Historical Van Noy Mansion Wedding

Get the Look

Photographer: M&E Photo Studio   Ceremony & Reception Venue: Van Noy Mansion   Officiant: Winne Dunn   Gown: Janay A. Handmade   Menswear: J Hilburn   Hair: Jamie Miller Hair Parlor   Caterer: Howard’s Organic DJ:
DJ Candlepants   Bar: Diamond Girls Bartending   Furniture: Vintage Wedding Rentals KC

Brandon & Hannah’s Love Story

Brandon and Hannah knew that they wanted their wedding to reflect their values by featuring local vendors and handmade products. Being boheminans that live in Johnson County, they came to realize they are equally glam as they are granola…thus the guiding theme was “glamorous granola.” As a head-in-the-clouds, big-picture kind of guy, Brandon was thankful for the uneven splitting of wedding

planning responsibilities. Hannah handled nearly all of the details by creating a monster checklist in an excel spreadsheet.

It was important to Brandon’s family to host everyone for the rehearsal dinner at their home. Through hundreds of man-hours and the help of family and friends, the backyard was transformed into an oasis for a perfect evening of food, drink, toasts, singing, and merriment. They called the evening “Cocktails and Karaoke” hoping that an interactive from of entertainment would facilitate bonding between unacquainted friends and family.

People began arriving for the champagne “Bubbly Social Hour” as a harpist thumbed Disney songs through the warm summer air. Guests took their seats for the ceremony as family prepared for their procession. Zaid played filler music on his piano.

With everyone seated for the “Ceremony of Everlasting Love,” Hannah and Brandon greeted the crowd and requested silence to gather those physically absent. They then recited a poem together “Vow” by Clare Shaw. Their master of ceremony, Winnie Dunn, one of Brandon’s mentors from school, gave a moving speech about Brandon and Hannah’s uniqueness and the treasure they have in each other. Hannah’s best friend, Mollie then sang a song with her

romantic buddy about finding true love; for the final chorus, the entire crowd surprised the couple by singing too! Mollie had sent a secret email with the lyrics to their guests beforehand. Brandon and Hannah exchanged their unique vows through tears and laughter. Guests then pledged their support by shining their white light through their upheld hands facing the couple. They gave each other rings, with Brandon’s barely squeezing over his knuckle (and having no chance of ever coming off).

Brandon’s younger brother, Brett, gave a toast before inviting everyone inside for dinner. The fresh, local, food was blissfully delicious. Many attested to it being the best food they had ever had a wedding. The dinner closed with a series of toasts from Hannah’s harem, family, and Brandon’s youngest brother.

Most folks filed outside to enjoy the perfect summer evening as tables were cleared for the dance floor. An epic dance party ensued. Men loosened their ties and weren drenched with sweat. The dance party closed with “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. Everyone circled, hands on shoulders, and sang a long. At the song’s end, Brandon and Hannah entered the center of the circle and took a bow to cheers. Then, everyone came in for the hitherto happiest group-hug of their lives.

Personal Pieces

Our wedding rings were carried in a box that Brandon’s dad made for him as a Christmas gift. This became extra sentimental as his father passed away from cancer two weeks after our wedding. Inside the box, the rings sat atop two origami cranes that belonged to his grandma. My ring was his great grandmother’s ring.

We commissioned a painting as a wedding gift to each other and unveiled it during our first look.

Special Touches

At the wedding, our gift to guests was a handmade origami crane placed at each table setting atopa sweet little pile of moss. There is a Japanese tradition of making 1000 cranes for good luck. A thousand cranes of all different colors that were made for Brandon’s grandma were passed on to us and we in turn, shared that good fortune with our friends and family.

Out of town guests received wooden berry boxes to hold an assortment of local snacks like Rawxies and specialty teas as well as our homemade “Gud Grabs” of nuts, dried fruits and seeds. Each box was complimented with two sets of bamboo utensils.