High Line Car House Wedding | Real Bride Michelle

Our #ljmrealbride Michelle, a Senior User Experience Researcher, met her now-husband, Patrick, Director of Multi-Family Lending, on Bumble in October of 2018. Their opening lines traded favorite coffee spots in the Columbus area, and after a few weeks of messaging, they had their first date. The two met at Spagio Wine Bar, right here in Grandview, over a few flights of wine. “We stayed past closing talking, and the rest is history.”

After hearing about the couple’s meet-cute, we had to know how Patrick popped the question to his bride-to-be! Michelle shares that the two were planning a trip to the West Coast in August of 2022, and expected the proposal to happen then. About a week before the trip, Michelle shares that it was just like any other Saturday – she dropped their golden retriever, Ruby, off at daycare, and Patrick suggested they get an early dinner somewhere on Grandview Avenue. Michelle, on the other hand, had already made plans with their friends for the night. After a dinner in Dublin, Patrick suggested they head to Jeni’s for ice cream. “When I suggested to go across the street, he said we needed to go to the one on Grandview Avenue because he had a fun game. We got ice cream at the Jeni’s in Grandview, and he pulled out a game that was cards he had created called ‘Who said it?’ It was messages from our early Bumble days and I had to guess who texted what. After we finished, I grabbed everything to go home. When we got back to our house in Grandview he pulled out another card asking me to marry him and he proposed outside our house. I came to learn that the entire day he was trying to get me back to Grandview Avenue to relive early memories and propose there – so I almost made our proposal not happen!”

Now that Michelle and Patrick were engaged, it came time for her to find her wedding dress! Michelle shares that she chose to shop at LJM because she wanted to shop locally and go to a shop that carried a variety of plus size options. “I had heard really amazing things from prior friends who also bought their dresses from La Jeune Mariee, so I knew I would be in good hands.”

At her appointment with our expert stylist, Maddy, Michelle said yes to Studio Levana Tamia – a gorgeous a-line gown featuring an off-the-shoulder neckline and full-length sleeves. When we asked Michelle if the dress she said yes to aligned with what she originally thought she’d love, she said “something more soft, romantic, flows, and comfortable. I was not expecting to go strapless and have sleeves! Actually the dress I liked the most in my inspiration, I ended up not liking at all.” When it came time for Michelle’s Meet the Gown appointment, she chose the Toni Federici Phaedra veil, a gorgeous ivory embroidered veil with floral details, and the Paris by Debra Moreland Salt Earrings, statement studs with the perfect mix of pearls and opals!

Once her dream bridal gown was secured, Michelle moved on to planning other details of her special day. She shares that her favorite part was creating fun elements to make it an experience for not only them, but their guests. They included a hot sauce escort display, welcome cocktails and mocktails, a late night ice cream bar, and even handwritten notes to each guest hidden under their napkins! The couple also included a cocktail hour crossword puzzle, which included questions about different parts of their lives. “it was a great conversation starter for guests as they mingled before the reception began. Now the crossword puzzle is a piece of artwork in our home”, shared Michelle about the wedding day activity.

On the other hand, she shares that her least favorite part was keeping up with decisions to be made, stating that it was seasons with a lot of work followed by seasons with none.

Michelle shares that her favorite memory from their wedding day was their first look at Grandview Theater, steps away from where they got engaged! “We had the sign changed out for us, and we love the photos. Grandview is such an important part of our story, and we are so glad it was incorporated into our wedding day.”

After hearing about all of the unique + special details that Michelle incorporated into her wedding day, we had to know where she got her inspiration! She shared that while there wasn’t one particular wedding that they took inspiration from, she scrolled through lots of vendor posts on Instagram to find the vibe they were looking for. “Huge shout out to the team at MMJ Events because they brought our thoughts into inspiration!”

Michelle shared that while looking for their vendors, it was very important to them to invest in local businesses as much as they could, which we couldn’t love more! ” We were able to find some vendors who also believe in this as well. We also found vendors who got us, our vision, and we got along with well.” In addition to shouting out the team at MMJ Events, she also shared that she’s especially grateful for Lumaca Paper and Inspired Settings. “Alaina at Lumaca really let me nerd out on paper goods, and help assemble our invitations! I had so much fun spending time in her studio discussing, planning, and creating our paper good suite for the wedding. Inspired settings for just the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. LaRonda and her team’s mission was also close to our hearts. We could have never imagined everything she dreamed up for us.”

As for any unexpected greats of their day? Our beautiful bride shared that Antiques on High allowed them to take photos on their second floor, which was very special to them because they loved going there while dating. “What was super special was a member of their team that also works at Seventh Son came to see us because we had our welcome party at Seventh Son the night prior.”

Finally, we asked Michelle if she had any advice for future #ljmrealbrides, and she shared that having each person choose something that they’re passionate about in the wedding planning process made things a lot more fun + seamless! “I really wanted to invest my time into paper goods and dive head first into working with Lumaca Paper! Pat owned the food portion of our wedding for the cocktail hour and late night bites. It allowed us to be able to prioritize something we wanted to be extra special.”

We’re so honored to have been a part of Michelle + Patrick’s local love story, and adore the sweet details from their wedding day! Keep scrolling for more photos and to view their full vendor list.