More and more often, we're planning weddings with couples who have moved out of Ohio but who want to celebrate closer to friends and family back home. Wedding planning also seems to be a magnet for other significant life events. For Sarah and Doug, both of these circumstances applied:  planning their Canton, Ohio wedding from St. Louis and Wisconsin; a doctoral degree; a medical residency; multiple moves; and buying their first home - all during their engagement! Alleviating the stress of their to-do list, decreasing decision-making, crafting a cohesive jazz-age wedding design, and making the weekend smooth and easy for their guests were our top priorities.

Now, we love a wedding theme - but if it's going to work, you have to really sell it. Here are our favorite ways to do that, without being tacky or spending more than you're comfortable with:

1. Let your venue do the talking (don't waste cash, energy and effort making the space something it's not!) - and the Historic Onesto Event Center has plenty to say, architecturally. As the building has been restored so beautifully and accurately, we didn’t have to do much to lean into the couple jazz-age design vision.
   
   
2. Make the details make sense, and keep them simple (it's not hard to make it all align, nor does it have to cost more!). There are some things that you have to have: napkins; place cards; dessert. Those things could each be random, boring, and unrelated to your theme - or they could be entirely cohesive. Choose cohesive.
   
   
3. Give your guests unforgettable experiences that make sense for who you are (and the theme-y vibe you're setting!). In this case, it was a jazz quartet and casino games to drive home the speakeasy feel.

We had so much fun designing Sarah & Doug's September Canton, Ohio wedding - bringing together the jazz-age feel of the Historic Onesto Event Center, Ohio autumn coziness, and nods to Sarah's Chinese heritage in the ceremony, colors and florals.