Let There Be Color! This Couple Broke the Mold for a Non-traditional Wedding Straight Out of a Fairytale

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

Payge and Matt are not ones to conform to the norm. I mean…just look at their amazing attire! The couple knew from the start that they wanted something different when it came to their wedding. But by no means did this mean all tradition would be thrown out the window! In fact, the happy couple made it a point to incorporate many traditions into their wedding – just with their own unique twist.

The couple hired close friend Rhiannon Bosse to plan and design the nuptials. After all, no one can do it as well as someone that loves and knows you personally! Next, it was time to pick a venue. The pair chose to be married at The Harper in Pennsylvania, with beautiful photography by Dawn Derbyshire. Let’s get into this fabulous, unique wedding!

Colorblocking Galore

Colorful colorblocked invitation suite

WOW! What an incredible start! Payge and Matt worked with their own agency and local vendors to create these impeccable invitations. The blue and orange tones were supplemented by a holographic design on the inside of the envelopes.

Pink wedding dress with orange accessories

My dress was a 2020 Louvienne exclusive, with handmade orange and pink silk organza underlaid. My hope was to achieve a nod to traditional wedding attire while wearing something that didn’t have the traditional (religious) connotations of a white dress. The dress took 9 months to design and execute, but it was worth every second.

Green plaid groom suit

New Traditions

Multicolored chuppah
Our Musical Choices

Processional: Meditation From Thais by Jules Massenet

Recessional: Dancing In the Moonlight (Instrumental) by King Harvest, as performed by Drella String Quartet

First Dance: Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind, and Fire

orange and yellow wedding flowers
Multicolored chuppah flowers

The couple elected to have a chuppah, a ceremonial arch traditionally used in Jewish wedding ceremonies. But as with the rest of their wedding, they had their own spin on it! Here, the couple opted for beautiful multicolored flowers, designed with a special functionality in mind.

The ribbon coming down the sides during the ceremony corresponded with the respective mergers of the colors. Where the orange corner met the yellow, there was an orange ribbon and a yellow ribbon kissing the ground, almost giving it the illusion of floating. Since I am only half Jewish, and very secular at best, I wanted to reference the traditions I loved seeing growing up, without recreating them to a ‘T’. For this reason, there was no center cloth of the chuppah, and the ceremony space was divided into four sides so that each group (Matt’s family, Matt’s friends, my family, my friends) got a unique view.

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding
Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

Matt and Payge looked so beautiful and sweet at the alter with one another!

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

Matt and Payge looked so happy to be at the altar together!

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

I really wanted to have a ceremony free from religion as a construct, and more about our love as our guiding factor. My high school friend and our old employee, Darius Moore, officiated our wedding. He created a ceremony for us that felt very focused on the power of love, humor, and lightheartedness. Everyone was laughing, including me and Matt. Picking someone who mattered to us as our officiant made the words he was saying more impactful for us and more meaningful to the guests. 

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

Matt and Payge’s friends couldn’t be more excited that the couple were finally married!

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding
Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding
Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Don't shy away from color. The wedding world is filled with white, cream, and traditional colors. If this isn't you, then don't make it be. Your wedding can look and feel exactly how you want it to.

Your budget is yours to allocate. If you care more about flowers than cake, then make those choices deliberately and stand by them. We didn't take money from family members for that reason. We wanted to make sure that our choices were not influenced by other people's wishes or financial obligations.

Little Details

Multicolor wedding seating chart

If this isn’t the cutest seating arrangement chart, I don’t know what is! We foresee this vision of smaller, more concise (and equally creative!) seating charts becoming a big trend in the near future. Take note now!

Multicolor wedding seating chart
Wedding cookie table

The couple’s desserts include the Cookie Table Tradition of Pittsburgh. Alleged to have come about as a result of the Great Depression, the tradition includes baking cookies from scratch for weddings in lieu of an expensive cake.

Wedding cookie table
Let's toast drink toppers

Drink toppers always help to get the party started!

Blue floral painted wedding cake

One thing we couldn’t get enough of at this wedding was the spectacular cake! Created by Tasty Bakery, the teal-based cake featured a variety of hand “painted” flowers. SO cute!

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

Let’s just take this in…what a spectacular sight! Seeing the full vision come together is always one of the most rewarding parts of a wedding. These florals and this color palette simply can’t be resisted!

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding

We love the Father Daughter dance moment! Need ideas for a song? Check out our top Father Daughter Dance songs for your wedding.

Colorful non-traditional fairytale wedding
Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

The most memorable moment of the day was my final, private dance with Matt. For our wedding song for everyone, we chose Boogie Wonderland because it was upbeat and allowed us to really have fun. However, we wanted to enjoy one final slow song at the end of the night for just the two of us. For that song, we chose Never Too Much by Luther Vandross. The song was really meaningful to us because it has the funky, groovy feel to it, but the big message of it is that there's never too much love. I really can't get enough of Matt. As we were dancing to this, my wedding planner, Rhiannon, surprised me with confetti. As the confetti rained down on us, we shared the most special gaze, hug, and kiss of my life. It was a moment that felt truly surreal.

Can’t get enough of this wedding? Check out the couple’s wedding highlight video below! Congratulations to Payge and Matt!

photography: Dawn Derbyshire // venue name: The Harper, Meadville, Pennyslvania, United States // event design: Rhiannon Bosse // planning: Rhiannon Bosse // florals: Rhiannon Bosse // wedding dress: Louvienne // wedding dress boutique: Lovely Bride // bride's ring: SLD Jewels // hair stylist: JL Studio // makeup artist: JL Studio // videography: Aaron Woods // paper goods: Design x Michelle // catering: Medures // cake: Tasty Bakery // tabletop rentals: Treasury Rentals // furniture rentals: All Occasions // linen rentals: Special Occasions // music: Thomas Walter // lighting: Gray Phoenix

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