What made the wedding special and unique? 

Our wedding was special because it was a culmination of our relationship; one that started when we were very young and had matured into something wonderful. We had the reception at my family property, a place where we and many of our guests had spent a lot of time. My house was located one mile from where Christian and I went to school, so you can imagine that our home became the main gathering place for our friends. People were constantly coming in and out. It was a lively and social place to grow up and have our relationship blossom. Our reception felt like an extension of this. It felt so right to have not only all of our old friends back in our old haunt, but also have our new friends discover the place where Christian and I had become ‘us’. Despite the size of our guest list, our reception still felt so intimate just because of the history we had there.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Before we got engaged, the ladies in my family had a trip planned to NYC for my 21st birthday. So after Christian popped the question, the first thing my mom and I did was look at each other and be like “We could go to Kleinfeld’s!!” My mom and I had watched ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ about every Friday when I was in middle school and high school so this was a huge dream come true.

Fast forward to the morning of my appointment, I was so nervous because I had built up this idea of what the experience would be like — what if they weren’t nice or I fell for a dress that was way out of my budget?? However, from the moment I stepped into the store, Kleinfeld was everything I imagined and more. The consultant they paired me with was so kind and personable, I immediately felt comfortable with her. The designer of my dress was onsite that day and she actually helped me pick my dress out! It was a column gown with a champagne satin slip and a lace appliqué overlay with a boatneck neckline, very light and comfortable. The sample size fit like a glove. When I stepped out into the show room and they placed the veil on my head, I felt like a bride and I knew it was the one. The people in the store were so kind and even did a setup for us where we videoed the designer and the consultant asking me if I was ‘saying yes to the dress’ like in the show; a video clip and a memory I will always have. I could never recommend Kleinfeld enough.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

Really the main personal touch of the wedding was the location of the ceremony, as well as opening up my family home as the reception venue.  The church where we held the ceremony was actually the place where Christian and I first met.  Having it there really felt like the end as well as the beginning of chapters in our lives. My family property originally was a working farm, with a German farmhouse from the 1920s and a few other unique buildings.  When we moved there, only the farmhouse had been updated with the outbuildings remaining as they had been built. Over the years our family updated and transformed them into beautiful B&Bs that marry modern style with the original charm instilled in the property. The flow of the reception was designed to have a meandering feel where guests were encouraged to walk and explore the B&Bs, with many places available to sit and gather. Our home was also open for guests to enjoy. To me, this is the most personal touch I could have added to the wedding: to share open-hearted the place I loved the most.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

As the bride, the most memorable part of the day was the moment right before I started walking down the aisle. I felt so nervous!  Not because I was nervous to get married, but because I had to walk in front of so many people (so much pressure not to fall!).  My dad and I waited together in the front of the lobby as the rest of my bridesmaids each took their turn down the aisle. As the bridal march began to play and we stepped up into the doorway of the sanctuary, I thought my heart would explode — I had imagined this moment all of my life. The first people I saw were a line of Christian’s fraternity brothers, a group of guys I had become good friends with for many years. They all stood, smiled at me and I even got a few thumbs up. I felt a surge of courage as I realized all of these people were people I loved and I had no reason to be afraid. As it turns out, Christian had the same moment as I did before he walked down the aisle. We will both never forget our friends’ smiling faces on our wedding day.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Christian and I met in the sixth grade after a fated seating assignment during my visit to Heritage School, a small Christian private school in Fredericksburg. I was placed at the empty desk next to Christian and the we proceeded to share a copy of “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare. It was not coincidence that over the next few years we would often be paired together by teachers for group projects and assignments, as Christian was the passionate outspoken boy and I was the shy quiet girl.

When high school rolled around, we found our friendship turning into something more. We dated through high school and into college. When we started college, there was a shift in our relationship because we both realized that this really was working. In order to protect our relationship, we tried to delay things getting serious before the right time. We chose to go to different schools but found that our relationship naturally fit into our lives and our new friends. Christian says that during that first semester was when he knew he wanted to marry me, getting outside of our small world did nothing to change his feelings.

He held onto to these feelings for several years, until he decided to propose at the end of our junior year of college; he says, “as soon as I possibly could so we could be married when I graduated.” Christian proposed where we had our first date, at the county fairgrounds. Christian picked me up from my house under the guise of us having dinner with his family. But when I got in the car with him he told me, “So we are actually not going to dinner until later, I wanted to take you somewhere.” Because of where the fairgrounds are, it was pretty obvious where he was taking me and I started getting excited. He had a whole set up when we arrived with flowers, a picture of us, and a banner that read “Boyfriend and Girlfriend for 2,052 days, Husband and Wife forever.” It was right under it that he got down on one knee. After he proposed, it turned out that dinner was a surprise small engagement party with our families and a few close friends. Christian and our families had been planning for a over month without me finding out about any of it!  Although I knew Christian was going to propose pretty soon, I really was surprised by the whole thing.

Creative Direction & Planning: Mayhar Design // Photography: Loft Photography // Floral Design: Sprout Floral & Event Design // Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Whitney Farnsworth // Reception Venue: The Gathering on Post Oak // Ceremony Venue: Hill Country Church // Dress Designer: Michelle Roth // Hair Stylist: Tammy Smith // Cake: Sophie’s Bakery // Ceremony Music: Carol Bell // Reception Music: Local Bluegrass Band // DJ: Mixer Rogers // Linen Rentals: La Tavola Linen, Marquee Event Rentals // Tent Rental: Whim Event Rentals // Antique Rentals: Carol Hicks Bolton // Chair Rentals: Sweet Sunday Events // Caterer: Cartewheels Catering // Liquor: Gabriels Liquor // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box