Nicki and Joe were married last summer on July 31st. Congratulations on your big day! You looked beautiful in your dress — even on a horse! We are so happy to be a part of your special day and we wish you the best. Welcome to the Believe Bride Tribe!
Looyenga Photography
The Proposal: I had fallen down the stairs and torn my sacral ligaments, and had bulging discs in my lower spine. I spent 10 days in a wheelchair, unable to dress myself, go to the bathroom myself, or bathe myself. My husband (boyfriend at the time) took care of me around the clock. Every night he helped me go to the bathroom, fed me, gave me my medication, and did everything for me. I was in excruciating pain, and he was my saving grace. One day when I was having a particularly bad day, he came home from shooting with my Dad and I was crying in my wheelchair. He dropped to one knee and proposed to me, and I was so shocked I screamed, “Noooo!!” and hid my face in my hands. I didn’t mean “No, I don’t want to marry you.” I was just so embarrassed about the state I was in at the time, and certainly never imagined my marriage proposal would be in a wheelchair wearing pajamas. But in retrospect, I wouldn’t want it any other way. He wanted me when I was at my very weakest, most vulnerable state. I will always treasure that.
The Big Day: Our wedding venue was a 550 acre ranch with an old barn built in the early 1800’s. We wanted it to be rustic and western, and we wanted our horses to be part of the wedding. I wanted people to feel like they were going back in time, to when things were simpler than they are today. I had a horse drawn carriage to give our guests rides from the barn to where the ceremony was, as it was a bit of a walk to get there. Everything was beautiful, especially at night when everything was lit up. I love how it turned out, it was everything we wanted it to be.
What was your favorite part of your wedding?: I would say my favorite part was our ceremony. It told the story of how we both waited 35 years for each other, how we ended up together, and was a great testimony of our faith.
Special Memories: The best man speech (from Joe’s older brother) was one for the books. One of the comments we got the most after our wedding was that his speech was the best they had ever heard at a wedding. His brother Justin is charismatic, witty, and humorous. I’m grateful to have it on video so we can watch it again.
What advice would you give to future brides?: Not to get too caught up in all the little details, but to focus on the bigger picture. Why you’re getting married, all of the people who will be there to support you and to just enjoy the day as much as possible. It flies by in the blink of an eye.
Vendor Credit: Our videographer Daniel Baker and photographer Brent Looyenga were both amazing.
Videographer: Dan Baker Films
Photographer: Looyenga Photography
