Diane Ross & Peter Swank
A Southern "I Do" with French Flare
Married
Sep 21, 2019
Saint Louis ,
Missouri
Photo Credit
Mike Cassimatis Photography
Style Guide
Color Palette
Style
Formal, Vintage
Season
Fall
The Proposal
The proposal was a dream! My husband and I love to travel, and we were in Paris for a vacation. Just for fun, I had booked a photographer for a session by the Eiffel Tower. During our photo session, my husband suggested a more private area in the park. It was that moment that he surprised me and got down on one knee. I, of course, said yes! We shared champagne at a local Parisian café and enjoyed the day to ourselves, and in the evening, we called our family and friends back in the States to share the news!
In Preparation
We knew that the most important thing was to celebrate our love and have all of our friends and family together for the big day. Right from the beginning, we worked with Jill and Kimmy from Kate&Co to create a weekend that focused on making our guests feel special. We knew that we wanted a fall wedding at our country club, and because we love hitting the dance floor—we wanted to make sure our favorite band was available as well. The stars all aligned for Saturday, September 21, and, as fate would have it, that date also happened to be the lyrics of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September,” my favorite Motown song. With our date and location selected, Kimmy and Jill were key in pulling together the best vendors and every single detail to make our wedding even more spectacular than we could have imagined!
The Big Day
Our wedding day was a dream! After our ceremony at Ladue Chapel, our guests were greeted with champagne on the lawn overlooking the polo field at the St Louis County club. We were so lucky to have the most gorgeous day! We served dinner inside, and after the speeches, my husband and I gave a speech to thank our guests for traveling from all over the world to be there with us, and to invite them to join us on the dance floor. Our band’s trombones sprung to life and led my husband and I out to the sparkling tent, with all of our guests in tow. It was an incredible evening of laughter and dancing and we were thrilled to be surrounded with so much love. Our night concluded back on the polo field with a gorgeous fireworks display. It was truly a magical celebration!
The Retreat
My husband and I discussed traveling to South Africa even before we got engaged! For our honeymoon, we traveled first to Cape Town and started our journey with a helicopter tour of the coast. We climbed Table Rock mountain, spent a day in the spa, and tasted our way through the wineries of Franschhoek. We then flew off to Lion Sands camp in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve for a week in the bush. The safaris were incredible—we saw so many animals up close! Our retreat was a spectacular balance of romance and adventure!
Contributing Vendors
CATERER
CEREMONY VENUE
ENTERTAINMENT
EVENT PLANNER
FLOWERS
GOWN
INVITATIONS
PHOTOGRAPHER
RECEPTION VENUE
RENTALS & DECOR
TRANSPORTATION
BRIDESMAIDS ATTIRE
HAIR & MAKEUP
LODGING
LINENS
TENT
