Carly and Michael gave us an inside look at their American Visionary Art Museum wedding day!
What will you remember most about your wedding day?
Carly: Our toasts. Most of all, Michael’s daughter Kaya’s toast. Kaya is a confident, vibrant 11 year old and was very adamant about wanting to give a speech at the reception to “get everyone hyped.” Kaya work on the speech secretly for weeks. She ultimately brought the house down and earned a standing ovation for her amazing, witty, hilarious toast that noted “I was so happy when my dad found Carly because I always knew he needed a strong woman in his life, and an 11 year old can only do so much.” When the toasts started we both sat back, laughed hysterically and were consumed with joy about the new family we were creating together.
Michael: I will remember tearing up as soon as the music started. Seeing our friends, flower girls, and my son and daughter start coming down the aisle and then seeing Carly’s brothers walking her out to me. And the Panda, I shall always remember the Panda. (A friend surprised us near the end of the reception by donning a full on panda costume and doing an unexpected and elaborate dance to LMFAO’s “Sexy and I know it”.)
Favorite wedding photo and why:
Carly: I love the candid photo of Michael and I walking out immediately after being being pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Harris and laughing – I think a friend or relative shouted something funny. We look as giddy as we felt!
Michael: The black and white photo of Carly and myself through her veil…it’s just classic.
Most stressful thing about planning your wedding?
Trying to keep track of all the moving pieces and balancing planning with the other chores of our daily lives while also making sure we both stayed sane.
Most enjoyable thing about planning your wedding?
Making our wedding really ours and seeing everything come together the way we wanted. We wrote the ceremony for our close friend Ryan to officiate and made it personal and befitting of our blended family. We also had so much fun picking out music that we loved and had meaning to us. We regularly added songs to our “wedding playlist” for our awesome friend Erik who DJ’d – that playlist got us through wedding planning!
If you were able to do it all over again, would you do anything differently?
Michael: Nope. 100% satisfaction.
Carly: No! Honestly, the only thing I would do differently would be to stress a little less in the months leading up to everything.
Any words of wisdom for brides/grooms who are currently planning their day?
Any words of wisdom for brides/grooms who are currently planning their day?
Michael: Always strive to remember the real reason for the event amidst the chaos and stress that can arise during wedding planning.
Carly: Let go of all the things you think or are told you “should” or “must” do. At the end of the day the only thing you really have to do is get married to your partner – everything else is a bonus. Also, avoid doing or planning anything (other than getting yourself ready and getting married) that requires your attention on the day of the wedding. We have amazing friends and family who generously helped with so much — from arranging centerpiece flowers in my hotel room to printing out last minute escort cards to appointing themselves the much-needed coordinator of our family wedding portraits to minimize the chaos — and it added to all of the love we felt that day.
Wedding location:
Ceremony: American Visionary Art Museum
Reception: American Visionary Art Museum
Bridal Shop: BHLDN
Dress Designer: Tadashi Shoji
Bride’s shoes: J. Crew
Hair stylist or salon: Scene 217
Makeup artist or salon: Scene 217
Groom & Groomsmen suits / tux: Macy’s
Invitations & Stationery: DIY 🙂 – Vistaprint
Florist: Whole Blossoms
Officiant: Rev. Ryan McLaughlin
Cake Pies: Teeny Pies
Music/DJ – pre- ceremony: Simone Shuffett
Music/DJ – reception: DJ Erik Anderson
Lighting and/or production: Absolutely Perfect Catering
Caterer: Absolutely Perfect Catering
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