Get the Look
Photographer: Sharaya Mauck Photography Ceremony & Reception Venue: Mildale Farm Gown: Gown Gallery Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse Bridesmaid Dresses: LuLu’s Hair: Kara Evertt Makeup: S
arah Abby Catering: Silber Spoons Catering Band: Rural Grit DJ: All Ears DJ Cake: Dolce Bakery
Troy & Mariah’s Love Story
Our wedding story began with a gorgeous, sunset proposal while sailing in Florida. Troy did such an amazing job of making the day so special and unique. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect proposal.
As we started planning our wedding, Troy and I knew we wanted our wedding day to be a reflection of us: a fun day filled with personal details, love, family, and friends. We both grew up in small towns but now live in the city, so we knew immediately that we wanted a venue that our families would be comfortable attending but wasn’t considered “rustic”. This led us to the beautiful barn at Mildale Farms. It was the perfect blend of upscale meets Southern chic that we were going for.
The venue then set the tone for all of our other décor choices. I wanted our color palette to be soft and romantic in shades of blush, peach, accents of dusty blue, and neutrals. I had a clear vision of what I wanted to incorporate in our special day, and the items that I wasn’t able to find locally we ended up making. My dad is a carpenter by trade and owns a saw-mill so he was kind enough to make all the wooden boxes for the tables and the arbor, which Troy and I stained.
Our outdoor ceremony began at five o’clock where the bridal party walked to live music organized by Troy’s sister. When it was my turn, my two brothers kissed me good luck and opened the doors for my dad to walk me down the aisle to “A
Thousand Years” on the violin and cello. It was one of the most special moments of my life. The day was already super crazy, but in that moment everything went quiet. I thought I would be super nervous but I was so calm and could only focus on Troy! Troy’s Dad did a short reading and his childhood pastor drove from Iowa so that he could marry us. We kept the ceremony very simple and short.
After the ceremony, we had a happy hour for guests with live Bluegrass music by Rural Grit. After photos we rejoined our guests, we cut the cake. Instead of having one large cake we had several smaller cakes and pies set out on different cake stands to make a dessert buffet. Our guests loved trying all the different options. After dessert, we went straight to the first dances. For our first dance we danced to La Vie En Rose by Louis Armstrong.
The day of our wedding was amazing. I wish that I could go back and live it one more time just to soak all the things I missed since it seemed to go by so fast! I loved spending the morning getting ready with all my girlfriends and family. One of my favorite moments is my mom helping me into the dress of my dreams. The day was filled with so many special moments- my brothers opening the double doors as my dad walked me down the aisle, Troy’s sister, Heidi, playing the violin during the ceremony, saying our vows under the beautiful arbor we helped make, our first dance, sharing dances with our mom and dad, and dancing the night away with all our friends and family. Troy and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!
Special Touches
The charm on my bouquet is a picture is of my older sister, Riki, who died in a car crash when I was in college. I included a little studded “R” from a necklace she always wore and a charm with her picture inside. It still brings me to tears when I think about having her with me on my wedding day!
The Groom’s Favorite Part of the Day
There were a few moments throughout the wedding where the day slowed down and I felt like I was actually able to process what was happening. These favorite moments of mine include: standing waiting for Mariah at the arbor, sitting with Mariah while our band Rural Grit played a song just for us, and dancing our first dance together.
The Bride’s Favorite Part of the Day
My favorite part of our wedding day besides saying “I Do” was our first dance. It was so romantic and so nice to just be in the moment with each other. It’s also a tangible part of our wedding day that we can recreate by dancing to it year after year.
