Brittany (one of our very own Nordstrom employees) tells us all about her and Nick's vintage-inspired masquerade ball wedding weekend.

Our location: We live and work in Seattle (Nick at Boeing, me at Nordstrom) but were both born in Missouri. I grew up in the "big city" of St. Louis, and Nick grew up in a small town called Jackson. We went back and forth between Seattle and Missouri for where to host the big day. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided we would both secretly write down the venue we really wanted and then reveal it at the same time. Luckily we both had our hearts set on Chaumette, which coincidentally is almost exactly between Jackson and St. Louis. Picking Missouri felt right for so many reasons, but the most important for us was that the family and friends who were most important to us would be able to be there to witness our day.

We wanted the wedding and reception to truly represent us as a couple, so we made sure to incorporate a few unique elements. We decided the day was going to be an adults-only affair and we wouldn't have the traditional flower girl/ring bearer. Instead, we had a hawk fly our rings down the aisle. This was a treat for Nick especially; ­ we are Seattle Seahawks season ticket holders, and Nick loves birds. The wedding party and MacGyver the hawk walked/flew out to "Bittersweet Symphony," which is a song we love and a nod to the song the Seahawks run out to every home game. I walked down the aisle to "La Vie en Rose," which was beautiful. We had our good friend Liz end the ceremony with an Irish blessing and closed out the ceremony with a bagpiper and drummer.

Our inspiration: Masquerade! We both love Halloween and wanted to incorporate a sophisticated element of "costume" without having someone show up in a horrifying mask or naughty nurse getup. We provided masquerade masks-which doubled as place cards-for everyone to wear throughout the reception. We accented the natural beauty of the winery grounds and fall colors with tons of white pumpkins for decor.

I used dark, romantic moody jewel-tone colors as inspiration for the wedding party and flowers. My best gals wore the BB Dakota Rhianna dress in Verde, my mom wore a Maggy London sheath dress in Bristol Blue, Nick's mom wore a J Kara dress in Plum and our wedding officiant and dear friend, Liz, wore a cute Tahari fit-and-flare. Nick's posse rented navy suits, and my dad bought his navy suit at the Anniversary Sale. Nick sported a dapper Paul Smith bright navy suit and Cole Haan shoes.

Favorite moments: There were so many special moments, but one that stood out was being introduced as a couple and our first song. It is a great time to just take a moment with the one you married to reflect on what it means and how special a bond you just formed.

Another great part was having everyone make a destination weekend out of it. We reserved most of the villas on the winery property, so people could mingle and get to know one another before the day. I believe that (and the great DJŠ and open bar) is what made the dance floor at the reception such an amazing party.

The dress: Originally my vision for my dress was something with long sleeves and lace. What I ended up falling in love with couldn't have been more different. I tried on probably 30 dresses between checking out a few boutiques in St. Louis when I was home for a visit and my ultimate experience at the Downtown Seattle Wedding Suite.

My mom flew in to join me on the adventure, which was a blast. I kept coming back to this Roses by Reem Acra silk gown because it was so different from any of the others I had tried on and really felt like me. I loved the vintage-inspired shoulder embellishment, and when I saw the scooped back in the mirror I was sold. I paired it with my "something blue" Badgley Mischka pumps. I wanted to keep with the classic/timeless feel by wearing a cathedral-length veil when I walked down the aisle.

Advice for other brides-to-be: When you're initially planning, before any decisions are made, you need to ask yourself what you really want. Not what you think your family/friends/social media expect, but what themes and important elements you want to remember about your wedding. After ours was over, the best compliments from friends and family were that the wedding seemed 100 percent us.

Also, take a minute to relax and soak it all in! We were engaged for one and a half years before the wedding, and it flew by. The closer you get to the actual day the quicker time moves, so make sure to enjoy every minute of it.

The honeymoon: We took a month break between the wedding and honeymoon. For our big trip, we went to Hokkaido in northern Japan to ski at a beautiful resort that is known for its bottomless powdery snow. We then flew down to Bali, Indonesia, and spent some decompression time on the beaches snorkeling, scuba diving, relaxing and enjoying the Balinese cuisine, massages and island vibe.

Photos by Happy Day Media

Did you find your wedding gown or bridesmaid dresses at Nordstrom? We love a good wedding story! Email Nordstrom Wedding Stories for details on getting your wedding featured on our blog. And for more inspiration, make a complimentary appointment with a Wedding Stylist or browse our Wedding Suite.