In honor of one year as Mrs. Moench, I thought it would be special to share some of my wedding favorites.
I’m no writer, but I am an artist and our wedding day felt like the biggest, brightest project I’ve ever worked on. Instead of overexplaining, I’m letting the pictures tell most of the story: the colors, the laughter, the little details, and the big feelings.
Every moment of celebration felt like a gift and we were so blessed by each and every person who played a part in making this season of our lives so special. August 31st was overflowing with joy, love, and the kind of energy you wish you could bottle up forever.
Jackson Moench. My forever crush. My husband. My favorite person. I love you ♡
film that feels like a movie.
Collecting, curating and storytelling through imagery is one of my favorite past times. I love it so much. I do it for a living as an art director and have been doing it for fun since I can remember.
To no surprise, photography was my number one priority during our wedding planning process. I’ve been in enough weddings to watch people fake putting on the dress or re-read a card for a photo and it’s never sat right with me. For our wedding, it was important to me that we avoid all the performing acts. In my opinion, it was worth the investment to hire a photographer with a more unique, artful approach — a true artist who could document and appreciate all of the perfectly imperfect scenes that would flood our wedding day.
My wishes came true when we signed with Indy photographer, LorealMade. She’s beyond talented behind a lens. She took our engagement photos on the shortest (and coldest) day of the year, which was a good warm up for the big day that following August. The galleries she delivered are simple, genuine, timeless and iconic, just like the photos that I cherish in my parents and grandparents wedding heirloom albums.
Our wedding was captured on digital, 35mm film and a slew of Polaroids. There’s something I love so much about film, which is why we splurged for this add-on in our package. Film feels like a movie, or like it was taken by a friend in the best way. It breaks down the wall of perfection, which is exactly what I was looking for. Safe to say, the film shots turned out to be my absolute favorites.
funfetti love.
We got engaged at the end of summer in 2023. It only took a month after that to find a venue and pick a date— we had one year to plan. It was easy to ideate and hard to narrow, but ultimately, I landed on “A Polka Dot Wedding” as the very unofficial theme.
I incorporated polka dots into our stationery suite because I wanted our wedding to be visually associated to the playfulness and cheerful exuberance of this classic pattern. I have been drawn to polka dots for as long as I can remember. These circular little blobs remind me of funfetti sprinkles and scattered constellations in the sky. And now they remind me of hundreds of letters screaming, “We are getting married on August 31st!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” with exclamatory joy.
See below a glimpse of the vision board for stationery and other party details that hung above my desk the year leading up to our big day.
polka dot people.
I have been blessed with many amazing friendships throughout my life but nothing compares to the bond I have with my mom. It was very special to honor her as, not only my mom, but my matron of honor in our wedding. She’s my fellow polka dot lover, twin flame, my muse, and I feel connected to her like a bestbestbest friend.
Another way that I incorporated polka dots in our wedding was through texture and fashion. It seemed most fitting to ask our parents, best man, and flower girl to debut some dotted attire as a symbolic badge of honor on our joyful day.
It was really fun to ‘spotlight’ our favorites in a subtle yet fashionable way. I love how they all interpreted my request differently and I couldn’t be more happy with the way it turned out.
I especially loved how my stylish mother-in-law wore these chunky bracelets that looked like arm candy. Also note her amazing polka dotted manicure — she knows the details are everything to me.
nostalgia at home.
On Black Friday last year, I decided to buy a generic camcorder. I thought it would be a nice investment to bring along for special milestones during our engagement season like dress shopping, bachelorette dinners, showers and, ultimately, our wedding day.
Passing around the camcorder between family and friends on our wedding day was perfect and proved to be invaluable in the end. I don’t regret not hiring a videographer because I love the genuine, shaky nature of the footage captured by our very loved ones.
My Mom and Dad woke me up on my wedding day. It was a really sweet, quiet moment before all the chaos. I could hear the sound of rolling thunderstorms in the distance and my brother already in the shower down the hall. (My siblings all spent the night with me, too.)
One by one, my bridesmaids arrived to the house I grew up in on White Oak Drive. It was a gloomy, cozy morning full of giggles, bubbles, kolaches and love songs. (Checkout my Girly Girls In The Morning playlist that we listened to while getting ready if you’re ever in need of a good jam.)
I intentionally designed the morning to be simple. I felt like it wasn’t worth the splurge to hire hair and makeup artists for the group, nor did I expect everyone to pay for it themselves. Instead, I got individual mirrors for the girls to do their own beats. Lucky for me, one of my besties, Julia, is a talented beauty guru and was kind enough to do hair and makeup on me and my mom. We all sprawled out at the big studio table, sharing our latest skincare regimens and hyping ourselves up. It was seriously so much fun.
Society puts so much pressure on what the “getting ready” experience should look like… monogramed silk pajamas, professional airbrushed make-up, salon-worthy blow-outs, hotel room service… that we forget to just take a step back and lean into the simple things.
For me, choosing to pair it all back and get ready at home helped to stay centered and relaxed. It’s the house that my dad also grew up in, which just adds to the charm and sentimentality I have towards the photos and memories from this special morning.
♡♡♡
During the planning process, I was asked countless times what my wedding colors were going to be. I always had a hard time answering that question because I never really decided on a color palette. I just said it’s going to be very colorful (and polka dotty)!
I did give each of my bridesmaids a color to go off of as a starting point for their dress shopping but was open to things evolving. I encouraged them not to be afraid of pattern and that any style or length was okay. Ultimately, they all got to pick something that was genuine to their own personal style. This loose approach to coordinating was freeing to me, and look how beautiful it all came together! These souls are so unique, lovely and radiant.
I remember giggling to myself every time a random car drove down our street as I was walking out of our front door in my veil and gown. It’s not everyday you see a bride strolling around in the neighborhood, haha.
It’s so cool to look back and see images of yourself that so clearly represent how you actually felt in a particular moment. This picture of me on my way to the church is one of those. Thanks for the ride, Dad. ♡
joyful details.
All the TikTok girlies gave me a hot tip to get a wedding day scent. About six months before our wedding (when my mom was in town for something), we went to the Mall of America to pick out a fragrance for me. It was a fun afternoon for us both. I chose Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet, which has the most feminine peony freshness to it. Since the wedding, I have been wearing it for date nights and other special occasions. It’s really crazy how scents can so powerfully take you back to a memory!
Inspired by our parents and grandparents, we chose thick matching gold bands. We engraved the inside with a phrase that Jackson has been saying to me since we first started dating, “How lucky am I 8/31/24”.
And yes, I would 10/10 recommend hot pink nails for your wedding day. Have fun, live a little ;)
inspired by the past.
I have always drawn inspiration from sentimental things that have lovingly been passed down to me from my grandparents. So when my bestie, Erin, opened her business for handcrafted bridal purses, I knew it was time to make something beautiful out of my mom’s and grandmothers’ wedding gowns that were just sitting around in old dusty boxes.
Wearing three generations of wedding gown materials made me feel deeply connected to my mom, both of my grandmothers, and maternal great-grandmother who I know were smiling down to see their dresses being adored on my wedding day.
Erin made a unique purse design for both me and my mom. We were able to work with Erin on our vision and also pick out the beautiful pearl strap details. She did a quilt patchwork layout for mine and a vertical row of buttons for my moms. The heroic bows came from the puff sleeves on my mom’s dress from the 90s; the lace and buttons a mix from my grandmothers’ dresses, some of which date back to the 1920s.
Being the extremely sentimental person that I am, of course I wanted to share a few favorite photos of my parents and grandparents on their wedding days. I can’t believe the dresses in these photos are what my purse is made out of!
Erin gifted us with the purses at my bachelorette dinner, which was a few weeks before the wedding. It was really special to see the final product come together in front of all of my friends. I love that this special moment was captured on film!
thank you, Lace & Legacy Co. ♡
Erin can transform cherished heirlooms into beautiful keepsakes beyond purses, too. She has made ring bearer pillows, hair accessories, robes and is always open to new requests. She was so loving and careful when working with my sentimental materials. I would highly recommend checking out her website here to order something unique and meaningful of your own!
fresh-cut minis.
A colorful, monochromatic mix of zinnias and dahlias straight from my dreams! These fresh cuts came from the vibrant backyard garden of our very generous family friend, Jenny Ney. Not only did she open her garden up to us but she also helped assemble these mini bouquets the day before our wedding. So sweet, simple + stunning ♡
a surprise zine.
By far my favorite (secret) passion project for our wedding was creating a mini magazine to highlight a few special stories about us, our family, and our closest friends. I had a lot of fun writing about how Jackson and I met and got engaged, our love language, favorite trips we’ve taken together, and the dreams we share for our future. I dedicated the first spread to our loving parents and the second to our grandparents — after all, their stories are part of our story. And because our siblings and friends have also been so important in shaping who we are, they each got a spotlight, too.
I gifted my bridesmaids in the morning with the zines so they each could have a moment to read their featured write-up before our ushers started handing them out to all guests arriving at the church.
The idea to make a zine came to mind mostly because I design catalogs for a living and am a sucker for flipping through a good looking printable. (I wanted more space than a few lines in a traditional program, though, so we did both!) I also took into consideration that we had a full Catholic mass ceremony. I knew not everyone would be familiar with the rituals so the zines also served as a great way to include all of our guests during this time.
Ultimately, I wanted to take every opportunity to honor the people who have shaped us the most and this seemed like a special and unique way for me to do so.
Of course I leaned into the polka dot theme when designing the layouts. I treated the zines as if they were an extension of our invitation and save the date stationery set. I wove in elements like the exclamation point, cursive ‘M’, and chartreuse clover to help tie it all together… it was all part of our wedding brand in my eyes :-)
Visually, this was probably my favorite spread inside the zine. I hand lettered a poem that we both love from one of our favorite movies, Before Sunrise.
The zines are 16 pages printed in full color on 80# paper in a 6” x 9” format. I ended up using a company called greenerprinter to print and assemble. They were fantastic to work with, pretty affordable, and fast to ship. I was very satisfied with the print quality and general outcome. I couldn’t recommend them enough!
boys in blue.
Jackson and the guys went out for brunch and then got ready at the church on the morning of our wedding. I absolutely love how the powder blue suits turned out! I was definitely channeling a vintage, ‘Elvis’ look when I picked out this color. I like how it reads pretty neutral overall and how it made Quinn (best man) stand out in the black + white polka dots. They each got a different zinnia boutonniere to match the girls’ mini bouquets.
Our four brothers and Jackson with his buddies.
My handsome groom. He knows how to rock a stache and polka dot socks. ♡
a first look with my dad + bros.
Since Jack and I didn’t do a first look, I thought it would be special to have a reveal moment with my brothers before walking down the aisle. It turned into a little love circle group hug with the original 5.
queue the organ.
Our Catholic wedding Mass was full of personal meaning. The moment the organ swelled, I was channeling my inner Lana Del Rey and loving every bit of the grandeur. The church itself held so much history for me—it’s where my parents were married in 1991 and where I was baptized, had my first communion and confirmation, so standing at the altar felt like coming full circle.
To make it even more special, our dear friend, Darrick, cantored at our mass and we flew in our priest from our home parish, St. Helena’s in Minneapolis. He made the liturgy both heartfelt and lighthearted, sprinkling in jokes like “Stunna McDonough and Monk the Hunk” that had the whole crowd giggling and feeling connected.
^^^ That just married feeling. ♡
time to party!
There was a trolley waiting for us outside of the church after our ceremony. It took us and our wedding party around town for a little bit and to take pictures at a park before entering our venue for cocktail hour.
After a stormy and overcast morning, it was amazing to finally see the clouds soften and baby blue peeking through.
During the golden hour, my best friends and I found ourselves running into an open field, dresses flowing and laughter spilling out as we danced in circles like little kids. It wasn’t planned, just pure silliness and joy, the kind of carefree moment that perfectly captured the magic of the day.
our colorful people.
We told our guests to bring the color and they did not disappoint. Think bold florals, pattern play, and the kind of fabulous looks that could’ve doubled as a runway show. Honestly, we might’ve had the best dressed guest list of all time.
slainte! salut! prost! cheers!
Special shoutout to our parents, who went above and beyond to help us plan and pull off our dream wedding weekend. They’re not only the reason the party came to life, but also the greatest example to us of what a loving marriage looks like. We love you mom + dad (x2)!
party details.
I was absolutely obsessed with the disco ball… it was my #1 party priority and she delivered.
I had a little too much fun designing the bar signage. Lol.
Monogramed chip bags for the cocktail hour!
Personalized cocktail napkins.
My insanely talented sister-in-law, Jen, decorated our wedding cakes. I wanted a classic vintage look and she really brought the vision to life. Plus, they were delicious! The cherry garnishes are everything to me.
My personal favorite detail? The hand-painted (polka dotted and striped) table runners my mom made for every single table. They were so unique, so special, and made the whole space feel COLORFUL and VERY US. And in honor of Jackson’s grandpa, who always wore a shamrock on his collar, we gave every guest a little stick-on shamrock of their own—it was the sweetest touch to carry him with us that night.
dance, dance, dance!
Proof that the party stamina was unmatched.
disposables.
One of the best decisions we made was handing out disposable cameras to my bridesmaids. Through out the day (but especially after our photographer left), they captured the wild dance moves, silly moments, and all the late-night chaos. The film came back full of gems… blurry, goofy, joy-soaked snapshots we’ll treasure forever.
♡♡♡ If you made it this far, thank you for reliving this magical day with me. ♡♡♡
our amazing vendors.
Photographer LorealMade | Day-Of Coordinator J2Wedding Co. | Dress The Wedding Shoppe (Jimmy Huang) | Suit Suitshop | Shoes Bride – Volrina; Groom – Tecovas | Purse Lace + Legacy Co. | Hair + Makeup @juliakelbbeauty | Ceremony St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church | Venue The Ambassador House + Heritage Gardens | Flora Jenny Ney’s backyard garden | Cake @thelavenderwhisk | Entertainment Circle City Sound | Stationery Me :-) | Late Night Snack Greek Tony’s