REAL-WEDDINGS

Real Columbus Wedding: Monica and Jake Henkel Pour Special Touches into Their Wedding Day

Special touches for wedding guests proved to be more than a fun experience at the reception. Monica and Jake still treasure mementos from their wedding day, from photographs to heirloom jewelry.

Columbus Monthly

A timeless, black and white photograph for the newlyweds to treasure forever

Who: Monica and Jake Henkel

When: Aug. 27, 2022

The story: Jake and Monica met during their last few months of school at Ohio State University. “We actually met at Fourth Street Bar as we had mutual friends at the time," Monica says. “We realized after a few months of dating that we had been in similar social circles in the past and likely missed each other over the years at events and parties.”

The proposal: In April 2021, Jake proposed to Monica at Schiller Park, disguising the proposal as a birthday dinner for Monica, proposing on a walk the two of them shared on the bridge in the park. “The biggest surprise was that he had wrangled a bunch of friends to celebrate with us afterwards,” Monica says. "It was a blast.”

The wedding: Monica is half Indian and wanted to be sure to include pieces from her culture in her and Jake’s wedding, in addition to sticking to traditional, Western culture wedding culture elements. Before the wedding date, Mehendi was held at Monica’s parents’ house where she, her bridesmaids and close female friends and family all received henna on their hands. “It was a great opportunity to connect with my culture, introduce friends and family members to each other and connect with others in our culture,” Monica says. The group also incorporated jewelry that Monica’s grandmother and grandfather had brought over from India, “some that were specifically picked out years ago for myself and my sisters to wear in our weddings,” Monica says.

In addition to the specialty pieces of jewelry, Monica even go to incorporate a piece of her mother’s wedding gown, taking a small piece from the dress and utilizing as décor for part of her bouquet. “All of these touches truly made the day even more special than I could have imagined,” Monica says.

Special touch for the wedding guests: Each guest got the chance to take a professional picture with the photographer during the reception to take home, courtesy of Open Air Photo Booth’s individual picture offering. “We also got a copy, and now have a ton of pictures of our closest friends and family on our favorite day,” Monica says.