REAL WEDDING:: Cecilia Genova + Mark Emerson {GOTHIC DISCO MASQUERADE}

::AS SEEN IN THE FALL 2023 ISSUE OF NOW WEDDINGS MAGAZINE::

Photography by Jordan Blanchard Photography

cecilia and mark’s proposal story

It was May of 2019 when Mark Emerson decided to propose to Cecilia Genova. “He waited about a month for me to eventually suggest we should go on a date soon,” says Cecilia. When she did, he suggested a trip to Audubon Zoo in early July. 

“His plan was to take me to the zoo and then to my favorite tree in the city, the Singing Oak in City Park,” shares Cecilia. “The morning of, I was dragging my feet, confused why he was rushing us out the door for the zoo.”

Cecilia would soon learn that Mark had enlisted the help of all their closest family and friends to prepare their house for an engagement celebration.

“My procrastination forced him to improvise, so we skipped the Singing Oak, and he picked a beautiful spot in Audubon Park,” says Cecilia.

Mark played music and by the second song,  “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish, Cecilia knew something special was about to happen. “It was really private and beautiful, and we got to come home to a big celebration shortly after.”

“I wanted our invitations to be very unique to our theme,” says Cecilia. “For the save the dates, we used our engagement photos with a wax sealed band. For the invitation band, I cut strips of paper and glued a fire frayed piece of cloth with a stamp on it to hold it together.” Cecilia purchased an invitation design on Etsy, but made the pocket folders using her Cricut and assembled the invitations herself, including a Mood Board for the event with the cards. “I think the Mood Board really helped people understand what we were going for,” she says.

the wedding ceremony

Cecilia and Mark chose to have an intimate wedding ceremony at the Tree of Life in Audubon Park with their closest family and friends followed 2 hours later by a large reception at WYES TV studio. “We asked guests to wear their coolest and most fun pieces, and it was so much fun getting to see what everyone came in,” says Cecilia.

the wedding reception

During the wedding day intermission, Cecilia and Mark created a Scavenger Hunt featuring local restaurants and bars to entertain their guests. “I am really glad we did this because our guests expressed their enjoyment for trying some of the local spots, and we were able to relax getting our pictures taken because it didn’t feel like we were missing the whole thing,” says Cecilia.

“We really wanted the fun mix of gothic with a disco feel,” says Cecilia of their reception theme. 

The couple made most of their wedding decor and even refurbished furniture from their home for the wedding. “This allowed us to be able to upgrade some of our old furniture in our house and not spend the money on something we could never use again,” says Cecilia. “It added a unique touch to the decor that came together really well.”

Reception highlights included a human statue dressed as an angel, a photo booth, and 3 signature cocktails (his, hers + ours) served in glasses hand-decorated by the couple. “Each glass was unique and individual. Our guests were asked to use their glasses throughout the night, and it was one of the biggest hits with our guests.”

the wedding reception

During the wedding day intermission, Cecilia and Mark created a Scavenger Hunt featuring local restaurants and bars to entertain their guests. “I am really glad we did this because our guests expressed their enjoyment for trying some of the local spots, and we were able to relax getting our pictures taken because it didn’t feel like we were missing the whole thing,” says Cecilia.

“We really wanted the fun mix of gothic with a disco feel,” says Cecilia of their reception theme. 

The couple made most of their wedding decor and even refurbished furniture from their home for the wedding. “This allowed us to be able to upgrade some of our old furniture in our house and not spend the money on something we could never use again,” says Cecilia. “It added a unique touch to the decor that came together really well.”

Reception highlights included a human statue dressed as an angel, a photo booth, and 3 signature cocktails (his, hers + ours) served in glasses hand-decorated by the couple. “Each glass was unique and individual. Our guests were asked to use their glasses throughout the night, and it was one of the biggest hits with our guests.”

::CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FALL 2023 ISSUE

FEATURING CECILIA & MARK’S WEDDING::

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