Alissa + Jack - Day Before by Nicole Plett - Together Journal

We wanted a touch of vintage harmoniously balanced out with modern.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

J & A are the epitome of opposites attract…Alissa is the dreamer, always existing in a space where anything & everything is possible…Jack is the realist, headstrong & determined in just about every facet of his life. Now, although Alissa dreams, Jack makes them happen. I distinctly remember our first trip to Paris. We had both been before, but never together. & it lit up both of our worlds. One night, while walking down rue de Grenelle, tipsy on red wine & love, I playfully said, ‘I want to move to Europe.’ So what did Jack do? He got a job there. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t allow fear to prevent us from experiencing the unknown…he just made it happen. That’s just one of the many ways we have both shaped each other. Despite being vastly different in our approach, in the 4.5 years we have dated, we have grown & evolved into this beautiful juxtaposition of love. We both adore art & spend our Saturdays gallivanting around East London to find the newest gallery. Or trying the new experimental cocktail bar in Notting Hill. Whether it’s late nights working on a client deal or, more recently, building a clothing brand, we love experiencing all the new in life together.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met back in 2020 when I was living in Boston for graduate school and Jack was living in Atlanta. I had visited my girlfriends I had gone to UNC with and one of them was on a tennis team with Jack. We were introduced on a night out after stumbling into The Ivy, an infamous bar in Buckhead, iykyk, and the rest, as they say, was history. Without any clue what we were doing or where this would go, we ran on feeling. Anyone who knows Jack knows he is relentless when he wants something & that’s just what he was from then on out. He spent hours on hours face-timing me on the phone every night, spending as much time as possible getting to know each other amidst both a pandemic & a long-distance relationship. Over the course of our time together, he has taught me what real, relentless & unconditional love is.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

Art – I wanted art to be central throughout our wedding. As someone who loves to create & curate, I get absolutely giddy when I enter a space that evokes a feeling, a moment, or a sense of who a person is. We wanted it to be utterly romantic but make it a little dark & moody. We wanted a touch of vintage harmoniously balanced out with modern. We have both always adored the pairing of a deep burgundy wine red and a subtle sage green, so we kept that quite palpable throughout our wedding. We wanted florals with depth & dimension, nothing matching, but almost flirting with the idea of each other’s design. I think we both love how colours communicate moods, so once we had that down, choosing the styling bits was just FUN.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Our venue will forever exist in the most special file in my brain. The first time we saw it, I had a wave of every giddy & lovely emotion possible come over me. I hardly ever think in life you should be ‘checking boxes’ to determine if you like something – it feels a bit inorganic? But Hotel Particulier fulfilled every styling, mood, & design ‘box’ if there ever was one. It was kind of like my playground for the day – all the while surrounded by our best friends in the world & our adored families.

On the other hand, our stylist/wedding planner surprised us on the day of our wedding with a secret garden moment…just the two of us before our ceremony. It brought me to inevitable tears! She had created this curated spread of fruit, berries & cream, & champagne decorated with bits of vintage cloth & lace with silver coupe glasses. It was simply divine. <3

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Our wedding planning process was definitely bumpy…we had lots of unexpected obstacles & it definitely caused us a lot of stress… But I wanted our planning to feel more like an art project – because those are actually fun 🙂 So we tried to shift our perspective when something did not go as planned. What a privilege it is that our biggest obstacle (or so what felt like it) is making choices surrounding our love day. I think if you remember to stay true to who you are & why you are planning a wedding in the first place, you are going to enjoy all of those big & little moments with presence & gratitude a lot more.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Your vendors are like little angels on your shoulder, orchestrating & helping sort all of the beautiful ideas inside your head. At least, that’s what it felt like for me 🙂 I am a very creative person & I have lots of ideas, but sometimes those ideas can get lost & intertwined. Having vendors that have that creative edge but also align with your process & style is huge. You want to trust your vendors because they have gotten to know you & that also makes their job more fun, right? There is a lot more creative freedom they can have on the day because you know they got you & chances are, they will blow your mind with what they have in mind.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Fashion is a huge part of my identity. I have always adored playing around with styling, & so I knew I wanted a dress that was a bit of a blank canvas & I could style to my heart’s desire. All the while planning a wedding, the past year I actually started designing & launched my own clothing brand (eeeek) – so this was a huge source of inspiration for me. My second look, which was a lace midi skirt layered with tulle & ruching at the back, was something I had custom-made in London. My skirt for the ceremony and reception was quite classic & elegant. But the skirt I had made was fun & flirty, which is what I wanted – two contrasting styles & personalities to convey the mood for the night’s progression.

Bisou Bride was also a huuuuuge inspiration for me – Kennedy is a sweetheart & her style, both personally and as a bride, is simply chef’s kiss.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

We had my engagement ring and wedding band both custom-made, and Jack’s wedding band is Cartier. <3

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

It’s challenging to say one element was more significant than the other because I do feel they were all quite important to us…however, the venue was definitely the nucleus – Paris has such a sentimental place in both of our hearts, so we knew that this had to be our top priority. We also love a more editorial & artistic style of photography, so this was also really special to us when choosing a vendor. Florals were also really important to us, given the artistic moment we wanted them to have on our love day.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Definitely the secret garden moment created & styled by Föla Styling. It was such an intimate moment in the back garden of Hotel Particulier. A time where we were both able to focus on each other & stay present in the moment. I honestly can’t wait to go back to the venue for anniversaries in Paris & feel those butterflies all over again.