Wedding | Annie & Emmett

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

We’re Emmett and Annie. We live in Cleveland, Ohio, with our three dogs (Earl, Redding, and Ripley) and two cats (Newt and Lu). Annie works as a mental health therapist. Emmett is currently pursuing a medical residency in emergency medicine. We love all things gardening, picnicking, woodworking, interior design, travel, thrifting, porch hangs, and live music.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

We’re a COVID couple whose first few months of dating were spent almost entirely at home, and we’re happiest here. When we moved in together, we started with two raised beds in our backyard. We gradually added three more, a fence, a restored door, and various trash-picked/thrifted items to adorn the space. The garden has become a symbol of our evolution both as individuals and a couple; growing, and forever in need of improvement.

How many guests did you have? 

We had 15 guests at our backyard ceremony and 95 at our reception.

What was your budget? 

We didn’t have a super firm budget going in, but we did want to be as mindful as possible. We didn’t hire a traditional florist, wedding planner, hair and make up team, or band so that cut down on cost.

Over the course of a year we thrifted over 100 white ceramic vases that we used for the florals, our ceremony chairs were trash-picked from a recent restaurant closing, and the dishware was all thrifted. The morning of our reception our closest friends and family helped us arrange all of our florals along with the reception space which made the day even more memorable.

Tell us about your outfits. 

We both wanted our outfits to feel really authentic to our style and personality.

Emmett spent some time living out west where much of his family still lives, so cowboy boots and a bolo tie were already at home in his wardrobe. Emmett’s sister, Jessa, had his bolo tie made from an old turquoise ring of their mother’s which made the gift even more special. His large Cafe Au Lait Dahlia boutonniere matched Annie’s bouquet to tie the looks together. 

Annie spends morning, noon, and night in the garden during Cleveland summers, so she wanted her ceremony style to reflect how she felt in her favorite sundress-ethereal and playful. Custom turquoise drop earrings by Liza Michelle Jewelry were the cherry on top. For the reception, Annie lost the sleeves and later changed into a funky gold velvet dress that popped up on Poshmark two weeks before the wedding.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding? 

The most important aspect for us when planning our wedding was authenticity. We wanted to slow everything down and really soak it in. 

Our ceremony and reception were on separate days which afforded us more opportunities to connect with each other and our most important people. Before our families arrived for our ceremony we recited private vows, which we both collectively agreed ended up being our favorite part of the entire weekend. Our ceremony was short, but meaningful, and we followed it up with backyard bbq and a bonfire. 

It was important to us that our reception felt more like a dinner party than a traditional reception. Our cocktail hour was more like two. We shared a welcome speech with guests, cut the cake, and got to groovin’.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

It was really important to us to incorporate our garden both symbolically and literally! During our ceremony we completed a wreath hanging which symbolized our new chapter, and the large bouquet on our sweetheart table was created with Dahlias and other assorted flowers from our garden. Both were really special to us. Emmett’s uncle is a really talented musician, so we knew we had to have him and his band play the reception-they killed it. 

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Do whatever the f&^% you want. In 50 years you’ll want to look back and see a celebration that represents each other and your life together- no one’s opinion matters more than you and your partner’s on your day.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about? 

It was important to us to support as many small, local (especially female-run) businesses as possible during our weekend. We’re super grateful for all of our vendors but especially our photographer, Diana Galay Photo, Dana Depew of Asterisk Farms, Tessa at Retro Roamer Photobooth, and Liza Michelle Jewelry. 

Photographer: Diana Galay Photo @dianagalay_photo | Planning & Styling: Annie | Flora: Asterisk Farms

@danadepew | Ceremony Location: The couple's home | Reception Location: Bayarts  @bayarts_ohio |

Celebrant: Good friend of the couple, Kyle Poney | Reception Tent: Aable Rentals @aablerents | Dance Floor: Borrow Curated @Borrow_curated | Hair: Chloe at Mane Chic @chloe_manechic | Catering & Beverages: Woodstock BBQ @woodstockbbq & Spice Catering Co @spice_catering_co | Cake: Raisin’

Hell Vegan @Raisinhellvegan | Pie: Rood @roodfoodpie | Stationery: Canva by Annie | Entertainment: Joe Bell & The Swing Lizards | Photobooth: Retro Roamer Photobooth @retroroamerphotobooth | Dresses: Reformation @reformation and Shona Joy @shonajoy | Suit: Indochino @indochino | Clutch:

Thrifted from All Things for you @Allthingsforu | Earrings, Engagement & Wedding Rings: Liza Michelle Jewelry @Lizamichellejewelry | Bolo tie: Marrow Lee designs @marrowleedesigns