Photography

Written By

Date

October 5, 2016

a contemporary wedding at Indianapolis’ Most Modern Venue

Marina Grishin first took notice of David Piechocki at work when he gave an Elvis performance during a work function. His performance opened the door to a friendship and later, led to a first date. David, meanwhile, had his eye on Marina from the first day she started work. From joining the bowling team to attending a Pilates class, David did everything he could to get a moment with her. Marina says she knew David was the one for her when he agreed to join her on her 14-day trip to Europe—she asked him during their very first lunch together. “I wanted to see how spontaneous he was!” says Marina. “He did not disappoint and booked his trip immediately. We have been inseparable ever since.”

THE PROPOSAL

Two years after the Elvis incident, David and Marina planned another trip. This time it was to Arizona, Nevada and California. During the trip, David proposed to Marina in a secluded alcove at the Grand Canyon.

The Planning

Although David and Marina originally planned to spend a few months basking in the post-engagement bliss, they quickly realized that they had to secure a date and a venue right away. After touring several venues, they found themselves at The Alexander Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Marina says they fell in love with both the venue and the venue’s wedding coordinator. In fact, it was their coordinator who led them to several of their other vendors like Detail+Design floral, Angel Canary Photography and Classic Cakes. From that point on, the couple worked side by side with the planner and kept resources like Pinterest, online planning tools and Google Drive close at hand. “I was concerned that the planning process would cause some strain, particularly since we opted to do everything ourselves,” says David. “However, as long as we kept communicating and ensured that we both participated in decision making, the work never felt overwhelming and the end result truly felt like we had both contributed equally. I’m not going to sugar coat it though; choosing invitation colors, while important, is just as riveting as it sounds.”

The Dress

Marina’s gown was a match made in heaven (a.k.a. Nancy’s Bridal Boutique in Indianapolis). She paired a Watters Carina corset with a Watters Ahsan skirt to create a modern-yet-romantic look that would match the style of the wedding. Marina actually found “the dress” when she went in for alterations for her sister-in-law’s wedding. The rose gold dress was hanging on a mannequin in the store. “I immediately turned to {my sister-in-law} and said ‘that’s my dress!’” says Marina. She loved the rose gold color, but wanted to wear white on her wedding day, so she purchased the gown in white but added accents of rose gold to the lining of the corset.

Special Touches

It was important to the couple to incorporate both of their cultures into the wedding. Marina’s family immigrated from Belarus to Indianapolis when Marina was two. They included a Rabbi, a Russian/American band and wedding programs that reflected the couple’s personality and cultural traditions. David and Marina also created a welcome newsletter and goodie bag for guests, the programs, reception itinerary, and a hangover kit for their guests who enjoyed the dance floor—perhaps a bit too much! The goal for their wedding was to entertain their guests, but to stay true to their cultures and personal tastes.

The Venue

David and Marina were drawn to The Alexander Hotel because of its unique and modern style. “We fell in love with the artwork and loved the fact that it was the only Indiana hotel that was also a museum,” says Marina. “We were inviting a lot of out-of-town guests and wanted them to see the hotel and get this experience.” She says they were also impressed with the customer service and attentiveness of the staff, especially their coordinator.

The DÉcor

Drawing inspiration from The Alexander’s artistic interior, Marina chose a color scheme that not only matched the venue, but created an inviting, dramatic and contemporary atmosphere. The venue provided the soft lavender lighting throughout the reception. The reception featured three different tablescape looks. The centerpieces were based on a contemporary, organic design that complemented the hotel setting. The taller centerpieces offered white branches with free flowing, romantic floral paired with dangling candles. Teardrop vases with pink floral accents were added.

The second table design was made with low gold boxes with small vases. Each vase contained flowers and had hidden candles for accent lighting. The third design was a low square vase filled with flowers and surrounded by three high vases with floating candles.

The Floral

Detail+Design created the bride’s bouquet to be loose and flowing with crème, lavender, light pink and soft white tones. The look was a romantic teardrop style sprinkled with touches of frosted blue gray greenery. Hydrangeas, white peonies, ivory roses, soft lavender roses and light pink spray roses completed the organic look.

All of the reception tables used a mixture of hydrangeas, roses, lisianthus, seeded eucalyptus and seasonal floral surrounded by votive candles to get the design Marina aimed for.