Leah + Blair made the most of holiday excitement for their Cleveland, Ohio “I do’s” and welcomed the start of 2024 by becoming New Year’s Eve newlyweds!
“We knew we wanted something far from traditional,” remembers the couple. “We wanted to ring in 2024 with our loved ones surrounded by color.” And with the help of the day’s planner + floral designer Kyle Hammer—a close friend of Leah + Blair’s—they brought tons of bright + festive flair to Gordon Green.
“We truly wanted it to feel like a big party that happened to be a wedding,” say the bride + groom, and they accomplished that with fun, one-of-a-kind touches like a pre-ceremony cocktail hour, an “upstage the bride” guest dress code, and a midnight balloon drop!
A major star of the evening was Leah’s custom pink wedding dress created by Madison Chamberlain. Tiered tulle puff sleeve perfection.
If you’ve been dreaming of doing something creative with a winter wedding, let these gorgeous photos from Juliana Cole be your sign to go for it!
How special is this: Leah’s custom designed ring from The Smithery included stones from Blair’s mom’s engagement ring. 🥹
Leah’s sister designed these cute, hand-drawn pastel blue, chartreuse, and pink wedding invitations.
The First Look
SCREAMING about Leah’s show-stopping plunge neck puff sleeve pink wedding dress and matching veil!! 💕 “Madison Chamberlain, the designer, is a dream and absolute talent,” says Leah. “I am so lucky to have found her doom scrolling TikTok one day. She spoke about her love to work with nontraditional brides and shared these jaw dropping designs.”
“From the beginning I knew I didn’t want a white dress. It just didn’t feel like me,” says Leah of her choice to go for a vibrant bridal look. “I love color, I love to stand out, and make a statement. Life is for living. I knew I wanted to make an unforgettable statement at our wedding.”
“I don’t remember specifically how I landed on pink but once it was in my mind I could not drop it — you should have seen my Pinterest board. So seeing Madison was like a dream come true — because one thing they don’t tell you is finding a pink dress is not easy.”
“Madison truly made the vision come to life. She and her employee Maria walked me through the design process, gave me lots of choices, and ultimately helped me land on the best one. Even at my muslin (which is just cotton fabric) fitting I felt like a star. “
Out and About in Cleveland
Wanna hear something sweet? Leah + Blair met working at Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream! So the Cleveland scoop shop of course figured prominently in their big day.
Leah + Blair’s pre-wedding portrait session on the streets of downtown Cleveland was a particularly special part of the day. “When we were out taking pictures I had people cheering me on, car horns honking — Blair would like to note that he isn’t sure it was just about my dress, his suit was pretty cool too ;)” Blair’s absolutely right: that three piece deep burgundy wedding suit from Indochino was perfect for a colorful winter wedding.
Also, how fab are the glamorous up-do and bold pink lip makeup look that Mane Chic created for Leah?
Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding For Blair: Taking pictures around Cleveland was something he’ll never forget. It was special spending time with just the two of us and visiting our favorite local spots that mean a lot to us that included us reading letters to each other next to the bridge with large stone guardians that overlook the city
For Leah: I know everyone says this — how am I supposed to choose. From the first look the day was filled with so many memories .. taking pictures in Cleveland, the ceremony (his vows!), our first dance, trying to sneak in some food, standing in the rain for 5 minutes to soak it up, sabering a wine bottle, finally eating food (that burger was amazing), hugging all our friends and family, physically feeling the love and the joy of the day. But the most memorable part was taking the trolly back just the two of us — the Cleveland trolly is an iconic way to whisked off after the wedding. We just laughed and said wow and showed each other our rings and said wow again — we’re married!
Take a peek at out how to write your own vows guide if you like the idea of penning your own special wedding day words like these two did.
A Colorful Ceremony
Kyle Hammer filled the day’s florals with tons of texture by using neutral and tinted pampas grass from For Love Of Pampas.
Loving this full length mirror that Leah + Blair turned into a chic wedding sign with custom decals.
Our Musical Choices Processional: "Hey Lady" by Stephen Day + "A Sunday Kind of Love" by Etta James
Recessional: "fire escape" by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
First Dance: "The Way I Love You" by Michal Leah
“I kept my dress a surprise from all my guests and Blair,” remembers Leah, “so it was so wonderful to see everyone’s reactions to the dress.”
Countdown to Midnight!
Clock those blue, pink, and gold balloons from Extra Betty ready for their midnight balloon drop! All of the shimmery tinsel and pops of color look great with the clean, white and light wood furniture from Borrow Curated.
Grab some colorful taper candles and tinted glass bud vases to rebuild this festive tablescape yourself!
Hand painted guest portraits from Cloud Studio were totally priceless wedding guest favors. And so on trend! Guest portraits are one of our fave wedding trends to watch.
Sun Valley Vintage Voicemail provided the nostalgic rotary dial phone setup for Leah + Blair’s audio guest book.
Baby blue, colorful confetti, and textured icing strokes! Obsessed with this three tier pastel masterpiece of a wedding cake from K2 Cakes.
Can we get a standing ovation for Leah’s sequin floral reception dress?! ALSO by Madison Chamberlain! “Madison also designed my reception dress which is exactly what I needed to dance the night away,” says Leah. “I feel very lucky and fortunate to have this opportunity and am looking for any excuse to rewear my dress anywhere and everywhere.”
Our Advice To Those Planning Now Make the day authentic to what you want it to be. Your friends and family are there to celebrate you, and they will love getting to experience the things that make you happy!
Ask for help!
And make bold choices! And don’t be afraid to throw things that don’t feel right to you out the window.
Congrats, Leah + Blair, on your festive winter wedding! Here’s to every NYE party feeling like an anniversary celebration just for you!
photography: Juliana Cole Photography // venue name: Gordon Green, Cleveland, OH, United States // planning: Kyle Hammer- Friend of Bride // florals: For Love of Pampas // wedding dress: Madison Chamberlain // bride's ring: The Smithery // hair stylist: Mane Chic // makeup artist: Mane Chic // groom attire: Indochino // groom's ring: The Smithery // paper goods: Made by Bride's Sister // catering: Spice Catering // cake: K2 Cakes // desserts: Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream // furniture rentals: Borrow Curated // music: NPI Entertainment // audio guestbook: VIntage Voicemail (Sun Valley) // balloon drop: Extra Betty // hand-painted guest portraits : Cloud Studio
Very courage colours! Love that’s ideas!