October 21, 2016 - Our Wedding Day

When we first got engaged there was one thing that we both agreed upon right away about the wedding - we need to do this for us and what we want for our day without blowing all of our finances to do it. it was also important that we got married with our closest family present for support and love. We had a few ideas on where we wanted to get married - we wanted small and simple. We had both agreed on the court house before realizing that wasn’t exactly practical for our family that we wanted present and changed our minds to Mount Vernon Gardens in South Omaha with our reception to follow at Sokol Auditorium.

I’ve photographed my fair share of weddings so we had a fairly good idea of where to begin after that - booking our most crucial vendors first and figuring out the rest as we go. As a photographer naturally I thought that was the most important thing to lock down first and we didn’t hesitate in reaching out to The Mullers to be a part of our wedding day. This turned out to be the smartest decision we made in terms of our wedding overall - they knocked it out of the park for us. Slow clap for The Mullers guys. I cannot say enough about both of these remarkable humans. Because we were working with a tight budget, we talked it through with Lauren and Dan about our options and decided it best to have Dan shoot it solo with us for the main events of our ceremony. Not only was Dan acting as our eye to forever remember the day by (personally such a huge undertaking in my opinion) - he was our extra pair of hands, our guide and loudest cheerleader. We cannot CANNOT thank you enough, you made the whole experience that much more enjoyable by making it easy for us to just be ourselves and in the moment as it happened.

After photography was decided we booked flowers by the amazing Blooms and Bouquets - a mix of Banksia Protea, yellow Ranunculus, and Eucalyptus - hair by my girl Jess Brown at Halo Studios, and figuring out what I was going to do about makeup. Thankfully I had met a supremely talented makeup artist through Kyle’s sister and knew I had to reach out to her for this. Jan’s style is very elegant and natural and that was extremely important to me. I don’t typically wear a ton of makeup and I wanted to be able to recognize myself afterward. She did just that and was nothing but the kindest saint imaginable having to listen to my makeup worries.

Next was figuring out our outfits and my dress guys - my dress. My dress was a whole process in and of itself. I didn't go the typical route of bridal shop try-ons. I knew the look I wanted which was modest and simple - no frills, no sparkles, no tulle that's just not me. I was on dress number three ordered online and returned when I stumbled upon this gown by Badgley Mischka on sale with only one left in my size. I immediately ordered it and when it arrived I knew it was the one I wanted for our wedding ceremony. It was perfect for what we wanted to do and it made me feel beautiful. Kyle wore a stark blue suit and I nearly fell over the first time I saw him in it. The vibrant blue color of it proved perfect for our crisp orange and yellow fall day.

People had a lot of advice and kind words for us while we prepared: it’s going to go by in a blur - soak up as much as you can, do what you guys want to do, make it your own day. It could have gone by as fast as a freight train and it wouldn’t have mattered as long as I had my husband there to hold my hand (and remind me to stand up straight). My husband, I say it now like it’s always been. My husband, my love. He’s my best friend, my real talker and my soul’s laughter. I am thankful for you every day. Thank you for going through this crazy and scary but fun as hell journey with me. Thank you for trusting me and loving me for the person that I am.

Big shout out to my girl and maid of honor Corrie who was so patient and understanding with me. I am so thankful for your tall giraffeness - without you decorating would have been so hard! But in all seriousness - our day would not have gone half as well as it did without you. Thank you for being my rock and telling me like it is when I needed to be told so. You're one of my dearest friends and we love you so much.

Absolutely NONE of this would have been possible though without our parents. Our parents are everything to us. We love you guys so much. I can still remember Kyle’s parents reaction when we told them, jumping up and down thrilled for us. It meant so much to me. And my parents man - my mother would of worked herself into the ground for me if I asked her to. She almost did making most of the food for our reception with help from several of her closest friends and Kyle’s mom Kim and Aunt Jean. I feel like a hundred thank you’s wouldn’t be enough for how grateful we are for you. Thank you.

I'll wrap this up with some words of advice for future brides and grooms - this day really is going to by so quick, get a photographer you truly trust to capture the things you miss and the moments you'll never want to forget. Things are going to go wrong - don't sweat the small stuff - like half of your string lights not working or being dropped while dipped on a rooftop at sunset. It's not going to go exactly to plan and it shouldn't.. because life doesn't work that way. Just have fun and do you. That's all you can do! Now buckle up because there's still so much to see

Wedding Photos: The Mullers ☼ Wedding Reception Photos: Kelly Bentley ☼ Ceremony Location: Mount Vernon Gardens ☼ Makeup: Jan Gilsdorf of Reflect Makeup ☼ Hair: Jessica Brown at Halo ☼ Flowers: Blooms and Bouquets ☼ Jacket and Sign Calligraphy: Sharon Davis of Arbor Street Studios ☼ Ceremony Dress: Badgley Mischka ☼ Reception Dress: Dear Golden via Etsy ☼ Ceremony Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell ☼ Suit: Zara