Real Wedding: Making a Formal Affair Fun

Not sure what type of wedding you want to have? Get some fresh ideas from this spring wedding in San Francisco. Though it was set in the formal Ritz-Carlton hotel, this couple infused playful details and color patterns to create a unique theme and setting for their big day.

Location: The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco

Photography: Arrowood Photography

High school sweethearts Beth Brenneman and Kenny Fluharty met their freshman year. After Kenny proposed on a Maui vacation many years later, the couple planned a long engagement. Beth explains, "My sister got engaged three weeks before us and was planning on a fall wedding. I didn't want to rain on her parade, and thought, 'We've already waited this long -- what's another year and a half?'"

The Bride: Beth Brenneman, 30, neonatal nurse practitioner

The Groom: Kenny Fluharty, 30, field sales engineer

The Date: April 29

The extra time gave the twosome plenty of leeway when it came to planning their San Francisco nuptials. "We definitely wanted to get married in San Francisco, since that was the only place that we lived in together during the 15 years we'd dated," Beth says. Though their celebration was formal -- it was at The Ritz-Carlton, after all -- Beth and Kenny imbued it with a sense of playfulness and fun that made it truly unforgettable.