Get the Look
Ceremony Venue: Knox Presbyterian Church Reception Venue: The Venue at Willow Creek Photographer: Marissa Cribbs Photography Gown: Bridal Extraordinaire Menswear: Johnston’s Bridesmaid Dresses: Kennedy Blue Invitations: Dotted & Dashed Hair & Makeup: Primp & Blow DJ: DJ Fernando Catering: Olive Events Florist: Good Earth Floral Cake/Cupcakes: Adorn Cakes Favors: Grapevine Designs
Cory & Kelsey’s Love Story:
Through an invitation from a mutual friend, Cory showed up to a birthday party at my apartment. A good conversation during the party led to a personal invitation to my sorority party. Cory got wrangled into dressing up as a barn animal by a few of my crazy friends and was notably a good sport in it all. I guess I must have thought he made for a pretty good-looking horse because only a few weeks later we began dating. The following five years were filled with donut dates, graduations, a couple big moves, new jobs, wonderful vacations, sporting events, outdoor concerts, and many trips to the zoo.
After an incredible weekend visiting with friends and family in Andale, Kansas, Cory suggested a quiet evening at the park to wind down and get ready for the week ahead. We enjoyed a beautiful picnic at a spot overlooking the lake in Shawnee Mission Park. It had been hot and windy the week prior, so with incredible weather and even better wine, I obliviously stated, “This really is the perfect night.” Taking that as his cue, Cory promptly got down on one knee and proposed!
The most exciting thing for me leading up to the wedding day was being able to leave the ceremony and reception married to my best friend. Of course, I was excited about the meaningful ceremony and the wonderful party afterward, but the end-result of being man and wife was the thing I was looking forward to the most. Cory and I absolutely love the winter months, so it was easy to decide on a January wedding. We incorporated a lot of winter-season elements in decorating. Both my mother and mother-in-law were tremendous in the whole wedding process, so I honestly had more help and love than I could have ever imagined in planning for the big day.
A Few Special Pieces:
For lack of a more eloquent phrase, I would describe Cory and I as “mug people”. We love collecting interesting and fun coffee mugs when we travel. Since we both drink coffee every day, having a mug in front of us that reminds us of a good memory is one of the best ways to start a morning. Because of that, we jumped at the chance to create our own mugs, using our monogram, as the favors for our special day! We had them at each place setting and had hot chocolate for those guests who wanted to use them immediately. The mugs now travel with us on all of our adventures together as a married couple!
The Groom’s Favorite Part of the Day
There was a moment at our reception where the dancing had just kicked off and I recall looking around the venue to see all of our favorite people under one roof celebrating our big day. You definitely could feel all the love!
The Bride’s Favorite Part of the Day
I will never forget when we turned around at the end of the ceremony to be introduced as husband and wife. As I held my new husband’s arm tight, the whole sanctuary was emitting with love. Cheers, clapping, and smiles were coming from everyone in attendance. That meant more to us than they will ever know.
