Stan Hywet Tangier Wedding

– Nicole and Tony were high school sweethearts and enjoyed years of friendship, prom, graduation and more leading up to Tony’s proposal. Tony had been looking for the perfect ring for months – an intricate halo of diamonds embracing a brilliant round center diamond with diamond accents on the band. He had the ring sized and picked up for a week and a half before popping the question. He met with Nicole’s dad before going home to ask for his blessing and to fill him in on his plan. Her dad then called her and said he wanted to go to dinner that evening. When Tony got home, Nicole had just finished getting ready for dinner. Tony had set up a camera and waited for her to come out of the bedroom where he popped the question. Many tears later, she finally said yes!

Nicole planned an intimate romantic wedding ceremony on the Birch Tree Allée Vista at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. She wore a fitted gown with a deep sweetheart neckline. “I’m petite and didn’t want my dress to wear me and I didn’t want to drown in a ball gown. I wanted something simple and understated but still had a wow factor. I loved that my dress had a vintage feel. It had a sexy wow factor that I loved when I first tried it on” said Nicole. The dress was Nicole’s “new”, with her grandmothers wedding set as her “old”, her grandpa’s pin that he wore on his suit as her “borrowed” and her Badgly Michka shoes as her “blue” (complete with a handwritten surprise message from Tony). Her bridesmaids wore floor length deep raspberry gowns in complementary styles with navy and gold accents in the jewelry and flowers.

For Nicole’s flowers, she chose bouquets of peonies with an organic feel. Leafy accents were brought in to create more open and airy bouquets, in contrast to the traditional rounded bouquets. She wanted a shade of blush in the rice flower and peonies to add a pop of color to her bridal bouquet and to also give her bridesmaids’ dresses more of a summer appearance. The anemones added something unique.

Nicole and Tony took their vows by the stunning overlook of the Lagoon, with distant views of the Cuyahoga Valley. Instead of the standard program printed for each guest, Nicole and Tony framed the program and displayed it on an easel. “We didn’t like printing a program for each guest (that would most likely be left on the seat or thrown away)”. During their ceremony, they “tied the knot” with a special ribbon bonding. This was followed by the couples first kiss and a special surprise by Tony – Lacey and Buddy joined them for their recessional walk down birch lane. Nicole later reflected “The highlight of our wedding would be when the dogs were walked out. It truly made our day everything I hoped it would be!”.

When Nicole and Tony chose their venue, they wanted something unique and far from the traditional ballroom wedding. They both loved Tangier and knew it was the right choice for them. Gold details (in the vintage gold-filigree cake plate, plate chargers and linens) and candlelight accented the Fountain Room reception. Nicole and Tony snuck away to the Cabaret Room for one last special moment of the night.

Stan Hywet Wedding Stan Hywet Tangier Wedding