Marmaros Productions
- Nov 15, 2023
- 5 min read

Jennifer & Ethan

Updated: Nov 29, 2023

9.16.2023 | Kimball Hall

How We Met

It is always such a treat when we get to do the wedding of someone we have known for years! Jennifer and Mallory go waaaayyyy back. They grew up dancing together, and honestly couldn’t even tell you when they first officially met. After years of ballet, modern, and any type of dance you could imagine, Jennifer and Mallory parted ways when they went off to different colleges, but thanks to social media kept up to date with what was going on in one another’s lives! Mallory was thrilled to see that Jennifer had gotten engaged and even more honored when Jennifer reached out to Marmaros Productions about her wedding. Shortly after hopping on a discovery call with Megan, Jennifer had booked Marmaros and we were so excited to have a September 2023 wedding on our calendar!

Down to Business

We first met with Jennifer at CAVA (one of our favs) where she and Mallory caught up, and we heard all about her vision for the big day. Following meetings were always just as productive as our first meeting. We started to meet virtually to accommodate schedules. With Jennifer being a teacher, she loved to leave meetings with her “homework” and would even plan times for when she could get her “homework” done. In August, Jennifer, Jennifer’s mom Chris, and Mallory all headed to Kimball Hall for a final walkthrough where we really solidified all of the little details. When we left Kimball Hall that day, there was excitement in the air because we all knew the wedding day was right around the corner!

The Big Day

Jennifer & Ethan’s wedding day was finally here! The day started early for the ladies who were all getting beautified at the Smith’s home. Jhana Hobgood was hard at work doing all of the ladies' makeup while Rachel Rozanski was busy doing everyone’s hair. The ladies spent some fun quality time together getting ready, and right before lunch their photographer, Sydney Renee Photography, arrived at the house to capture some of those cute getting-ready photos! By 1:00pm, vendors had access to Kimball Hall, so Marmaros Productions headed there to get a head start on setting everything up and being a resource for vendors who were arriving for the day. Stylish Stems was busy putting together some stunning ceremony florals while we started to see the ladies trickle in. By the time Ethan was ready to enter the venue, the ladies had taken some photos and were relaxing in the bridal suite. Jennifer stepped into her STUNNING dress from Wedding Angels and put in her dreamy (and very sparkly) veil - she was ready for the day! Jennifer and Ethan did a sweet first look with one another followed by couple photos (with a special guest appearance from Polly, their sweet pup). Sydney was also able to knock out a majority of the wedding party photos before we tucked everyone away for the ceremony which was awesome! Tyler, our DJ from One Night Entertainment, arrived and started to set up and do sound checks and ensured that everyone was mic'd up for the ceremony because we were creeping closer to that time of the day!

Guests started to arrive and take their seats, and yet again you could feel the excitement in the air! Ever since our first meeting, Jennifer had planned on doing a “sun plan” - where everything would be inside unless the weather was completely perfect. This is something that she thought up herself which we thought was such a clever idea! We kept the ceremony inside due to the ever-changing weather that day, but the setup at Kimball Hall was so beautiful that either location was going to be great. We got everyone lined up and sent them down the aisle. Julie Wright officiated their wedding and made their ceremony so fun and personal. Jennifer and Ethan were pronounced husband and wife and applause filled the air! Guests headed to the front rooms and the courtyard to grab a bite and something to drink. Meanwhile, we got busy flipping the room and knocking out the rest of the formal photos. After photos had wrapped up, Jennifer & Ethan headed up to the bridal suite for a chance to put their feet up, decompress, and enjoy some appetizers.

When we were ready for them, we went up and grabbed Jennifer and Ethan to get ready to start the reception. The new Mr. & Mrs. Bilkert were introduced and then headed straight into their first dance. We then heard a welcome speech from Jennifer’s dad, Guy, followed by a blessing of the food by Ethan’s dad, Jeff. Once Jennifer and Ethan had finished eating their yummy dinner that Southern Charmed Catering provided, they went around and chatted with all of their guests. Next, they headed over to the cake table and cut their Publix cake which was decorated with florals from Stylish Stems and the cutest clay figurine of Polly. They headed back to their sweetheart table to listen to sentimental toasts from their people of honor. Before it was party time, Jennifer and Ethan took the dance floor with their parents to share in a father/daughter dance and mother/son dance. After all of the formalities were complete, Tyler was ready to get the party started! Guests took the floor and danced the night away. In the middle of the dance party, we did have a fun surprise though! Jennifer and Ethan had brought glow sticks, sunglasses, blow-up microphones, and a blow-up guitar. Since Ethan is in a band, he also had a fun surprise up his sleeve. Once his song was on, he grabbed the blow-up guitar, whipped out a Slash wig, and had a jam session - everyone circled around him and loved the show! There was plenty more dancing, jam sessions, and fun times, but all weddings must come to an end. Guests headed outside and lined up for a send-off. Jennifer and Ethan ran through a sea of bubbles and hopped into their getaway car to drive off into their happily ever after!

Something Spectacular

In between cocktail hour and the reception, Jennifer and Ethan had one thing that they needed to do before getting the party started. At Kimball Hall, they have a courtyard that has a chain link fence lining it. They invite couples to put a lock on the fence after they’ve said their I Do’s, so Jennifer and Ethan snuck out to the courtyard to have this sweet moment. Their lock was engraved with their names and wedding date. The two of them strategically picked the place that their lock should go, put it on the fence, and got rid of the key! These two will now always be a part of their venue which we think is so special and such a fun aspect of this venue!

Happily Ever After

The feeling of getting to do the wedding of someone you know so well and grew up with never gets old! It was truly such an honor to get to be a small part of Jennifer & Ethan’s big day and we absolutely cannot wait to see where life takes them next! Congrats to the Bilkerts!