and the finalists are...

First we’d like to thank all the couples who entered for making such a great effort to sharing their stories and visions with us! It was a tough decision, but without further ado, here are our fabulous finalists!

The voting is officially open, so after looking at all 3 finalists, please place your vote for your favorite couple. The "ballot box" is to the right of this column, at the very top. The winners will receive free wedding coverage by Christa!

couple no. one ~ Diana & Trevis, New Year’s Eve, St. Peter’s Catholic Church & The Embassy Suites in Columbus, OH.

their story ~ Diana & Trevis met through a mutual friend and they had their first date two days later...at a Poison concert! Not a huge poison fan, Diana was obviously interested enough to spend a night watching those aging rockers bang their balding heads and it was clearly the right move: at the end of the night, she called her best friend to tell her she’d met “the one” and was sure she was going to marry him. A year later, her prophecy came true...on a plane. She was called to the front of the plane to “pick up some lost property” only to find Trevis down on one knee and wielding the PA mike in his hand and the ring in his other. He’d arranged this whole thing with the flight attendants and ticket agents ahead of time. (Good job, Trevis!) The whole plane applauded them as they walked back down the aisle and Diana is pretty sure she was blushing to the roots of her hair. They didn’t want to wait a year to walk down “the” aisle, so they decided to see the New Year in with their wedding. Although they only have six months to do their planning, they believe with the help and love of their friends and family, they can do it! Here’s their inspiration board:

the details ~ Diana & Trevis are designing their decor around a chocolate, champagne, and blush pallet and have come up with a number of ways to make their wedding more environmentally friendly. They emailed their save-the-dates to conserve paper and the invitations will be printed on recycled paper, with postcard response cards as to not waste envelopes. The bridal party flowers will be re-purposed to decorate the head table and they plan to give flower seeds as favors. No menu cards will be used for their buffet style dinner. This was planned “so men can eat as much as they want and women can eat as little” and there won’t be as much food waste. They are also encouraging carpooling and using the shuttle service to conserve on gas and they are working with the reception venue to recycle alcohol bottles. They’re also planning some fun stuff: a sparkler lit exit from the church and a champagne sabering ceremony for their toast!



couple no. two ~ Amburr & Jarrett, October 3rd, Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California

their story ~ It’s such a cliché to say that love knows no bounds and can create miracles. But it’s really quite amazing when it’s proven to be true. Life is full of trials and traumas that force couples to really see what they’re made of...either they bail from the stress or the love and support they have for each other carries them through to the end. Amburr & Jarrett were faced with such a trial and I have no doubt they are going to be lifelong troopers together. Seven months ago, Jarrett suffered a terrible eye injury; one that left his eyeball in “a million pieces” from which doctors said there was no hope of recovery. Amburr was heartbroken to see this happen to him, as he is a visual artist who “ sees the world through a pair of eyes that can uncover the beauty, recognize the unusual and create what is yet to be seen or known.” Not to mention the thought of him not having his sight and missing even one facet of his five year old daughter’s life. She wants to be a rock star, a cheerleader, a prop stylist and a tennis player (if her dad has anything to do with it)...that’s a lot to watch! Amburr wrote “...after two major surgeries and six months of convalescing, his eye slowly came back to life. Literally. It went from a million pieces back to what I used to stare into for hours. I’ve never seen anything like it. The doctors said they had never heard of such a recovery.” She attributes his miraculous recovery to the love that surrounded them while they went through this ordeal. And for them, this wedding is not just the joining of two people who have found each other in this unfair world, but the celebration of life and friends and family who, come hell or high water, are always there for them. In light of this, they have planned a small wedding at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. Here’s how they envision their day:

the details ~ They chose the location for it’s natural beauty and intimate setting. The scenery provides so much that only a little decorating is needed to make the place their own. They describe the atmosphere they wish to create as an “Italian villa gathering.” They plan to dot the scenery with deep reds to bring a bit of festivity to all the greenery. The day before the wedding, Amburr and her friends plan to gather flowers and put the bouquets together themselves, to lend a sense of personal involvement. Buying locally grown flowers will also help cut down costs of shipping and the associated effects on the environment. As an extra personal touch, Amber has a surprise for Jarrett - she’s learning how to play the guitar just so she can surprise him during the reception by singing a song that has special meaning to them. I wish I could say more. ;) But the whole thing is super cute. (**If you know Jarrett you are FORBIDDEN to tell him about the surprise...'coz otherwise, it won't be a surprise!)



couple no. three ~ Marlene & Jordan, September 27th, Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens, Downtown Chicago

their story ~ Marlene & Jordan’s relationship is one based deeply in a longtime friendship that blossomed into something they feel very lucky to have. Jordan wrote how their engagement was “an exercise in precise (lucky) timing.” He took Marlene to Alinea for a 24 course dinner (yup...24...) and his friend, the chef, arranged to have the ring brought out to her as the final course. “General hilarity ensued as I was caught off guard a bit because I was taking a picture of my food.” The ring itself was put together by Jordan; the center diamond is a family heirloom and not worrying about contributing to the diamond mining industry was a real relief. Both Marlene & Jordan are Chinese and wanted to pay tribute to their heritage and customs while maintaining their personal sense of simplicity and modernism. Marlene will change into a traditional Qi Pao at some point in the evening and a small tea ceremony with the parents and older generation family in attendance will be performed. While they really love the idea of an outdoor wedding, you just never know what Chicago is going to throw at you, weather-wise, so having the reception at the Crystal Gardens allows an outdoor feel without having to worry. “It's also just on Lake Michigan, so when you look back at the city you can admire one of the best skylines in the world. The best part is that as the evening turns into night, the entire ceiling turns dark because it's all glass.” Here is their inspiration board ~

the details ~ Marlene always thought that her colors would be dark burgundy and maybe gold accents, but when she found the perfect dresses for her bridesmaids, it all changed and their colors are eggplant and lilac. The location provides such a lush backdrop, that a few cymbidium orchid centerpieces will be enough to provide a beautiful splash of color. Jordan is a self-proclaimed “sneaker-head” so while the guys will be donning nice dress-up shoes during the ceremony, they’ll immediately change into custom NikeID Dunk Lo Pros that Jordan is having made. “These are my gifts to my groomsmen. Something that they all associate with me, hopefully will wear, and would never buy for themselves.” A good friend will be making their cake and they also hope to give everyone a cupcake from their favorite local Chicago bakery. Last, but certainly not least, they realized that so many of their guests are traveling from across the country and around the world. In order to spend their day with them, their guests are spending a lot of money and and using lots of our natural resources. So for part of the reception favors, they’re buying carbon offset credits from carbonfund.org “to cover the entire 'pollution footprint' of our wedding. It's not the only way we hope to be environmentally friendly throughout the day (and planning process), but it's the most effective way for us to be conscious of the unseen costs of our wedding.”


Good luck to all our finalists! Let the voting begin!