Happy Anniversary Erica and Jimmy!

Erica and Jimmy said "I do" one year ago today! Their wedding day was an absolute dream. Not only does Erica have gorgeous taste, but she has the most genuine heart. She chose such lovely details for her day and both her and Jimmy were an absolute JOY to work with. 

Happy Anniversary you two! I hope that the best is yet to come! 

Wedding Photos by Andrew Bowser Photography

Any big plans to celebrate your anniversary?

We are planning on sleeping in, spending the day outside on the trails then going to our favorite restaurant in Columbia, CC’s City Broiler and eating our cake topper for dessert!

Erica, what is one thing you learned about your new husband this year?

I have learned that Jimmy makes mean oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. But more importantly, I have learned that he is more selfless than I ever realized and really is such a caring husband to me and puppy-daddy to our sweet puppy, Franklin!

Jimmy, what is one thing you learned about your new wife this year?

I’ve learned about Erica’s huge heart. Before we were married, we only saw each other on the weekends. Being with her everyday I’ve been able experience how much she cares and is willing to sacrifice for her family, friends, and patients.

Do you have any advice for those planning a wedding/marriage now?

One of our favorite things about our wedding day was the mere fact that all of the people we love in this world were all in the same place, celebrating us! We made sure to enjoy every moment of the day and therefore we really didn’t notice or care to notice any mishaps. The details of the day are so much fun to put together and help set the scene, but what it comes down to is celebrating the beginning of something so wonderful!

Looking back, do you have anything you would do differently on your own wedding day?

We wish we could have added more hours to the day. We wish we could have spent even more time with our individual loved ones before leaving on our honeymoon. We were just so grateful everyone was therefor us! It went by too fast.

What is one of your best memories from your past year as newlyweds?

There are so many! Probably our favorites are moving into our house, living in the same city for the first time and adopting our puppy, Franklin! We used to dread Sundays because it meant saying goodbye. Now it’s a sleepover every night!

What do you have planned for the future?

I, (Erica) am getting ready to enter into my second year of residency in Ophthalmology and Jimmy is working hard in his law firm. We will be staying in Columbia, MO for the next 3 years while I finish residency. We also hope to do one last fun trip abroad before then! We hope to start a family in the next couple of years, and until then we are getting good practice with Franklin.

Real Wedding: Ellie and Cole Getting Ready

Ohhh these two. A divine romance. A joy unmistakeable. A love unbound and unconditional. 

I know now that with each wedding I do, there will never be a time when I am done learning. With every event, there are new set-up challenges to tackle and new relationships to decipher. For example, with this wedding, I learned that glass orbs bought from a particular online site will come with individual sticker labels on each one that will require approximately two interns two hours to remove 100 of them. Ouch. 

However, my favorite thing I learned is that when a couple is truly in love — a love that warrants a trust beyond understanding — no matter what small things may go wrong, they will not be shaken. 

There were no shortage of small obstacles that came up during the wedding day for Ellie and Cole... no napkins delivered, missing grooms tie, missing bride's gift, set-up delays, magazine photographer shooting alongside wedding photographer, catering container malfunctions, noise complaints... but beyond any of those issues, the one thing I remember from their day was how enthralled they both were. With each other, with the loved ones surrounding them, and with an amazing God who orchestrated each perfect moment leading up to this. 

Photos by Defined Image Photography. 

Alicia and Ty: Ceremony

From the moment that Alicia and her mother, Diane, met with me, I knew we would get along well. Alicia had such a positive outlook on her upcoming marriage and was so obviously centered on that, instead of the wedding details. But boy were her wedding details beautiful! Such a testament to the love and effort put into her and Ty's  relationship when all the gorgeous details were what so clearly came second to both of them. 

Alicia and Ty happen to also be the first couple of ours that took advantage of our Christian Pre-Marital Counseling Discount. They met regularly with a pastor that Alicia knew well, and that also officiated their wedding ceremony. 

Throughout the entire morning and early afternoon of the wedding day there was a very large chance of thunderstorms which put a huge twist on the plans and our set-up. Everything was scheduled to take place outdoors on Alicia's family's property, where her grandparents had also tied the knot, many years ago. 

The clouds eventually parted, and as we darted from one area to the other setting out chairs and folding napkins, it was clear that God was smiling down on this wonderful couple. His presence was richly felt during their intimate ceremony and is surely known in their marriage still today.

Photographer: Twin Town Studios
Flowers: The Nest
Caterer: The Aviary
Cake: AmyCakes Bakery
Dress: Ella Weiss

Engaged: Cherrie and Jon

Meet Cherrie and Jon! 

They will tie the knot this Saturday in Springfield, Missouri!

1. How did the two of you meet and how long have you been together?

Cherrie and I were set up through mutual friends. Our first meet up was at Bass Pro believe it or not. I was interested to meet anyone that would meet me at Bass Pro. That was on May 5^th 2008 so we have been together five years. 

2. Tell us about one of your favorite dates!

Cherrie and my favorite dates range from camping at the river to dinner and a movie to walking at the trail. 

3. When did you know it was the real thing?

I knew it was the real thing early on in the relationship. I knew it could be a forever thing when we were able to spend an entire weekend at the lake and both enjoy ourselves. 

4. Was the proposal a surprise? How did it happen?

The proposal was a surprise it happened in Kansas City on the day of Cherrie’s graduation from Nurse Practitioner school. It was a surprise and was a great cap to what had been a stressful period in my life. 

5. How do you envision your wedding day?

On our wedding day I envision being surrounded by family and close friends and enjoying all the festivities. My only hope is that it isn’t too cold and doesn’t snow, other than that I know it will be a day I will always remember. 

6. Are there any fun family traditions or special details that you are planning to incorporate?
We are going to have a standard wedding although being from the Philippines I do want to incorporate a couple of Filipino traditions. 

7. Bride, what are you most looking forward to on your big day?

What I’m looking forward to the most on the big day is starting our lives together with a great memory, and giving us a starting point to our official story together. 

8. Groom, what are you most looking forward to on the big day?

I’m looking forward the most to the doors opening and seeing Cherrie in her wedding dress for the first time. A lot of planning and stress has gone into planning this wedding so to see her for the first time as my wife is something I will never forget.  

Congratulations you two! We can't wait to celebrate with you in December! 

Engaged: Carrie and Griffin

Meet Carrie and Griffin! 

They will tie the knot this December at the Gillioz Theatre and party the night away at 425 Downtown! 

1. How did the two of you meet and how long have you been together?

We've tried to remember when we first got together, sitting down and doing the whole time line thing and everything and have yet to figure it out, so we made up our own anniversary date, of June 11th, but halfway through the first year (we still to this day say happy anniversary every month) the 11th just landed on too many holidays, so we switched it to the the 12th of June. This year we took a small vacation to celebrate our fourth year together. So we'll be getting married around four and a half years together.

2. Tell us about one of your favorite dates!

This last valentines day. After Carrie finished work and I got out of school we went for dinner and Nonna's Italian Restaurant we had a great meal and reminisced about our trip to Italy. After dinner we went to the Gillioz (where we're have our wedding ceremony) and they had a whole little package put together for couples. They screened "When Harry met Sally", and gave us little packages that included, some champagne, a small box of chocolates, a rose, and I think a few other things. They also had a free s'mores bar, which included a two small open flames to roast the marshmallows upon, graham crackers, and chocolate fondue. They also had popcorn and drinks and the snack bar.

3. When did you know it was the real thing?

Although I had (and still do have) a huge wanderlust, it became real for me when I sat down and signed a year long lease with both of our names on it. Carrie says that's when she knew that I put her and wanting to be with her before my own desires of leaving this town far behind me in the rearview mirror.

4. Was the proposal a surprise? How did it happen?

A few months before our two-year anniversary we decided to take a summer vacation. With our love for travel and taste for Italian inspired cuisine, where better than to Italy? A week before our two-year anniversary we landed in Rome. For months and months before this I had repeatedly told Carrie that I would not be proposing for years to come, always asking why rush things? An hour or so before midnight on Jun 11th, we decided to leave our sub lent apartment and talk a stroll. On one of our previous excursions I had found the perfect place, Castel del Sant Angelo, Castle of the Holy Angel. The river that splits the city of Rome in two, the river Tiber, runs directly in front of the castle. A few minutes before midnight I found a gateway leading down to the river. At the banks of the river you could glance up and see the castle, each window alight with candles, and soft courtyard music playing in the background. On the stroke of midnight we raised from our seated position on the bank and I dropped to a knee. As I began my well rehearsed speech, "I have already asked your father and..." her hands quickly raised to her mouth in a surprised gasp and cried "ABSOLUTLY!"  

5. How do you envision your wedding day?

A unique yet traditional wedding. We have never wanted a princess type wedding, nor a courthouse one. A simple mix between traditions and our own personality. We hope to have romance of the life long commitment we'll be giving one another and the fun and atmosphere of the party to celebrate our union.

6. Are there any fun family traditions or special details that you are planning to incorporate?

Bride will be honoring her late mother by wearing her veil, also she has received the garter belt from the Grooms side of the family. 

7. Bride, what are you most looking forward to on your big day?

The dress. As of yet Griffin has not seen the dress and I'm extremely looking forward to seeing his face as he sees me in it.

8. Groom, what are you most looking forward to on the big day?

Kissing my wife for the first time.

Real Wedding Film: Madison and Alex

Check out this beautiful wedding film by Selby Films! 

I loved working with Madison and Alex. See more of their wedding photos and learn about their story. You won't regret it, they are so endearing!

Trend: Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

We're all aware of the huge trend right now of having mismatched bridesmaid dresses. It's. huge. and we love it!! 

 Let's face it - bridesmaids come in lots of different shapes and sizes, so why shouldn't their dresses! Allowing bridesmaids to find a dress that flatters their unique figure means getting the bride off the hook when it comes to choosing a style that will make everyone happy.

If you have 2 to 12, this trend allows for each and every one of your girls to wear a dress they feel incredible in. The best way to do it is to stick with a specific color and help your gals locate a style that is good match. Many bridal shops can assist you with different styles that come in the exact same color swatch.  

There is an INCREDIBLE new website to help you find dresses all in the same color group called thedressspot.com. Seriously this is like the best website invention since pinterest... I know. You can search dresses by color, price, and length!