September 28, 2019, Kayla and Kasey tied the knot at the Elk Ridge Campground. Their wedding was absolutely stunning, and chalk full of amazing memories to help build their perfect love story. Congratulations you two! So glad to have you as a part of the Believe Bride Family! Here’s to many years of love, joy, and happiness. Cheers!
The Proposal. : Kasey proposed to me on June 16th at the Sunbanks Resort on Banks Lake. Both mine and his family had been camping and boating together for the weekend. At the resort is a cute little cantina where you could sing karaoke, and of course we did. Both of our families got up and sang Friends In Low Places, and after the song Kasey got down on one knee and asked me to marry him in front of everyone. It was awesome! Lots and lots of tears!
The Big Day: Our wedding in the woods was decorated with themes from the vintage 1920's/30's prohibition era with colors of burgundy, gun metal gray, and black. My husband loves old school gangster movies, and I love early 20th century vintage decor and styles, so it was a perfect fit for us! We chose pearls, soft lace, and whiskey/wine barrels to decorate the large meadow where we had our ceremony and reception to give it that old school feel. When trying to think of an easy and clean toast for our guests at the reception, my husband and I made, and jarred, a family homemade recipe of apple pie moonshine with a few of my family members who are the best at making it. The moonshine was such a hit with the guests that 200 mini jars were gone before the sun went down!
The night before our wedding it started to downpour. We knew it was going to rain weeks before, and as the hour of our ceremony grew closer the rain did not look like it was going to let up. The owners of our venue, Elk Ridge Campground, Tim and Julie Hoffer, were absolutely amazing in coming up with multiple plans for the wedding in the event that it was going to keep down-pouring once the ceremony rolled around.They say that rain on your wedding day is good luck, so I guess Kasey and I had heaps of good luck on our day! When it came down to the last 20 min. before the ceremony started the rain had subsided to very light sprinkle, and the second I arrived to the isle with my dad, the rain had let up all together and didn't pick up again until speeches were had, and bellies were filled with food and drink; it was a miracle!
Even though our wedding wasn't the exact picture of perfection with all of the rain, it was perfect because it was mine and Kasey's wedding, and it was a unique experience that is all our own.
What was your favorite part of your wedding?: So many moments happened during our wedding planning, and during the day of wedding that will stick with me forever. Two moments instantly come to the forefront of my mind when I think to our special day.
Kasey and I had been looking around for wedding bands, and were a little discouraged styles and prices that were available for us to purchase. At a wine tasting with my aunt, mom, and Nana, I asked them the question, "Does it really matter if I have a wedding band for my wedding day? Couldn't I just re-wear my engagement ring?" No one gave me an answer before my aunt took a slim silver band from one of her fingers and had me try it on my ring finger. It fit perfectly; it gives me chills just thinking about it. My aunt said. "It fits perfectly! There's your wedding band!" I had asked her why, why this ring. She proceeded to tell me that it my great grandma's wedding ring, my Nana's mom's ring. I had gotten the blessing to have it, and just like that, in that special moment, I had my wedding ring! Being able to have my husband put my great grandma's wedding band on my finger in front all the people we love is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.
Trying to find my wedding dress was a whole moment in itself as well that still gives me chills. I had gone first to Believe Bridal to find my wedding dress. I chose them because of their unique styles, and that they carried designs far beyond the traditional sweetheart neckline and a-line skirt. Of course I had found a beautiful Lillian West dress this first time around. Of course at my height of 6'0", any dress I find would have to be altered and I would have to wear flats as wedding shoes because certain dresses only come so long. Big decisions like this take time to think! Going back the second time, I decided to try on a few more just be sure that the first dress was the one I wanted. Looking at the racks I found an extremely long, simply elegant looking dress hidden in a corner all by itself. Not thinking anything about it, I put it with the rest of the to try on in order to solidify my decision in buying the first Lillian West dress. This dress would be the last dress I would try on that day, because once I walked out of that dressing room and saw the reactions on my families faces, saw how wonderfully long it was (I was tripping on the fabric in bare feet, a.k.a. hello heels! It was awesome!), and how perfectly it fit me without any alterations I didn't want anything in the salon but this dress. Thinking of getting to wear that dress on my wedding day still makes puts a giant smile on my face, and looking at all of our stunning photos from the day makes me want to put it back on and spend the day in it all over again!
Special Memories: One of my favorite memories from mine and Kasey's wedding was having his Uncle Rob be our officiant for the wedding. He was so excited to be apart of our day, and he was equally just as nervous. Uncle Rob did an amazing job as our officiant, the best we could have ever asked for, but in the nerves of the day he forgot one key part of the ceremony. Not until our speeches during the reception did my dad bring up that we never said our I Do's! It got a big laugh out of everyone; no one even noticed! So, over our dinner plates, we our I Do's.
What advice would you give to future brides?: Thinking of all of the expectations and plans I had for the wedding, I can confidently say things did not work exactly as I had hoped, and it was still perfect non the less! As a bride, when it came down to the day of the wedding, you have to let go of most control over how things are going to turn out. You can't be there to decorate everything, or set the food/cake up, or even make sure all the people that are involved are in the right place. The best thing you can do as a bride is to make sure you have a good team of people around you that are ready to help with every little detail, and to enjoy every second that passes by. Be in the moment because it is the fastest day of your life!
