Wedding Wednesday: Our Wedding Video, Photos, and Answering Your Questions

Tony & Sara – Feature Film | 12.31.16 from Love & Light Productions, L.L.C. on Vimeo.

Wedding Video c/o the amazingly talented women of Love & Light Productions. Jen and Audrey were an integral part of our special day and we feel so blessed to have had them by our sides, providing Love and Light!

Wedding Invite Package c/o Ramona & Ruth

My super talented and creative cousin, Kim, created custom letterpress invitations and menus in blush paper and gold metallic ink. They were so beautiful and truly represented our vision and what our guest’s could expect from our wedding!

Envelope Calligraphy c/o Letter Lane Design Studio

I worked with Brittany, the sweetest gal behind Letter Lane, on creating unique calligraphy for the outer envelopes! Y’all, calligraphy is not easy and I’m so thankful to have had Brittany’s talent and help in making these envelopes come to life. The outer envelope is the first impression you give to your guests, so you better make it count!

Hayley Paige “Comet” Gown c/o Rhylan Lang

Engagement Ring from Borsheims

Earrings & Bracelet from Haute Bride // Blush Pink Heels c/o Amazon

Personalized Rings for my Right Hand c/o Lisa Leonard Designs

Photography by Brett Brooner

MR. AND MRS. TONY & SARA ROTH – DECEMBER 31, 2016

Hi babes and happy Wedding Wednesday! This post is long over-due and I’m so excited to finally share our wedding day with y’all! It was the most perfect day ever. We really lucked out with the weather, especially with it being in the heart of winter. Thankfully there wasn’t any inclement weather and it was in the 40’s and sunny! After just about 9 years of dating, it felt so surreal (and still does) that we’re now husband and wife! I received A TON of questions about our story, engagement, and wedding planning do’s and don’t’s, so this post covers all that!

How you met? Through a mutual friend at a local bar, formerly known as Fedora

Where/how he proposed? At Deer Creek Country Club on Hole #3 on my 30^th birthday! You can read about our engagement story here!

Funniest wedding moment? I can’t pin-point thee funniest moment was, but the entire day, from start to finish was so much FUN! From the beginning stages of wedding planning; the goal was to have a fun-filled day! Yes, our ceremony and reception were formal, but it was not stuffy and we wanted to be sure our guests were taken care of! We provided a cocktail hour, open bar for the reception, a photo booth, and awesome DJ! Plus a midnight champagne toast to ring in the New Year! Oh, and of course a New Year’s Eve fireworks show!

Most sentimental wedding moment? Lighting a candle at the statue of Joseph for Tony’s late father, Jeff.

Interesting detail/decor? We played off the ambiance of the Gene Leahy Mall lights. This backdrop drove our decor decision-making & was the inspiration for our reception venue and theme!

Sweetest moment? Sneaking away with Tony to watch the fireworks alone and to soak in the moment. Lots of tears were shed!

Idea worth stealing? Mirrored table tops – reflects SO much light!

Is there a story behind my dress? The moment I tried it on, I immediately thought and said aloud “Tony will love this dress!” and started crying! The “Comet” gown was made for a fancy and fun New Year’s Eve wedding! Omaha Brides – you must visit Rhylan Lang for the best dress experience. From the first appointment, to alterations, and to picking up my veil the day before, I was treated like a queen and was made to feel very special and a priority! Read more about my dress experience with Rhylan Lang here!

Describe your “first look” moment? I always wanted our first look to happen as I’m walking down the aisle with my dad towards Tony and it was the most magical, happiest moment of my life. Worth the 9 year wait! That is why we hired two photographers, for them to capture his reaction to seeing me for the first time, and to capture those sweet moments with my dad as we walked down the aisle!

Biggest thing you learned about the wedding planning process? Know your strengths and hire the experts! I’m a visual, big picture person, but executing the small details stresses me out, so I knew I wanted to work with a wedding planner to handle the vendor negotiation, set-up, tear down, etc. so my mom and I could be stress free, especially on the wedding day!

Best advice for brides-to-be? It may sound cliché but, at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, you’re getting MARRIED! And that is awesome. And that’s all that matters! Focus on your why and not on the who, the when, and the what ifs!

One thing you wish someone would have told you before or during your wedding planning? Be sure to take a moment to reflect not only with your spouse, but also with your parents. I feel like I hardly saw my parents at our reception and they’re my favorite people ever!

What has been the biggest adjustment in your married life? The most fun adjustment has been calling him my Husband! And the first time I heard him refer to me as his Wife made my heart explode into a million pieces. The endearment and pride he has when he introduces me as his Wife makes me fall in love with him all over again! And of course, taking care of the non-fun things, such as switching car & health insurance! It just feels very permanent – in a good way! We’re officially a family after years of knowing it in our hearts, because it’s on paper now.

Finish this sentence: Before marriage, I never knew that my spouse …Had such good car insurance! LOL!

What isn’t nearly as important now as it was when you were in the midst of your wedding planning? EVERYTHING! Post-wedding clarity is such a beautiful thing because you realize that other than marrying the love of your life in front of God, your family and friends, nothing else truly mattered! And also I am so happy I decided not to rent different chairs. I was so hung up on having fancy, Chiavari Chairs, but now looking back, I am so thankful we saved our money because the chairs that were provided by the Holland Center looked wonderful and cohesive with our theme & decor!

Favorite wedding gift & why? A handmade painted wooden sign that says “Roth’s – Established 2016” from Tony’s cousin! To finally make it official after 9 years of dating and becoming a Roth, and a family; it was amazing to see it written

Gifts for Mom and Dad that are meaningful yet useful? While giving a gift to your parents is a sweet idea, I honestly wish so badly that I just would have had more time with them during the reception. I also wish I would have taken more photos with them; professional and/or just a quick iPhone snap! As for an actual gift, I bought my bridesmaids, Tony’s mom, and my mom personalized Sabby Style bracelet sets to match their dresses! And I hate to admit it, but I didn’t give my dad anything. I completely spaced this and feel terrible! But in my defense, his birthday is on Christmas Eve, so he was spoiled the week before and he hates when we spend money on him. If you’re looking for a sweet and sentimental gift idea, you could hand write a message on a handkerchief and then have someone go over your words in embroidery so it’s something he can have forever. My girlfriend did this for her dad and I LOVE this idea!

Pressure to loose weight for your wedding? YES. It’s one of the biggest days of your life, and you’re spending an arm and leg on photography, so you want to look and feel perfect! I had every intention of working out and loosing weight/toning up, but I let stress get the best of me and took to eating and drinking more. Don’t do as I do. I wasn’t 100% happy with where my body was, but once I put the gown on and my hair and makeup was done, I felt like a million bucks. And seeing Tony’s sweet face with his big smile and tear-filled eyes while while I walked down the aisle completely erased any self doubt and put into perspective the WHY of the day!

Heels vs. Sneakers? BOTH! I wore heels for the ceremony but changed into my white chucks after formal church photos were over. I honestly didn’t plan on changing into tennis shoes and grabbed my sneakers as a last minute thought the night before. And boy am I glad I did! Looking back I would have bought cute wedding tennis shoes because it’s a long day to be in heels and you don’t want to worry about your feet hurting while your dancing the night away!

Photos with mom getting ready? One of my biggest regrets is that my mom didn’t help me get my dress on. We were strapped for time (10+ people women getting ready always takes more time than you anticipate) and I was worried about being late to the church (which we were!), so I didn’t want to hold us up even more by taking time away from her getting herself ready. The point is – the wedding can’t happen without the bride, so take your time and make those moments a priority!

Family photos outside and not just in Church? The plan was to take family photos outside before the ceremony but because the girls were late to the church, like by 2 hours, we didn’t have time. And we were limited on time from when the ceremony was over to when we needed to get on the party bus to take photos around downtown Omaha. I regret not having outdoor, more candid photos with my parents and family. I loved the ones we took outside with the bridal party and wish my parents could have been a part of that!

Stay away from Pinterest! I honestly did not go onto Pinterest once after the wedding planning began. I know, I’m crazy. But seeing thousands upon thousands of wedding boards and DIY ideas was overwhelming and made me question my vision.

Gifts for bridal party and hosts? As I mentioned above, I gave my Bridesmaids, mom, and MIL personalized Sabby Style bracelet sets to match their dresses! I also bought their earrings, Vince Camuto blush scarves/shawls, and gave them each $40 cash to put towards their hair. Tony owns a watch business, so he created custom ebony wood watches for his Groomsmen. As for hostess gifts, I love Michael Aram candles and gave those to the three women who threw my bridal shower!

Asking ring bearers and flower girls? We didn’t have a ring bearer or flower girl, so I’m no help when it comes to this, sorry!

Reception exit? We actually didn’t do an exit because we wanted to ring in the New Year at midnight with our nearest and dearest! So we stayed until the very end. And then we went and got food and a beer with my parents, sister, her fiance, and a few friends!

WEDDING DETAILS

Wedding date: 12/31/2016

Rehearsal Dinner Location: The Player’s Club at Deer Creek

Ceremony Location: St. John’s Cathedral at Creighton University

Reception Location: the Holland Center

Photographer: Brett Brooner

Videographer: Love & Light Productions c/o

Save the Dates: Minted c/o

Letterpress Invite Package: Ramona & Ruth c/o

Envelope Calligraphy: Letter Lane Design Studio c/o

Blush Heels: Amazon c/o

Wedding Boutique & Dress: Rhylan Lang Bridal – Hayley Paige “Comet” Gown c/o