What made the wedding special and unique? 

Our wedding was special to us because it was centered around our faith. Our relationship with God is the most important thing in our life, and it was an amazing blessing to have our family and friends together with us to celebrate. Being able to bring people together from all different backgrounds and faiths, all people whom we love is not something we have the privilege of doing very often. There was a time when we considered making the ceremony something that would be more vanilla, and a little less focused on our faith, but we chose to stick to what was important to us. We wanted to make sure our ceremony was true to who we are and our beliefs, and it was so special to be able to share our wedding day with the people who are most important to us.

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

Looking back at the gown I wore for our wedding, I’m not surprised I fell in love with it. It was everything I could have hoped to find. I always envisioned our wedding being classic and timeless, something where wouldn’t look back at the photos and wonder, “what the heck were we thinking?!” I fell in love with the Pronovias brand after seeing many of their dresses online. I was excited when I found a boutique shop in town that carried the Pronovias line. I went to MeaMarie Bridal Atelier in Kirkland, WA with my mom and we loved everything about it. It was beautiful, chic, and has an overwhelming sense of ‘bridal’ which I really appreciated. There’s only one time I’ll be getting a wedding dress for myself, and I was ready to soak it all up! Rachelle, the attendant at the shop, brought me a beautiful selection of dresses to try on. I originally thought I wanted something with lace, and I quickly found I did not like the way it looked on me. When I tried on the Pronovias Tatiana gown, I was blown away by its simplicity and elegance. It quickly became a favorite of all of ours, but I didn’t want to purchase anything right away and end up with buyer’s remorse. I let a couple days go by, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful the gown was! That weekend my mom and I went back to MeaMarie and let them know I had found my dress!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

We found this amazing woman, Dawn, who really helped our wedding vision come to life! Dawn owns The Meaningful Details in Bonney Lake, WA and has the most amazing decor rentals! I didn’t want to end up with a bunch of wedding decor that I would probably never use again and end up trying to sell anyway, so I was overjoyed to find Dawn. We rented a ton of vintage picture frames from her to use for different signage, to have wedding photos of our family generations, and photos of Taylor and I around the reception area.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

Leading up to the wedding Taylor and I talked numerous times about whether or not we would cry. Our first look was so special and the anticipation of it was overwhelming. I was so excited to see Taylor. When I walked over to him behind the barn he turned around and it truly was the most unforgettable moment as we embraced one another. I assumed Taylor would be somewhat emotional, but he bawled. To know someone loves you so much and also knowing you get to spend the rest of your life together creating memories and a legacy together, it’s truly the best feeling in the world. In that moment, it all hit us both that we were about to embark on the most amazing journey.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Taylor and I actually met many years ago while in high school. However, we only had a few memories of each other up until April of 2016. Today we laugh thinking about how hilarious it would be to go back in time and tell our high school selves that we would be getting married. Neither of us would have believed it, nor would any of our friends. Taylor was two grades below me and was, what some might refer to as a punk, class-clown type whose charm happened to be his saving grace. I was much more reserved, spent my days playing soccer and was never an issue for my teachers.

We lost track of each other over time as I took off for college and Taylor began his career immediately following high school. After nearly eight years of no communication, one night Taylor felt compelled to reach out to me over Facebook. We ended up messaging each other for a few weeks and despite my traditionally patient nature, I got tired of just chatting and requested that Taylor finally ask me out on a date.

We didn’t waste any time getting to know one another. From early on, our conversations included talking about the big stuff. The kind of stuff that might scare people away early on in a dating relationship. We bonded over our passion for God and as the days went by, it became more and more clear to us that our re-connection was not just mere happenstance or coincidence, but a divine intervention.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much Taylor had grown and changed over the years. I learned that he too has a burning desire to achieve great success in life. He has an amazing heart and curiosity for people, places, and things like no one else I had ever met. We spent many days and nights having so much fun getting to know one another and learning about what was important to each other. No more than two weeks into dating did Taylor tell me he loved me, followed by letting me know that we would be getting married.

Fast forward to October 2016, Taylor and I were ready for our life to begin together. Taylor respectfully met with my parents and my older brother, and asked each of them for their blessing to marry me. They all were overjoyed at his request and then it was time for the proposal.

I had plans to go to brunch with my mom on a Sunday morning in October before an afternoon we had planned together. I woke up late and only had time to hop in the shower before my mom was going to stop by my house and pick me up. Hair and makeup was going to have to wait for later. My mom urged we had reservations that we could not miss that morning, and looking good did not seem like a priority at the time. As we got to brunch I could tell something was up with my mom, but didn’t think much of it. She began to tell me a story about how the neighbors had all been receiving weird mail. Hanging onto every word she spoke, I hesitantly accepted an envelope with my name on it from her. If my neighbors were getting weird mail, I thought, “what the heck could this be?!” As I opened the letter, I realized it was a very sweet note from Taylor. At first I didn’t think too much of it because he had left me notes many times before. However, at the end of his note, I started thinking, “oh my gosh, maybe he is proposing sometime today!”

Right after I finished reading the letter, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and there was Taylor! At this point, I knew a proposal was about to happen. Our table was against the windows overlooking part of downtown, and the tables surrounding us were filled with other guests. Taylor took my hand, I got up to my feet and he began telling me all the things he loved about me. He placed my hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat—Taylor is not one to get nervous, but his heart was nearly exploding out of his chest. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. In that moment, all of the other people in the restaurant seemed to fade away as I said “yes!”

Ally + Taylor from Channeled Wedding Co. on Vimeo.

Photographer: Becca of B. Jones Photography // Florist: Paisley Petals // Ceremony/Reception Venue: The Kelley Farm // Rentals: The Meaningful Details // Wedding Dress Salon: Mea Marie // Cake: Hoffman’s Fine Cakes & Pastries // Hair/Makeup: Katya Gudaeva | Bridal Beauty Agency // Bridemaid’s Gift to the Bride: Christian Louboutin// Bridesmaid Dress: Azazie // Groomsmen Attire: Calvin Klein & Men’s Wearhouse