TSLE WEDDING: AARON AND JACLYN’S LITERARY THEMED WINTER WEDDING

With several cozy fireplaces, the glowing amber light from the candles and warm faux fur throws to snuggle up with; guests at Jaclyn and Aaron’s winter wedding didn’t let the gloomy winter weather dampen the wedding festivities despite the looming rain clouds overhead. After all, this wedding really was a family affair – Jaclyn’s twin sister happens to be married to Aaron’s brother!

Just a few weeks after the busyness of the holiday season, the couple was wed at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Palo Alto. The church was still gorgeously decorated for the season with noble fir garland sprawled from the ceiling and rafters and red poinsettias at the alter.

The bride wore a two-piece wedding dress with long sleeves and an airy tulle skirt while the groom looked dapper in a suit paired with a plaid bow tie. The wedding party complemented the couple with the bridesmaids wearing long-sleeved pale pink dresses that were adorned with a faux fur stole and the groomsmen wore dark charcoal suites and bow ties.

After the ceremony, guests traveled to the Kohl Mansion where the book-loving couple had pulled together many thoughtfully curated details that continued to unfold as the night went on.

Cocktail hour took place in the library room where guests were able to sit and sip on literary-themed cocktails like “Tequila Mockingbird” and “Romeo and Julep”. Guests found their seats by sifting through the drawers of the vintage card catalog and left notes for the couple in an old encyclopedia.

The grand room of the mansion was used as the dinner space. The tables were set with burgundy linens, gold-rimmed china, and a beautiful assortment of goblets and glasses. Each guest was gifted with a custom leather bookmark with his or her name on it. The string color of the bookmark was also the meal indicator to ensure that dinner service went off without a hitch.

Dessert was served in a separate room, which had a beautiful vignette of seats next to the fireplace that was filled with glowing candles and a wreath that the bride made from scrolls of pages from old books. The dessert was also laid out on a runner of old book pages and the cake served as a focal point on a vintage dresser. In the room next door, a hot cocoa bar and coffee were served in beautiful gold-rimmed china glasses with saucers that had been stacked high on a table in the center of the room.