The Wedding Story of Trevor and Jessica Pawl

Sometimes you get so invested in planning your wedding, that you make a hobby or a career out of it. We see it time and time again, brides turn into wedding planners because really, who wants to plan just one wedding? When Trevor and Jessica (Howell) Pawl set sail on their wedding planning journey, Jessica noticed that although the Internet was full of ideas and inspiration, she had difficulty in finding resources to plan a local wedding—specifically in Detroit, Michigan. So she began her own! Jessica is the founder of www.brideguidedetroit.com, a local resource for Detroit-based brides in need of vendors, free printables, and inspiration using Detroit as a foundation. When you see her and Trevor's absolutely lovely wedding held at the Planterra Conservatory in Bloomfield, Michigan, you'll run right over and follow her blog. We sure did.

the details

Jessica's vision for the wedding was for it to feel romantic and elegant but not pretentious. Trevor had two requirements: great music and great food. With those parameters in mind, they started by narrowing down the venue options right away. They knew they wanted something around Detroit, but definitely wanted to stay away from using any venues that their friends and family members had gotten married in. Jessica says she had her heart set on a venue with an airy feel, full of windows and natural light. They narrowed it down to one other venue and Planterra, but the couple was immediately impressed with the Planterra staff and the all-inclusive offerings of the venue. Not to mention, the glass windows, botanical atmosphere and European accents were simply irresistible. 

The conservatory lent itself to a stunning reception already, so Jessica wanted to make sure that the added decorative elements were kept clean. She used crisp black and white with gold accents in most of the decor, but allowed for some soft and romantic touches of blush and champagne in the bouquets and table settings. 

The paper products were all produced from Jessica's own D.I.Y. efforts. Many of these printables are available on her website. She designed and printed their wedding invitations, ceremony programs, place cards, menus, signature drink signs and "welcome" sign. 

what we love

Jessica lost her mother two years ago and found a special way to represent her presence on her wedding day. She took one of her mother's aquamarine rings, dipped it in white gold and had it resized so she could wear it as her "something blue." She also had her mom's sisters light the unity candle in honor of her mother. The guest favors were her mother's famous chocolate chip cookies and framed photos of her were visible at the reception.

are you a bride-to-be?

Obsess and plan with us on weddingday-online.com. Sign up here.

 
are you a wedding extraordinaire?

Join WeddingDay Magazine in inspiring brides by partnering with us! See how here.