The featured couples of this City Paper Wedding Guide include a couple whose love story started when they met at work and a couple who chose many non-traditional options for their fun-filled wedding day. We’ve made it a point to highlight any local vendors they used by linking to their information at toledocitypaper.com.
Vivian Zella Godsey & Jeremy Alan Hall
Sylvania
Married on July 8, 2023
How did you meet? We met at work (Norplas Industries) in 2011, then began dating in 2012. Our wedding was held at the Toledo Botanical Gardens Crosby Conference Center. We chose our date in hopes of seeing sparks in the sky because it was close to the 4th of July.
Who popped the question and how? Jeremy popped the question on Mother’s Day in 2019. Our then six-year-old held the ring and asked me. “Mommy, will you marry daddy?”
How long was the engagement? Did you ever want to elope and just get it over with? We had a long four-year engagement while paying off our house and cars before we had a wedding. That was the plan and, as stressful as planning a wedding can be, I never once thought about just eloping. It’s been a great 11 years together, so what’s a few more months?
Did you have a bridal shower, lingerie shower, and/or bachelor/bachelorette parties? If so, what did you do? I celebrated with a bridal shower given by my maid-of-honor, who is also my sister-in-law and best friend Alli Hall. It was held at her and my brother-in-law Shawn Hall’s beautiful home in Ann Arbor two weeks before the wedding.
Did you do anything during the wedding that would be considered non-traditional?Our wedding was very traditional. We danced our first dance to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight”. It was the first song we danced to when we were dating.
Your top moments: My favorite moment from the wedding was after we were pronounced husband and wife. My husband let out a big “Wooooohoooo!”
Your favorite part of planning the wedding with your partner: Food tastings! We love indulging in some tasty snacks.
Three words to describe your wedding expectations: Easy, smooth and open-minded.
Three words to describe your wedding reality: Laughter, togetherness, and fun.
Where did you spend your honeymoon? While there was no honeymoon, we did take a four-day family vacation ten days after the wedding. We brought a few family members and friends to Traverse City, MI.
Tips and tricks for other couples: At the end of the day, we are all human. Be patient with your spouse. Be forgiving. Don’t keep taking without giving a little back yourself. Be open-minded and be there for each other. Enjoy every little moment you have together because there are no rewinds.
List of Vendors:
Dress: Amazon.
Suit: Men’s Wearhouse.
Officiant: Grant Stoll of Sylvania (a friend of bride).
Hair and makeup: By the bride herself, a licensed beautician.
Catering: Moreno’s Casual Dining in Findlay. The food was amazing!
Cake: Sam’s Club.
Photographer: Kylie Marie Photography, based in Archbold.
Korrin Zollweg & Jared Houtz
Bowling Green
Married on August 19, 2023
*At the time of this interview, the couple wasn’t married quite yet.
How did you meet? Jared was the DJ at a local Bowling Green bar. Korrin went up to the DJ booth for a song request and it was love at first sight.
Who popped the question and how? Jared proposed. He made it a surprise by having Korrin’s sister suggest that she and her husband meet Jared and Korrin at MacQueen’s Apple Orchard to go apple picking and take couple’s photos.
How long was the engagement? Jared proposed on October 23, 2021 so the engagement was just short of two years long.
What made your wedding day special? Having our closest family and friends there to celebrate our love.
During the wedding planning process, did you ever want to elope and just get it over with? ABSOLUTELY. The amount of times we wanted to cancel all of our bookings and hop on a flight to elope was crazy.
Did you have a bridal shower, lingerie shower, and/or bachelor/bachelorette parties? If so, what did you do? We had two bridal showers, one for the bride’s family and other for the groom’s. The bride’s family event was at the Libbey House in Toledo and the groom’s event was at the Barrel Room at Beckett’s Bar in Bowling Green.
We did a combined bachelor/bachelorette party. It was the bride and groom plus our bridal parties. 20 of us got an AirBnB in Ludington, MI that was a half a block from the beach. We visited breweries, rented a boat, and played lots of games at the house.
Do you plan on doing anything during the wedding that would be considered non-traditional? We have a very non-traditional wedding planned. Our officiant is one of our friends, we are taking a unity shot instead of lighting a candle, no children will be allowed, plus-ones are very limited, the groom and groomsmen will not be wearing suites…the list could keep going, but we are very non-traditional people.
Moments you are most looking forward to: We are both very excited for the first look, especially Jared, since Korrin has given no hints about her dress.
Your favorite part of planning the wedding with your partner: Getting to pick out little details that show who we are as individuals and how non-traditional we are.
Three words to describe your wedding expectations: Stress-free, party of the year, and beautiful.
List of vendors:
Dress: Atlas Bridal.
Officiant: Andy Gibson.
Catering: Deet’s BBQ.
Baker: Bakery Unlimited
Music: DJ Devin Clark
Venue: Stillwaters Retreat in Mccomb. This venue is very woodsy and ethereal which was exactly what we were going for. Since we are very non-traditional, we wanted the day to be as laid back and relaxed as we could, while still putting together a beautiful wedding. We just want our family and friends to be able to come together and celebrate love in all its forms.
Wedding coordinator: Your Perfect Day LLC, April Gladieux
