Wedding | Mia & Bradley

2 days ago
6 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We live in New York City with our beautiful family of two cats and two dogs who all somehow live harmoniously. Mia owns an online business and runs two brick and mortar shops, Bradley is a physicians assistant and a hobby craftsperson and bass player.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We wanted to do something fun and unique and for it to just be the best party ever! Our wedding planners suggested the bowling alley and we were all in.

How many guests did you have?

120ish. Mia has a really big family and we wanted to include a lot of our friends!

What was your budget?

Our original budget was as limited as possible and we did as much as we could to make the most of it. I designed all the paper goods like invites and menus. I also designed 9 different matches for guests to find and collect. Bradley made the set for the stage and all of his friends donated their time to play in the band and participate in the game show/late night portion. We brought goods from the store and from our house to decorate the dining tables and bar in lieu of flowers. I really vibed with the vendor who supplied our vintage glassware and plates and because she really liked us she gave us a really big discount!

Additionally, Bradley’s parents hosted the welcome drinks the night before, and my Godfather and Aunt hosted the out of towners the next day at my friend Mack’s house. Their generosity helped maximize the time with our guests and we are forever grateful!

Tell us about your outfits.

I always knew I was going to wear my Nonna’s veil and wax flower crown headband that comes with it. It’s long and very dramatic and I love the fashion moment that a veil brings and how it’s so specifically bridal.

My ceremony dress was a simple, retro inspired sheath with pearl embellishments, from Bhldn. My reception dress has a better story! Six years before our wedding I found a dream dress at a stylist’s sale for $40. It is probably from the 70s and I can tell that at least two other brides wore it by looking at the alterations. It was absolutely perfect with layered ruffle sleeves and a half circle skirt with floral embellishments on the bodice. It was the perfect dancing dress with so much movement! I love that the dress has seen so many happy parties and I feel like it brought me good luck!

I really fussed over what wedding shoes I wanted because I wanted something timeless. I tried on tons of options at Sak’s and Bergdorfs. Nothing really felt right, or comfortable. I ended up getting a pair of blue Ferragamos but hardly wore them all night, opting for simple (and easy to dance in) ballet flats!

I’m a big jewelry girl and wore some pieces that are very sentimental to me, including a signet ring that everyone in my family wears, a bracelet I got from my grandfather for my Communion and a locket necklace from Bradley.

Bradley wore a custom suit in his favorite color (orange!). He also wore Gucci loafers that I found at an estate sale for him a few years back.

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

Our biggest priority was to throw a fun party! We had gotten legally married a few months earlier in a private ceremony at my Grandfather’s home in New York. For some reason I was really fixated on making sure the drinks at the bar would be good and not bowling alley quality. I also really didn’t want it to feel too wedding-y. Most of our friends and family were traveling for it so I wanted them to feel like they at least got a nice meal and some drinks, and free bowling out of the trip!

Both of us did not want to do a traditional walking down the aisle thing but we felt like we had to do some sort of ceremony. So instead of any of that Bradley arranged an entire 30-minute show for our guests. Him and his friends played three songs - This must be the place (the Talking Heads), Two of Us (the Beatles) and What is Life (George Harrison). We also had a “late night” inspired portion where our officiant brought up two friends to interview and tell silly stories about us, then Bradley’s best friend and my sister did a trivia game about our relationship. Bradley also built the entire set the week before including elements that lit up and framed the late night portion. I think it made the wedding really fun and our guests were so enthused that we shook up the traditional format of a wedding!

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

Wearing my Nonna’s veil was so important to me. I also used baskets made of white satin from my Nonna’s wedding for the wedding matches. We put the baskets on the table with photos of all our grandparents on their wedding days.

I brought a ton of tchotchkes that I collected throughout my life to decorate with and to add to the character of the space.

I also designed some matches based on my parents exact wedding matches as a nod to them!

In addition to the bar, we had a cigar station outside because my dad, grandfather and uncles love a good cigar. I made custom cigar wraps and added them on to the special cigars for my father, grandfather and godfather.

In general, we didn’t want any detail to be overlooked. Both of us are really detail oriented and we wanted our day to be as thoughtful as possible with little surprises everywhere.

I also really wanted to make sure that my guests were well-fed! We did family style meals so you could take as much food as you wanted. Anyone with a food allergy or special diet was accommodated with their own generous portions of vegan or gluten-free food. I’ve been to too many weddings where I’m starving because the portions were too small, in an extra effort to avoid this I made sure each table had a big bowl of pesto tortellini so anyone who was extra hungry could fill up on something substantial! A trick I learned growing up in a big family is a bowl of pasta should always be on the table!

Any tips for couples getting married?

Do what you want, not what you feel like you have to do! It’s your day and you really should do whatever is in your heart. We didn’t have flowers or bridal parties. It truly felt like a big fun party because that was our intention from the start! It’s your day, don’t let anyone make you feel weird for getting married in a bowling alley. Also, if you do have a wedding, bring things to keep “backstage” that keep you comfortable and relaxed and smelling good, like a fan, deodorant, perfume, mints and makeup to reapply. No one ever told me this, but I like to be prepared!

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

I loved working with my photographer Khaki Bedford Photography, she’s so fun and so easy to work with and really did create heirloom-worthy photos. Our videographer Coley Spencer Video had suggested we all get together before the wedding just to chat and get to know each other and that was such a genius move on her part, and helped us feel a lot more comfortable when we were in front of the camera on our wedding day!

After the wedding the general consensus from our guests was that the food was amazing. Huge shoutout to Actual Food for rising above and beyond! They created a table of Italian cookies for dessert even though they had never made them before. They did everything and never made me feel like I was asking too much. If you’re ever in Nashville go to Inglewood Lounge, our favorite bar and where Actual Food is based!

Photographer: Khaki Bedford Photography @khakibedfordphoto | Planning & Styling: Modern Vintage Events @modernvintageevents | Decor: Glitter & Lightning @glitterandlightning & Bride’s own | Super 8 Videographer: Coley Spencer Video @coleyspencervideo | Ceremony & Reception Location: Eastside Bowl @eastsidebowl | Celebrant: Family friend | Hire: Please Be Seated @pleasebeseatedrentals & The Wedding Plate @theweddingplate | HMUA: Britney Head @bheadabe | Catering: Actual Food @actualfoodnash | Beverages: Eastside Bowl @eastsidebowl | Stationery: Designed by Mia ,letterpress by Three Cheers Press @threecheerspress @hatchshowprint | Cake: Maddie Cakes & Other Bakes

@maddiecakesandotherbakes | Dresses: (Ceremony) Bhldn @bhldn & (Reception) Vintage | Suit: custom