Real Wedding Sunday: Beka & Jesse

When wedding planners wed, you know it will be a fairy tale affair. That was certainly the case with the beautiful wedding of Innove Events' Beka Nave to Jesse Rendell. Inspired by flea market style and Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, every detail was thoughtfully planned out, from the calligraphed invitations to the custom-painted dance floor. The September wedding took place at the elegant Governor's Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Beka's partner at Innove, Melody, helped to make sure that everything went seamlessly. And if all of that wasn't enough, the entire event was photographed by the talented Marie Labbancz.


All of the paper, from the invitations to the programs, were designed and printed by Innove Paper. The calligraphy was done by MJW Calligraphy.


Beka made boxes of goodies, including chocolate chip cookies baked by Chef Barry at the Governor's Residence, to welcome guests to their hotel rooms.




The lovely Claudia Seyler did Beka's hair and makeup.


The silk flower Beka wore in her hair was a gift from her sister.


Beka thought of every little detail, right down to the pink macarons for the ladies to snack on while getting ready and the drinking glass with her initial on it (from Anthropologie).


Beka says that she is obsessed with shoes and had a great time searching for the perfect pair for her wedding day. She ended up with a pair of feathery heels by Christian Louboutin. Her sister (also her maid-of-honor) wore a pair of feathered Manolo Blahniks.


Jesse wore a classic tux by Giorgio Armani that he purchased only three days before the wedding!


Beka only tried on three dresses before she decided on this beautiful silk tulle gown by Monique Lhuillier. And listen to how clever she is: I knew that I wanted to have a short dress to dance in later in the evening so I wouldn't have to worry about people stepping on the dress and having to fix the bustle all night, so when I tried on the dress I picked up the bottom two tiers and loved the way it looked. So Beka worked with the seamstress at Suky Occasions to create a two-piece dress, with the bottom two tiers as a separate and removable piece.




Not only was it her wedding day, but it was also Beka's birthday! Jesse surprised her with a stunning vintage cocktail ring from Martin Pulli, one of Beka's favorite jewelry stores.




Though it threatened to rain all day, the showers held off while Beka and Jesse took their portraits.




Beka scoped out the area ahead of time and found this church with beautiful blue doors to be the backdrop for some of the portraits.


Family portraits were taken in the Rose Garden of the Governor's Residence.




Originally the ceremony was to be held outside in the Rose Garden, but because of the weather the couple decided to move it indoors. The Governor's Residence made for a beautiful venue indoors as well as out.






One of Beka's favorite parts of the day was walking out of the ceremony and having a few moments alone with Jesse (though Marie managed to snap a shot!). She says, It was so nice to be with my husband without anyone else around and be able to share this amazing experience with him.


The tented reception took place on the West Lawn. Calligraphed escort cards hung from ribbons, directing guests to their seats. The tent was rented from Event Central.


All of the flowers were created by Nancy Saam, who also helped Beka to find a variety of unique vintage containers for centerpieces. Blue silk dupioni runners accented the long banquet tables.


A fragrant gardenia was placed at each guest's seat.


The Marie Antoinette-inspired cake was created by Lori Dingeldein at Dingeldein Bakery (717-770-0466). Two layers were chocolate cake with peanut butter cream (one of Jesse's favorite flavor combinations), and the other two were white chocolate cake with raspberry butter cream and white chocolate shavings. I love the unique way that Beka decorated the cake table. Here is what she said about it: I lost my Nana last summer and wanted to remember her at the wedding and do so in an uplifting way. After she passed, I came across old letters that were sent between my grandparents when my Papa was in the Army. I really wanted to showcase their love for one another at our wedding, so we placed some of the love letters under the cake so that guests could read them as they made their way into the tent.




Jesse and Beka's sister surprised Beka with a birthday cake and by having all of the guests sing Happy Birthday to her! The bridesmaids wore dresses by BCBG MaxAzria.




Urban Guerilla Orchestra kept the 190 guests dancing all night long.


Check out the shortened version of Beka's dress, adorned with a sweet pink sash. The custom dance floor was hand painted to fit in with the rest of the decor. Events Productions enhanced the mood with custom lighting.


Guest went home with boxes of homemade cookies.


A photobooth was set up for guests - and the bride and groom - to have fun with.

Congratulations and best wishes, Beka and Jesse! Thank you so much for sharing your day with us. And thank you of course to Marie Labbancz for sharing these incredible photos. You can see even more from this wedding at Marie's blog in five parts: I, II, III, IV, and V as well as photos from Beka and Jesse's equally charming rehearsal dinner. Also, you can check out Innove Events' blog here.