Fall 2022 issue editor’s note
By Amanda Koehn
As we wrap up this fall issue of Jstyle Weddings, I’m in the middle of a year in which I’ve been to more weddings than the last almost 10 years combined.
I’ve heard this “year of weddings” happens to many people in their late 20s or early 30s, but until now I’ve somehow managed to attend less than a handful of weddings in the last several years – likely due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many to postpone bigger weddings.
Among my five weddings this year – which I know, by no means, is a lot by some standards – is most notably, my sister’s. Lisa’s wedding on Sept. 3 at the Glendale Lyceum in Cincinnati is also the first time I’ll be in a wedding party, and as maid of honor. And even though I’ve been editing this magazine for almost three years now, due to the pandemic, there is still so much I didn’t know about actually planning a wedding.
It all started in June 2021, when I planned a trip to New York City to visit Lisa and her then-boyfriend, Nik. A few weeks after I bought my plane ticket, Nik called and told me he was planning to propose during my trip. He was hoping I would covertly assist in getting Lisa to the spot of choice and take photos when he got down on one knee.
While they had been looking at rings and knew they wanted to get engaged soon, Nik, especially, and I were nervous about making Lisa suspicious of exactly when it was coming. Every time I spoke with her around that time, I thought carefully through almost each word I said.
Lisa was indeed surprised when Nik proposed at Washington Square Park on June 5, 2021. I used my photography skills I’ve learned here at Jstyle to take tons of quick pictures from different angles and get lots of reaction shots.
Although most of my job was taking photos and trying not to slip up, Nik put so much effort into the day – he even carried around a backpack for some time leading up to it so she wouldn’t be tipped off when he brought it that day, hiding a diamond ring inside. That’s part of the reason I wanted to include a story in this issue about planning a proposal, as there are many details involved that certainly need careful preparation.
Then came the long stretch toward planning the wedding. While my role has mostly been being somewhat of a sounding board for the couple making the big choices, I never realized before to what extent a wedding is a whole family affair. Nearly every conversation I’ve had with Lisa or my mother over the past year has involved some detail regarding the wedding. I flew to New York twice since last summer – once last October to help Lisa choose a wedding dress, and once this June for the bachelorette party. My mom and I also hosted Lisa’s wedding shower at Punderson State Park’s Manor House this June.
Now, we are finally in the home stretch. While I’m excited, I’m also nervous about even the slightest potential mishaps and looking forward to breathing a sigh of relief afterward. And I’m certainly taking the advice in this magazine to heart, and sharing it with Lisa and the rest of my family. For me personally, reading our spotlights on local couples who were married in the last year gives a great glimpse into the most important considerations for the big day, as well as planning each detail.
Also in this issue, you’ll read about a local family whose heirloom has connected weddings across four generations. We also feature Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love’s glamorous wedding to Jewish model and entrepreneur Kate Bock. And as always, we share many tips from the pros on topics like wedding cakes, floral arrangements, fashion, planning the reception and more.
Whether you are looking toward a dazzling bash like Kevin and Kate, or planning a much smaller celebration, I hope the advice and details in this issue of Jstyle Weddings get you excited about your own wedding seasons to come.
And, if you have any tips to share about wedding planning for future issues of Jstyle, feel free to send me a note at editor@jstylemagazine.com. Also, be sure to check out our Instagram account @jstylemagazine, where I’ll post wedding photos of Lisa and Nik’s big day.