The Wedding Story of Morgan McCormick and Julian Stephenson

Julian proposed to Morgan on their way to San Francisco for vacation. Morgan explains, “We had the trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley planned for awhile. The proposal on the way gave us the entire trip to celebrate. My favorite memory is celebrating that morning with a bottle of champagne at a tiny Italian restaurant across the street from our hotel. The entire trip was a dream!”
 

The couple knew that they wanted a hotel to be part of the reception as they had most of their family and friends coming from out of town. They fell in love with the art deco look that served as an early inspiration in the planning process. While Pinterest was a main source of inspiration, the couple’s wedding coordinator, Jessica Dum Mattingly, was very helpful in setting up their overall timeline.   
 

“We loved the artistic and modern feel of The Alexander hotel,” says Morgan. “The ballroom’s giant chandeliers seemed made for an art deco-themed wedding. Carolyn Myers was our point person on organization at the venue and outlined how much the hotel assists with not just the day-of, but the entire planning process. We loved the idea of having the whole day at this beautiful hotel that seemed to take care of so much for us. The staff clearly had so much experience with wedding organization that I felt confident they could take care of unexpected situations as they arose. They additionally have so many unique vignettes throughout the lobby and hotel that I knew our photographs would be unique.”

 

Morgan says, “In the huge amount of research we put into photographers, I could find no one with an eye for color like Jessica Strickland. Her photos are bright, fun and playful, which was exactly what we were looking for. Additionally, a wedding coordinator was important to us, as it felt like this was the one person who would keep my mom’s stress level as low as possible come the wedding day, and Jessica Dum Mattingly did that perfectly. We couldn’t be happier with our choices.”
 

Morgan found her Sottero and Midgley dress at Bridal and Formal in Cincinnati. “I tried on numerous dresses,” Morgan recalls. “I knew I wanted something with a more golden or champagne hue with lots of beading. I was certain I wouldn’t choose a strapless dress, but in the end, fell in love with one!”
 

The most special parts of the day came down to the vows the two exchanged, all the songs they were able to play that meant so much to their relationship and the loved ones they were able to gather. Morgan says, “We were lucky enough to be able to have a large bridal/groomsmen party of people who were all able to come and that we generally haven’t gotten to see all together since college, so this was the most special thing about the entire day to me.”

This couple’s D.I.Y. projects included etched place cards for the table and table numbers, as well as gift bags for the overnight guests complete with Just Pop In caramel corn (an Indy staple), champagne, bottled water, and a small emergency first aid kit.  

Morgan loved the idea of a black and gold wedding. “I thought it made us able to have some flexibility with our décor and was elegant,” she says. “I really wanted our bridal party to be able to wear the dress again and felt the only way that would realistically happen was with a black cocktail dress. The sparkle of gold made everyone look great. I didn’t want to lock anyone into any particular palette. I really wanted the room and the people to sparkle.”

Lots of greenery, including large ferns as setting centerpieces, was a great additional element. The florals also featured a long chain of white hydrangeas that went down the center of the head table, several eucalyptus accents in the bouquets and table centerpieces and large palms to help decorate the ceremony.   

Advice from the Bride

Morgan says, “I would recommend trying to plan some moments for yourself throughout the day. The whole thing passed so quickly, it would have been nice to have a moment to more fully appreciate the day as it was happening. Also, delay the honeymoon! This was probably the best choice we made. After the whirlwind of a weekend, it was amazing to be able to go home and relax and regroup. We took a few days off work and did a small overnight within driving distance. However, we waited a few months to do our real honeymoon. Separating them out felt like we got to prolong the moment and also like we got to focus more on each individual event. The honeymoon was more relaxing because we were more prepared.”

 

What We Love

We love that Morgan and Julian turned to WeddingDay! “We used WeddingDay Magazine to help find skilled and reliable vendors in the Indianapolis area,” says Morgan. “We also looked through the ‘Inspiration’ pages to find ideas and themes that spoke to us. It was great to have a local resource for researching vendors. So many people have horror stories about a vendor they used for their wedding. It was great to have a local resource to be able to hear others’ experiences. Luckily, everyone we used was absolutely wonderful and I have only wonderful stories from my wedding!”

 

 

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