Sydnee & John | June

Photography by Rhode Photo & Film // @rhodephotoandfilm

Sydnee and John’s wedding color scheme was inspired by a Fenty Beauty eyeshadow palette, which their florist, MacLean Poses and Petals, dubbed ‘bold pastels.’

The Meet Cute: The couple tells it two different ways: The first is they met through a mutual friend, but the truth is they connected on Hinge in August of 2020. Sydnee had casually joined the dating app in hopes of scoring free dinners and racking up funny stories to tell her friends, while John went in with the intention of finding a partner. Despite the mismatched intentions, the two soon found they were a perfect match after John made the first move.

The Engagement: Come March 2022, the two had planned a trip to Orlando, Florida, complete with designated days for certain activities. But when Sydnee saw rain was in the forecast, she suggested they swap their beach and Universal Studios days — much to John’s chagrin. Little did she know, John had flown in friends from New York for a surprise proposal by the ocean. Luckily, he was able to pivot and instead pop the question in front of a beautiful fountain at the park. “Honestly, I missed John’s whole speech because I saw someone standing behind a tree and was worried someone was going to try and grab my purse,” Sydnee recalls. “Unbeknownst to me it was John’s best man Riley hiding with a camera!” When she turned to find John down on one knee, she was in total shock — he had to ask three times before he finally got his ‘Yes.’

The Venue: They toured seventeen different venues before settling on Shepherd’s Run after finding it on Instagram. As John likes a rustic barn look while Sydnee is a fan of mansion-style estates with sprawling lawns, it was the perfect compromise. Sydnee also insisted on a tent for the reception. “That was always my dream since I was a little girl,” she says. “Also, the venue staff is fantastic.” As evidenced by the way they were able to quickly and seamlessly move cocktail hour inside when a few showers started rolling in — the couple’s guests never knew it wasn’t part of the original plan.

The Color Palette: “John is color blind, so I had free reign of the color palette,” says Sydnee. Being that they are an outgoing couple, Sydnee felt drawn to bright and colorful colors. Funnily enough, she found the perfect scheme in a Fenty Beauty eyeshadow palette. “I loved how so many different colors could still look cohesive,” she explains. She sent photos to their vendors (“our florist dubbed the theme, ‘bold pastels’”), and they were able to make the magic happen.

The Highlights: Sydnee loved hanging out in the bridal suite before the ceremony. “All of my bridesmaids, except for one, live out of state from me, so I only see them a couple times a year. It was so special to have that support and love around me, and it’s always fun to be around your girlfriends during such an exciting time!” She also loved their vows. “We are competitive and had an ongoing competition about whose vows would be better, and we had so much fun asking all our guests whose they liked more!”