Photo Credit: Trysh Jaeger Photography 

Describe Your Wedding Vision 

From the beginning, we envisioned a wedding that felt elegant, timeless, and simple. I’ve always believed that less is more, so we let the beauty of our venue and flowers speak for themselves. We chose an all-black dress code, allowing pastel blue, soft yellow, and lavender florals to bring the only touches of color to the day. 

I had always dreamed of a classic ballroom feel, which drew us to our venue and it’s beautiful chandeliers. For our ceremony, we exchanged vows in front of the gazebo, creating a setting that felt both romantic and timeless. 

Because Matthew and I had been together for so many years, incorporating pieces of our story was especially meaningful. Our flower girl tossed petals I had saved from nearly every bouquet Matthew had given me throughout the years. We displayed crystal swans from our engagement and bridal shower, while our wooden gazebo card box, handcrafted by my grandfather, had previously been used at my parents’ wedding. 

Even our parents’ weddings found their way into ours. I chose lavender for my dad and blue for Matthew’s dad, unknowingly matching the colors from our parents’ weddings. Matthew’s pocket square was also made from a piece of my wedding dress. 

Every detail was chosen with intention—not to follow a trend, but to create a wedding that felt like us. Elegant, meaningful, and filled with pieces of our past, present, and future. Our wedding was more than beautiful, it was ours. 

Describe Your Wedding Day 

Our wedding day felt incredibly calm and seamless, thanks to the amazing vendors who brought everything together. They made the day feel effortless and allowed me to be fully present instead of worrying about the details. After months of planning, it was so special to finally sit back and enjoy the day we had envisioned. 

Matthew and I chose not to see each other before the ceremony, saving that moment for when I walked down the aisle. It was difficult because Matthew is my best friend and the person I wanted to see most. When I finally saw him waiting for me, everything felt real. After 10 years together, we were finally standing there surrounded by the people we love, about to become husband and wife. It was one of the most surreal moments of our lives. 

After the ceremony, we stepped into the reception before our guests and were blown away by how beautiful everything looked. The black-and-white tables, candles, flowers, and two-tiered heart-shaped cake were everything we had imagined. Our DJ kept the celebration going, while the biggest surprise was a custom shrimp cocktail ice sculpture—a fun and unexpected touch that made the reception even more memorable. 

One of my favorite moments was stepping away with our photographer for sunset portraits. Those quiet minutes gave us a chance to simply be together and take everything in. 

The entire day passed in a beautiful blur. It was everything we dreamed of and somehow even more special than we imagined. 

Advice to engaged couples: 

My best advice to engaged couples is to always remember that this is your day. Your wedding should reflect who you are as a couple and what the two of you want. You’ll hear plenty of opinions throughout the planning process, but you don’t have to change your vision to make someone else happy. Make the choices that feel right for the two of you. 

I also believe it’s important to make the choices that you know you won’t regret. Whether it’s deciding not to do something because of the cost or feeling like you have to do something because other couples are doing it, make sure your decisions are based on what feels right for the two of you. If there’s something you truly want for your wedding and you can make it work, do it. Money will come and go, but your wedding day only happens once. You’ll never get that exact day back, so make the choices that will allow you to look back on your wedding day with happiness rather than wondering what you should have done differently. 

Most importantly my biggest piece of advice is to always communicate. Communication truly is the key to a strong marriage. Be honest with each other, talk through the difficult things, and never forget that you’re on the same team. Your wedding day is just one beautiful day, but your marriage is the life you’re building together. Prioritize each other, keep communicating, and continue choosing one another every day.