Hotel Covington | Leah & Alex | Cincinnati Wedding

Aug 6

Leah and Alex first met at Duke University’s business school during one of their classes where they became fast friends. They didn’t start dating until a few months before graduation and continued to date once Leah moved to Cincinnati. It wasn’t until December 22nd when they had planned to do their gift exchange before visiting Leah’s’ family in Pennsylvania for the holiday that they got engaged. Alex woke up early to set something up before Leah had come down from her bedroom. As Leah came down the stairs, that was covered in rose petals, she found 100 balloons in their living room. Tied to each one of the balloons was a reason why Alex loved Leah. (Are you crying yet? I wish there were pictures.) That was the moment Alex got down on one knee and proposed to Leah.

When I first met with Leah and Alex they wanted their Hotel Covington wedding to be formal and modern while still being intimate. We crafted a design that incorporated the modern industrial details of Hotel Covington and brought in some of the colors, modern lines, guest experiences, and a bit of their pup Mabel and cat Pinot. As guests entered Hotel Covington they were welcomed by our greeter dog, Mabel. Their ceremony was set outside in the Hotel Covington courtyard under a gray chuppah and incorporated some Jewish traditions in honor of Alex’s family. It wouldn’t have been complete without our official pup of honor that walked down the aisle before Leah. Their ceremony was co-officiated by a dear friend and a local Rabbi.

After the ceremony guests enjoyed a charcuterie spread of meats and cheese with house-made spreads alongside buttermilk fried chicken bites, pimento cheese gougeres, and vegetable calas. We told you Mabel and Pinot would make a few appearances and in addition to being on their save the dates, Cheerup Press created a digital illustration of them that Leah and Alex used as their signature drink sign. They met with the lead bartender at Hotel Covington a few months before to their wedding to craft out their signature cocktails based on their favorite ingredients.

As guests made their way to dinner to find their seats they stopped by the escort wall installation and replaced their card with a photograph and special message for the wall. Throughout the night the wall turned into a beautiful scrapbook wall of well wishes and fond memories.

Leah loved playing with color and we worked with Robin Wood Flowers to create a subtle gradient throughout the day. From the bouquets to the centerpieces the colors increased in intensity as the evening went on. The bouquets had soft blush, peach and cream tones and the reception and more vibrant corals, blues, reds, and purples. For their adult-only reception, the guests’ tables had a mix of low compote arrangements and tall centerpieces. The long tables were accented with garlands of magnolia leaves.

As guests were dancing the night away to the Zak Attack Band, we opened the favor bar which was complete with a spread of both men and women’s sized socks. Not just any socks but custom socks with the picture of Mabel on the ankles and non-slip pads on the bottom. By the end of the night, nearly everyone had ditched their shoes in place of these socks.

Would you put your pup on a pair of socks?