Welcome! I’m so happy to share so many memories from our wedding day. There’s an abundance of photos for you all to explore to your heart’s content. Huge kudos to Angela Groce at Unveiled Radiance Photography for her amazing work!
02.09.18 was a dream come true in every way! We really feel like we etched our personalities into each part of the day. Our wedding was in Quinlan, Texas at The White Sparrow Barn. I discovered this venue on Instagram while it was being built a few years back. I loved it, Peter loved it, and it began our fun adventure of an out-of-town wedding.
I’ve heard plenty of folks being nervous or uptight on their wedding day. This wasn’t one of those days – I genuinely enjoyed it all – such a chill morning! We had the best (and most talented) friends helping, and I loved being able to hang out and soak up the day with so many great people. Peter and I planned, designed, and coordinated everything ourselves up until that day, and then pulled our all-star friends together to help make the rest happen! I can’t say that I’ve dreamed of / planned my wedding my entire life – I’ve always just liked what I like and waited until I’m in the moment to design something! I’m guessing that played a role in being able to sit back and watch it all come together instead of worrying about it living up to my expectations.
I once heard someone say that they wrote their own vows to “tie them tighter.” I like that and agree! I’ll admit, it’s a little intimidating to write words that will last forever. Peter wrote the final version of his vows the day of the wedding. I definitely got a head start a few days before. My vows turned out to be a poem, and I was nervous about doing the whole rhyming thing without being corny (or predictable, not sure which is worse).
We are so thankful that we chose to do First Look!! This just may have been my favorite part of the whole day. Seeing each other was the best. Then being alone together (without the million eyes of a ceremony) was the best. Then reading our personal vows to each other for the first time was the best. Then taking communion together was the best. Then the sun rays breaking through the clouds when we said amen was the best. The best. THE BEST!
We did things differently in our ceremony, and very intentionally. We both believed that every aspect of the wedding had to hold value for us personally in order for it to have a place in the day. Lots of things didn’t make the cut – cake cutting, bouquet tossing, til death do us part, cocktail hour, unity symbolism, flower children… etc. We had everyone except the wedding party seated at the start of the ceremony, and Peter kicked it off by walking down the aisle and meeting his dad up front (who was also the officiant!). Many of our friends in the wedding party were already married, and we didn’t like the idea of them walking down with someone other than their spouse. Each of them walked up on their own instead.
One important addition we wanted to make was a gospel presentation during the ceremony. The love we experience in this life is amazing, but the love of Jesus surpasses it all. The Bible even likens the love of Jesus toward his people as the love of a bride and groom. There is no one else who laid down their life on a cross just to have the opportunity to love us and know us. We believe that because we were first changed by his love, he put love in our hears for each other. This was not a cliche wedding ritual; this is the reality of Jesus, whose love for you doesn’t change or end or fail. He will love you back to life.
At the end of the ceremony, our wedding party opened up the barn doors behind the altar area and everyone went straight into the reception that was waiting for them right outside the doors! We did our best to eliminate all dead space and make an experience that everyone would enjoy being a part of.
One of the preferences that we have gravitated toward over the years is gathering tables instead of private tables. We didn’t assign any seats and instead let everyone sit with whomever they wanted – but at the same time, everyone was sitting at the same table like a family. It was so special for us to see so many people meet and connect in a unique way. There are always many different types of people at bigger events, so we inserted a lot of different spaces so everyone would feel like they had somewhere they wanted to be – latte bar, dinner tables, life size Jenga, dance carpets on the grass, cornhole, and a living room setup outside for pictures.
As far as the food goes, four words can say it all: PIZZA AND BUNDT CAKES. Guys, somehow our pizza wedding even ended up on National Pizza Day! We found out the night before! Peter and I found a really cool caterer that made authentic Naples style pizza. As far as cakes went, we just let Nothing Bundt Cakes do their magic and offered everyone five different flavors and multiple servings.
We had a lot of fun on the dance carpet, and I just have to say that all those years of student ministry really came in to play as we taught the whole group a choreographed dance to EDM. Lol!
I’m always curious what couples do while everyone is lining up for the send off. In our case, we had one last dance inside the barn, all alone. We danced to Tightrope from OUR MOVIE (doesn’t everyone think that?), the Greatest Showman. Our barn, our dream, our moment. It was so special!
The day was so fun in every way, and the send-off was just as fun with sparklers everywhere and a 1955 Chevy Belair with a Corvette engine waiting on us. My friend Renee’ slipped us two lattes through the window, and we were off to our greatest adventure yet – our life together! Thanks for reading along!
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