What a strange 2020 it has been. Typically at this time, we would be finishing up with our many holiday celebrations, but not this year. While COVID-19 has indeed turned all of our lives upside down, what it hasn’t done, thankfully, is dampen our enthusiasm for celebrating LOVE! This October wedding was our one & only full wedding (ceremony to reception) of 2020.
Rachel and Eli booked the SteamPlant at the very beginning of June 2020, determined to walk down the aisle this year no matter how many guests could be in attendance. We are so fortunate to have our Riverside Plaza as a safe outdoor space to host their guests. While 2020 was a year full of firsts, a pleasantly surprising one was the couple’s choice for the ceremony backdrop. Over ten years of hosting weddings, and this was the first time a SteamPlant wedding ceremony was centered on the building’s riverside wall. We love their choice to use our brick exterior wall for the backdrop of their riverside I do’s.
They started with a traditional SteamPlant first look alongside the Arkansas River and then took their bridal party for a short ride into the mountains for some stunning group shots before the ceremony. Following their early afternoon ceremony, our staff quickly cleared the chairs off the plaza for an outdoor cocktail hour. Rachel & Eli included fun patio games like a supersized version of Connect Four, the always classic corn hole, and enlarged Jenga blocks that doubled as the guest book.
Both the plaza and our ballroom were utilized for dinner to maximize the space between tables and households. The SteamPlant has two outdoor heaters available for use on the plaza; Rachel and Eli made the smart decision to supplement those with two additional heaters from our friends at Settings Event Rentals for their primarily outdoor late fall wedding reception.
Dinner was followed by some brief toasts from the best man & maid of honor, and then it was back out to the plaza for the bouquet toss and then more games and dancing. After their epic riverside dance party, the bride & groom were given a sparkling grand exit.
We love the bride & groom’s décor selection for their big day. They kept it simple with some eucalyptus leaf greenery on the industrial, modern style ceremony arbor. They tied the greenery into the reception décor, too, with a combination of the foliage & candles used for dinner table centerpieces. The eucalyptus looked spectacular with the black & white photos and signage used in the ballroom for decoration.
A HUGE thank you to Jordan from Jordan Anne Photography for sharing these marvelous photos with us!
