On October 19, 2013 I married my best friend and team mate, Byron Kelley. It was the perfect day and everything that I could have ever hoped for. The wedding and reception took place at my parent's house where I grew up. This made the day all the more special.
It was the ultimate DIY wedding. My dad and brother spent months working on benches, landscaping, building arbors, and hanging lighting. My mom and I crafted every little detail and spent all our free time scavenging thrift stores for vintage china plates and unique finds. Searching for the vintage plates was the highlight of my planning and made a great excuse to spend time with my new mother-in-law. Together we collected over 300 vintage plates.
The little details are so much fun. My mom made all the centerpieces, and I spent the weeks leading up to the wedding planting different succulents in reclaimed containers. My mom even designed the florals the evening before.
I did not want to pick a certain theme or color scheme for the wedding. I wanted the wedding to just morph and be a part of the environment. It is such a beautiful location and I did not want to take away from it. I love nature and wanted the day to blend right in---of course with a touch of pink :)
Everyone who knows Byron knows how much he loves bears so we had to incorporate it somehow (it was his wedding too). My brother found some really unique bear ties and I created a logo for us to use on our cups and koozies that had bears on them.
The forecast leading up to the wedding was not looking great. Of course as any bride would I started to panic a little since we did not have much of a back up plan. That night as I read out of one of my favorite devotionals, Jesus Calling, the first thing it said was "Trust Me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them. Relax, and refresh yourself in the light of my everlasting love." It was exactly what I needed to hear. So I did just that. I trusted about something so small, (and not even important in the grand scheme) the weather of my perfectly planned out wedding day. I trusted and He more than provided for me. The weather was perfect and to top it off there was even a harvest moon lighting the sky for the reception.
Our ceremony was short and sweet. Everything that I wanted it to be and more. My dog, Winston really wanted to be a part of the big day. As I was walking down the aisle he was right in the middle and would not move. I think this is what our guest enjoyed the most about the ceremony. The officiant was my former Younglife leader so it felt intimate and personal. We even had a few deer come up and eat in the distance while we were saying our vows.
After the ceremony we invited everyone to join us for some Stanley's BBQ (the best BBQ-Even a Texas Monthly winner). Then my favorite part of weddings, cake, made by my favorite local bakery, The Cherry Laurel. If you want to have a good party get those two things and it will be a success. The reception started with a local Dallas band, The Boys Named Sue who made the rest of the night a fun one.
It was the perfect day and I am so thankful for my family, my new family and all the hands that helped make our day perfect.
Our wedding was featured as an Editor's Pick on the Knot.
