Martha Stewart Weddings

A Glamorous Turquoise, Red, and Gold New Year's Eve Wedding in Seattle, Washington

March 29, 2012

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Marnie and Jamie

A blind date isn’t a foolproof way to meet your soul mate, but that's exactly how Marnie Hanel and Jamie Bordley found each other. After their first fateful meeting, the two quickly became a couple, and a few months later, Marnie invited Jamie home to Seattle for the holidays. "On New Year's Eve, I remember thinking, 'This is my guy,'" she says. So it's only fitting that they decided to get hitched there on New Year's Eve 2011.

With the holiday though came one big conundrum: Throwing a huge party that still felt like a wedding. See how the duo found a balance.

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The Stationery

Credit: Belathée Photography

Stationer Cheree Berry designed the couple's punchy letterpress suite. Party horns announced the big news, followed by formal invitations and reply cards. To get guests in the New Year's Eve spirit, Berry enclosed envelopes of confetti printed with gold motifs.

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Pre-Wedding Photoshoot

On December 31, 250 guests gathered at Seattle’s Trinity Parish for the Episcopalian service, accompanied by readings of love letters from notable historic couples such as John and Abigail Adams.

Here, the couple pose for pictures before the ceremony.

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Before the Ceremony

Marnie and Jamie kiss in front of a giant red ampersand and the iconic Space Needle in Olympic Sculpture Park before their vows. "I was nervous to see Jamie before I came down the aisle, but it was nice to have that private moment between us," says Marnie.

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Matron of Honor

The matron of honor, Marnie's pregnant sister Maggie Storino, shows off her custom feather corsage by Brown Paper Design.

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The Boutonniere

Jamie's boutonniere of silk acorns, leaves, and feathers was also by Brown Paper Design.

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Carolers

The Northwest Girlchoir sings winter carols before the processional. "Walking into a church full of people we both love was just amazing," says the bride.

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The Rings

The couple's bands nestle in the same ring box that Marnie’s parents used at their wedding. Marnie gave Jamie a pair of engraved silver bird cuff links in honor of his nickname for her, "Bluebird."

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The Flower Girl

The tiny 14-month-old flower girl, Sophia, Marnie's niece, was carried down the aisle by her father.

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Ruby Slippers

Sophia, Marnie's niece and flower girl, was carried down the aisle wearing sparkly red Toms shoes.

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Ceremony Programs

On every seat in the church, guests found a program that flipped open to reveal the order of events and a packet of supersize confetti for them to throw as the flower girl went by.

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Gifts from the Bride

Though she didn't have a bridal party, Marnie honored her closest girlfriends with a sushi party. She gave her pals classic books like "Oliver Twist."

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The Reception

The reception was held in a century-old factory decorated like a 1950s supper club. Round tables of different sizes were scattered around the dining room to mimic confetti.

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Escort Cards

Noisemakers, similar to the save-the-dates, were used as escort cards.

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Bite-Size Blini

At the reception, guests were greeted with an amuse-bouche of blini topped with salmon and caviar.

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Table Settings

Circular menus, calligraphed with each guest's name, describe the hearty holiday meal of blinis with caviar, beef tenderloin, and cheesy twice-baked potatoes. "People practically licked their plates," says Marnie. Bottles of Veuve Clicquot double as table numbers.

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The First Dance

The couple's first dance was to “You're the Best Thing.”

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Welcome Gifts

In lieu of a traditional welcome bag, umbrellas emblazoned with the words “pitter patter goes my heart” were left in guests’ hotel rooms. Here, Jamie and Marnie pose with one in front of Trinity Parish.

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A Homemade Touch

Marnie and Jamie also put together a comprehensive list of their favorite places in Seattle, so out-of-town guests could explore. Marnie's mom's famous chocolate-chip cookies were slipped into rooms while everyone was at the rehearsal dinner.

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The Cake

Sugar peonies and the lyrics to “Auld Lang Syne” decorate the carrot, lemon-blackberry, and chocolate-raspberry cake.

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Signature Drink

The couple's signature drink, a kir royale, was served in a Champagne flute with a lemon twist.

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Surprise Gift

Mid-reception, Marnie's parents gave the couple a Bernese Mountain Dog pup they named Winter.

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Party Badges

"Guys never get anything special at events," says Marnie, so she asked craft whiz Denise Sharp to make military-style badges for the male guests to wear.

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Custom Cocktail Stirrers

Cocktail stirrers bear gold silhouettes of Marnie and Jamie.

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Fruit Favors

They gave "tattooed" apples from Old Tower Farm as favors; the unripened fruit had been covered with stickers, and then left to turn red in the sun.

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Local Brews

Jamie handpicked six of his favorite Northwestern beers, like Oregon's Session, for his friends to sample at the bar.

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A Twist on Tradition

A "take one, make one" resolution wall spells out "M+J." Guests chose a playful prediction ("I resolve to visit Graceland") to honor the new year on the way.

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Whimsical Resolutions

Marnie wrote all of the whimsical resolutions, including "I resolve to play the banjo" and "I resolve to meet a tall, dark stranger."

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The Guest Book

After guests plucked a resolution from the wall of envelopes, they made a resolution for the newlyweds, which they slipped into the nearby guest book.

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Party Time