Our wedding is inspired by a collection of places that shaped our story. The bride hand-traced stained glass designs from locations we’ve visited together, turning each one into a small window into a memory. Throughout the celebration, you’ll see these details woven in—each piece a reflection of where we’ve been and a glimpse of where we’re going next.

This design was inspired by the stained glass ceiling at The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. The photo on the left shows the original skylight, which we photographed during our first trip to Newport in 2023. We’ve always loved the stained glass and architectural details found in historic homes, especially those we’ve visited together. We wanted to bring some of those details into our wedding, so you’ll see stained glass incorporated throughout our decorations and designs.

https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/the-breakers/

Our wedding invitation was inspired by the stained glass and architectural details of the Gothic Room at Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. Built by Alva and William K. Vanderbilt in the late 1800s, Marble House is one of our favorite examples of Gilded Age architecture. The Gothic Room is especially known for its pointed arches, intricate woodwork, and colorful stained glass. It’s Andy’s favorite room in his favorite historic home, so we wanted to incorporate some of those details into our invitation design.

https://www.newportmansions.org/preservation/marble-house-cassone/

Our table numbers were actually the starting point for our wedding theme. Each one features a stained glass lamp inspired by lamps we’ve seen together while traveling, including pieces from museums and historic homes we’ve visited. I started drawing these lamps simply because I loved their designs, but as I worked on them, they became the inspiration for incorporating stained glass throughout our wedding. Each table number is based on a different lamp and reminds us of a place we’ve explored together.

I share more about the individual lamps, their history, and the process of creating these illustrations on my art website,

https://morsemuseum.org/collection-highlights/lamps-and-lighting/

https://www.madelines-sketchbook.com/art/lamps

Our wedding sign was inspired by one of the Heckscher stained glass panels we saw at the Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida. We visited the museum with Andy’s aunt, who also officiated our wedding, which makes this piece especially meaningful to us. I loved the colors and details of the original panel and wanted to incorporate some of those elements into a design of my own. Like the stained glass lamps featured in our table numbers, it’s another way we’ve brought inspiration from places we’ve visited together into our wedding.

https://morsemuseum.org/collection-highlights/windows/heckscher-panels-full/

The decorative borders of our drink table signs were inspired by a stained glass window we saw at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum in Chicago. Housed in a restored Gilded Age mansion, the museum features elaborate historic interiors, a Tiffany glass exhibition, and a large stained glass dome skylight. I used the details of one of the museum’s windows as a reference when designing the signs for our drink table, incorporating another example of historic stained glass we encountered during our travels.

https://driehausmuseum.org