WEDDING BLOG

Bright pink florals, vintage-inspired details, and a tent draped in deep pink fabric gave Kelsey and Michael’s Springdale Hall Club wedding a colorful twist on traditional Southern style. The couple exchanged vows on the club’s front lawn, with their dogs joining the processional and bagpipes accompanying Kelsey down the aisle. Guests later gathered for a cocktail-style reception with live music, dancing, and no assigned seating.

The venue had been part of Michael’s family history for generations. His great-grandparents were among its founding members, and the family had celebrated countless holidays there. For Kelsey, who had lost her first husband unexpectedly in her late twenties, marrying again was a decision she approached with a profound understanding of commitment. She wanted to exchange vows somewhere familiar, surrounded by people she trusted. Springdale Hall was the only venue she considered.

What We Love About This Springdale Hall Club Wedding

• A historic family club where the groom’s great-grandparents were founding members
• Blooming azaleas that inspired a switch from green and white to bold pink florals
• Vintage postcard-inspired invitations and handmade fabric lampshades
• Tulips honoring the bride’s late husband’s family in the Netherlands
• A surprise FaceTime appearance by the bride’s brother during his Navy deployment

A Family Club With Decades of History

Springdale Hall Club was already a familiar gathering place for Michael’s family. Its traditional Southern interiors, cottages, and golf course was exactly the setting Kelsey was looking for as she planned their wedding from Dallas.

Having experienced the loss of her first husband, Kelsey approached her marriage to Michael with a clear understanding of the promises they would make. They wrote their own vows, and she placed particular importance on being somewhere she could comfortably experience whatever emotions the day brought.

The club had another practical advantage: Michael’s mother and sisters lived nearby and could check on preparations in person. Their coordinator and a network of local vendors, including rental company Crisp, handled much of the work on the ground.

Bagpipes, Their Dogs, and a Surprise Call From Kelsey’s Brother

The Springdale Hall Club wedding ceremony took place on the front lawn, with wooden chairs arranged on either side of a brick walkway leading to the white clubhouse. Large arrangements of white and green flowers framed the entrance. Their dogs joined the processional, and Kelsey walked down the aisle to bagpipes in recognition of her family’s heritage.

Just before the ceremony, Kelsey slipped behind the wedding cake table for a quick shot of tequila. She asked a longtime club waiter, someone who had served Michael’s family at Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations for years, to bring it over. He obliged without hesitation.

After the ceremony, Kelsey’s father approached her with his phone. Her only sibling, a Navy pilot deployed aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, had been unable to return for the wedding. Unknown to Kelsey, he had watched the entire ceremony on FaceTime while wearing his flight suit. She was able to see his face and speak with him immediately after exchanging vows. Of all the day’s surprises, it was one she says she will always remember.

Featured Vendor:
TLC Wedding Photography

A Relaxed Wedding Morning With Salon Blowouts and Family

Kelsey arranged salon blowouts for the women closest to her, including her mother, Michael’s mother and sisters, her sister-in-law, her ten-year-old niece, and her best friend, who would also officiate the ceremony.

Everyone came and went throughout the morning, enjoying a leisurely appointment instead of getting ready together on a tight hair-and-makeup schedule. Kelsey’s stylist set her hair in pin curls to help it last through the evening.

The group then headed to Michael’s mother’s house, where a close friend did their makeup. One friend kept track of the schedule, while Kelsey enjoyed watching everyone get ready, particularly her mother.

Back at the club, Kelsey and her mother made their final design adjustments before she changed into her wedding dress in a small bathroom covered in pink floral wallpaper. With several women squeezed into the room to help, there was plenty of laughter.

Kelsey wore a fitted, strapless ivory gown with a straight neckline and covered buttons running down one side. She paired it with a long veil and carried a bright pink bouquet. Michael kept his look classic in a black tuxedo and bow tie.

Vintage Postcard Invitations, Custom Lampshades, and Pink Florals

With a background in interior design, Kelsey found plenty of inspiration in the club itself. Dark wood furniture, patterned textiles, traditional furnishings, and floral wallpapers gave the rooms their Ralph Lauren-inspired character. Outside, tall pine trees and blooming azaleas influenced the wedding’s color palette.

She designed the invitation suite herself, using vintage illustrated travel postcards as a reference. She also made fabric lampshades for the club’s outdoor table lamps, matching the textiles to the printed envelope liners. On the wedding day, Kelsey and her mother, who is also a designer, spent time adjusting tablecloths, positioning lampshades, and moving chairs until everything was where they wanted it.

Their florists suggested a significant change to Kelsey’s original green-and-white palette. The azaleas were blooming across the property, and they proposed introducing their pink color into the arrangements. Fuchsia appeared in the invitations, the tent surrounding the band, and floral displays tailored to the different club rooms. Inside, arrangements ranged from full displays of pink flowers and greenery to smaller compositions of red and pink blooms.

Kelsey’s bouquet was a particular favorite: pink hyacinths and fuchsia calla lilies tied with a red ribbon. Tulips also appeared throughout the reception as a tribute to her late husband’s Dutch heritage and his parents, with whom she and Michael remain close. Although they couldn’t attend from the Netherlands, Kelsey wanted to acknowledge their continued place in her life.

A Cocktail-Style Reception With Live Music and No Assigned Seats

Kelsey and Michael planned a cocktail-style reception with passed hors d’oeuvres and no formal seating arrangement. Guests mingled in the club’s traditional rooms and outside on the lawn, where tables and seating offered places to gather between dances.

An Atlanta-based band performed beneath a tent lined with deep pink drapery, with string lights and a disco ball hanging overhead. A checkered dance floor stood just outside the tent, while guests moved between the music, the lawn, and the club’s indoor spaces.

The couple shared an unrehearsed first dance to Olivia Dean’s “Dive” before joining their guests on the dance floor. The festivities continued after the official reception ended, when around 40 of their closest friends walked across the lawn to the couple’s cottage for local pizza, Pittsburgh beer, and more dancing, this time in pajamas. Eventually, Kelsey and Michael settled in for the night with their dogs curled up beside them.