Cleveland Wedding at the St. Clair Ballroom | Lauren + John

The Japandroids brought Lauren and John together! After they hit it off at one of the band’s concerts, they were delighted to discover they lived two streets away from one another on Cleveland’s west side. Sometime later, John proposed over a long weekend trip to Toronto…so, really, Lauren’s choice of a Lea-Ann Belter gown was meant to be! She’d originally had her heart set on a gown she’d been fitted for while on holiday with John to Paris, but decided to shop around her hometown before committing. With an eye on our separates, when she tried Laurel and May, it was love!

Together, Lauren and John planned a classic, elegant wedding at the St. Clair Ballroom…with a twist. They both wanted the celebration to have a smooth flow, and so chose not to incorporate traditions such as a receiving line, bouquet/garter toss, and introductions. They also kept the cake cutting private—stealing a moment alone together just before the cocktail hour.

More details about their day from Lauren:

How did you guys meet?

“We met on the east side of Cleveland at a Japandroids concert and quickly discovered we lived two streets away from each other on the west side—which logistically was really important to us otherwise we may have never talked again!”

Cleveland Wedding at the St. Clair Ballroom - Lea-Ann Belter May skirt + Laurel top

bride’s finery: Lea-Ann Belter Bridal Laurel top, May skirt, and veil via Brides by the Falls | photographer: Making the Moment | full vendor list at bottom

How did your sweetie propose?

“John proposed to me during a friends’ trip to Toronto over Memorial Day weekend. We were in an Airbnb, waiting for our friends to arrive from Chicago when he asked me. They arrived and I hid the ring for an hour because I didn’t want them to think the weekend was going to be centered around us!”

How did you choose your gown?

“I had my heart set on a Laure de Sagazan gown that I got fitted for in Paris. I went to the appointment by myself because I was on vacation with John at the time and afterward kept up correspondence with the atelier in the States. I was two clicks away from signing a contract to purchase the dress but decided that I at least wanted the try-on experience with my Mom and sister. We ended up going to a couple of local places nearby—I’d had my eye on some of the tops and skirts from Lea-Ann’s designs. I loved the tops and skirts because it made me feel like I ordered a custom gown without the massive sticker price. The detail on her tops is dainty and beautiful and certainly lovelier than the Parisian one—pardon Paris!”

Tell us about your day!

“John and I are both classic people, which in essence sounds very boring, but someday when we look back at pictures it will look timeless to us. Our intention was to throw a beautiful party that was inviting to all of our loved ones.

We wanted to keep away from any interruptions during the reception and make it one fluid party, and so avoided traditions: no receiving line, bouquet/garter toss, introductions, and I wouldn’t have even had a first dance if it was for me! I made sure the DJ didn’t play any line dances and kept to ’70s, ’80s, and ‘90s—that way we at least tried not to leave anyone off the dance floor. We did do a cake cutting, but we did it privately, right before cocktail hour. I wanted to have a moment with just the two of us where we could share some special time alone…but we also did not want to miss too much of our cocktail hour because that’s our favorite part of weddings and we definitely weren’t going to miss our own!”

What was your first dance song?

“”Moon River,” but by Frank Ocean. We played his first album “Channel Orange” to death at its release (and to this day), so we found this version fitting for us.”