1. Real Weddings

A Classic Vintage Wedding at 1316 Jones Street in Omaha, Nebraska

Laura Donovan (29 and a nurse practitioner) and Scott Wissing (28 and a health teacher and high school basketball coach) met in the summer of 2011 at

Laura Donovan (29 and a nurse practitioner) and Scott Wissing (28 and a health teacher and high school basketball coach) met in the summer of 2011 at the pool of their apartment building. "We had unknowingly lived two apartments down from each other for a year and had never met, although I would see him around the gym and pool and comment to my friends that he was my dream guy because he had a beard," Laura says. "The only pickup line we can remember was 'Would you like a Blue Dew?' -- a drink he and his friends had concocted. The rest was history. He proposed at the Denver Botanical Gardens in August 2013. We were in Colorado visiting his family, and he planned a surprise. I could tell something was going on because he was acting so strange. He brought a backpack with extra shoes and pretended to want to change his shoes, but then decided not to. I knew he had gotten a ring out of his bag. We then walked all around the gardens and came back to the entrance, but because he hadn’t popped the question yet, we had to revisit a few spots. We were sitting at a beautiful spot overlooking a pond in the gardens and discussing what we would like to do that night and he said 'How about celebrate?' I looked up and he was holding the ring. We both cried and had a nearby couple take a picture of us. They didn’t understand when Scott said 'She said yes!' so we had to explain that we had just gotten engaged! It was goofy, emotional and wonderful, all smashed into one. We were just glad he didn’t drop the ring in the water." The couple chose a location in downtown Omaha for their ceremony and reception. "We are both extremely keen on keeping things as simple as possible, and a one-stop shop for all of our festivities was exactly what we wanted," Laura says. "The venue is called 1316 Jones Street, and it is an old nut and bolt factory. It had exposed brick, a beautiful deck, hanging white lights and the simplicity we wanted in a venue. It was a block from the hotel, and all the nightlife in Omaha was within walking distance for our guests."

Laura wore classic nude Christian Louboutin high heels to complete her bridal look.
"I collect vintage jewelry, so my mom and I went to an antique expo and chose some beautiful vintage rhinestone pieces for all my looks," Laura says. "I wore brooches as hair pieces and also had all my vintage brooches made into a multicolored brooch bouquet."
"The ring is a vintage piece from the estate area at Borsheim’s in Omaha, Nebraska," Laura says. "We had looked at a few together, but Scott knew the one as soon as he saw it. The center diamond is an old mine cut from the 1800s, and the ring itself is from the 1950s. It’s platinum and I have never seen anything like it."
"Scott wore a new suit and chose to wear a white shirt and black skinny tie," Laura says. "It was all about the accessories for him. He chose a multicolored pocket square, a tie clip and Superman cufflinks. He wanted to have some fun too!"
"Our ceremony, cocktail hour and first-dance song were all played by a fabulous acoustic musician from Omaha," Laura says. "We chose all our special songs, and he learned them and put his own special spin on them."
"We chose to forgo the majority of the flowers because they are so costly and get thrown away," Laura says. "We had two large fall arrangements strategically placed in our ceremony and reception, mums at the entrance, as well as various single blooms placed throughout the tables to add warmth to the vintage glass."
"For dessert, we had a dessert bar that was set up beautifully with all our favorites, from chocolate-dipped macaroons to mini cupcakes to candies made in my hometown," Laura says.
"We had a cake at our sweetheart table for just the two of us, because Scott’s food has to be gluten-free," Laura says. "It was a lemon layered cake."
As much as Laura loved her wedding dress, she knew she couldn't dance in it and didn't want a bustle, so she changed into another look for the reception. "I changed into a 'tutu' of sorts from Space 46 Boutique in California and a J.Crew shirt that zipped up the back."