Wedding: January 8, 2017
Honeymoon: Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland
After James Annen proposed to Julie Swenson at his parents’ home, the couple wasted no time, planning their one-of-a-kind wedding in just six weeks. They wanted a celebration that felt ethereal and expansive, but also earthy and intimate. Gemstones and geodes were a natural point of inspiration—polished, geometric and with a striking jewel-toned color palette. A renowned makeup artist, Julie was very familiar with the wedding industry, so immediately knew who to call. She started with Rudy’s Event Rentals for the china and copper place settings and Maven Events for other touches, including the flowers, the geometric plant holders and the candlesticks. The stationery suite was a collaboration with Catherine Polacek at Printerette Press, who continued the gemstone theme by hand-painting the invitation design and adding gold leaf. The most enjoyable moment of the whirlwind planning process was when the couple went to Zara Men to shop for the groom’s suit. He tried on suits and ties while she took pictures and ogled, both of them laughing the whole time. Since their venue had limited space for a band, they chose harp music with a twist. The play list included favorites from Tom Petty, Metallica and Elvis, and the party hit all the right notes.
