Hannah Schultz and Paul Mitchell met in Australia while studying abroad in college. “We arrived at our dorms from the airport, our eyes met, we made our introductions, and we have been inseparable ever since,” Hannah shares. “Once I graduated college the following semester, I moved to Boston to be with him while he finished school. Five years and many cities later, he proposed to me in Whistler, Canada on my birthday weekend.”
“As a true romantic, he surprised me the Friday before my birthday, saying we were leaving that day at noon for a weekend getaway,” she describes. “In Whistler, he hired a private luxury sno-cat (complete with champagne!) to take us up an isolated mountain, where there was a gorgeous private cabin with a personal chef waiting for us. When I entered the cabin, the walls and table were lined with countless candles and rose petals. On the table was a beautiful spread of all my favorite foods. I looked down and he was on one knee, with our song playing in the background.”
“IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE MAKE EVERY DETAIL OF OUR WEDDING UNIQUE" - HANNAH SCHULTZ
For their wedding, the couple wanted to incorporate a playful, Aussie-style vibe into the décor and ambiance. “It was really important to us that we make every detail of our wedding unique and represent our own little love story,” explains Hannah. “What our planner [Elite Events] came up with was a tropical, glam party that was just as elegant as it was fun. We used tons of lush, tropical greenery and florals that reminded us of our time in Australia. We also used lots of fun touches of fuchsia and gold painted leaves – another unexpected yet glamorous touch that was a nod to our past home.”
The couple’s wedding venue was an historic space with exposed brick and piping, providing the perfect blank canvas of their wedding vision – not to mention, an unexpected “industrial” element. Décor highlights included an eight-foot-wide floral chandelier suspended in front of a massive hedge wall for the ceremony backdrop. There was also a live jazz trio from NYC that performed during the ceremony and cocktail hour, playing songs that were popular during the bride and groom’s years in Australia.
A head table was designed for the newlyweds that included cascading flowers atop mirrored surfaces. And, since it was a destination wedding for most of their guests, Hannah and Paul included a heartfelt thank you note on the back side of each menu, detailing how honored they were that their guests had traveled so far to celebrate with them.
“Our wedding was the best day of our lives, and we loved being able to pay tribute to our love story with all the fun touches we incorporated throughout the day,” says the bride. “It was really, really special and we wouldn’t have done anything differently. Thank you for letting us share our story with you!”
