Shop the Post

Love Story

How did the two of you meet? We met on match.com Describe your engagement: I love animals! After dating 5 ½ years Kris proposed to me at the Buffalo Zoo. On a swinging bridge in front of a waterfall, in the Rain Forrest exhibit he kneeled down and asked me to marry him. I was completely surprised! The Rain Forrest exhibit has always been one of my favorite places at the zoo and now I have this special memory in my magical place. Personal or handmade details: On of my favorite personal details was in honor of my mother who had passed. I had a piece of her wedding dress sewn into a heart and embroidered with, " I carry your heart in my heart." My seamstress sewed the heart into the bodice of my dress over my heart. It was a special way for me to carry a piece of my mother with me on my wedding day. We also displayed wedding pictures of our parents and grand-parents at our reception. My husband and I are very creative. Almost every aspect of our rustic, vintage wedding had handmade details. We collected and strung all the greenery we used at the reception (yes we hiked out into the woods behind his parents house, in 2 feet of snow and collected greenery). I collected all the vintage mason jars and crates at local antique shops and flee markets. We transformed old frames into chalkboards and my husband did all the chalkboard art for our wedding. Our favors were snowflake ornaments that we made out of clothespins and ribbons. At the tables we had small box of snowflake chocolates at each place setting (we even made the snowflake chocolates). We wanted our wedding décor to fit our theme but also to be functional. We wanted décor we would be able to use again. The mason jars I have used in my home for flowers and plan on making a lighting fixture out of in our first home. Our guest book was a vintage globe we had people sign their name and well wishes on that we now display in our home. Our card holder was a vintage mailbox my husband painted our name on that we plan to use at our first house and the chalkboards we have used for various parties and functions. Describe your Flowers: In the ceremony and reception spaces we did not use flowers. Instead we used natural greenery and pinecones with vintage mason jars and lots of candles to keep with the rustic, vintage, winter theme. For my flowers I wanted to have the same rustic, vintage feel while incorporating some blue tones. For the bridesmaids, my florist used greenery, ivory roses, pinecones, blue hydrangeas, blue thistles and grey billy buttons . My bouquet was made similar flowers, but we omitted the hydrangeas and added more ivory and antique colored roses to make my bouquet more bridal. I had a single white daisy in the back of my bouquet in memory of my mother who had passed ( they were her favorite flowers). The boutonnieres were made of greenery, small pinecones and blue thistles. Memories and Stories about the Day: Our wedding day was really the best day of our lives. We vowed our love, played in the snow, enjoyed great food and danced the night away. The time we spent with friends and family we will cherish forever. Your first dance song: Lives Entwined- Matthew Mayfield. The thing that we would have done differently is? If you plan on incorporating DIY details, pick and chose what is important to you and make sure you have a schedule to get everything done. Many times projects take more time then you may think so make sure your are organized. If we could have spend our wedding dollars differently, we would have: Nothing. My husband and I paid for our own wedding. We kept our wedding small so we could splurge on the things that were important to us. Your advice for other plus size brides: Make the day about the two of you and celebrating your love. Take time to step back from the chaos of the day and just enjoy each other. In this day of pinterest and a million wedding blogs it is easy to get caught up in all the details and expectations of a wedding. Relax, and focus on the love that brought you both to this amazing day. Every detail may not be perfect, but your wedding day will be. What has surprised you most during the first few months of marriage? My husband and I had been together for 6 yrs prior to getting married so I didn’t’ expect a whole lot to change after getting married. Our transition to married life has been easy, but I can say that taking his last name has given me a greater appreciation for our love, where we have been and the plans we have together. It makes investing into our love and our life easier. I feel like I appreciate him so much more now that he is my husband.

Vendor Love: Photographer: 13 One Photography | Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas, Wedding Programs: Ever Afte Papery on Etsy | Jewelry: Littman Jewelers | Bride’s Attire: Allure Bridal from Heart to Heart Bridal, Webster, NY | Bridesmaids Attire: My bridesmaids were all different shapes and sizes so I allowed them to chose their own dresses. They were all long, navy, dresses with a lace element. None of the dresses were purchased at the same time or from the same vender, but they ended up looking great together! | Groom’s Attire: Men's Warehouse | Ceremony Location: Westminster Chapel, Mendon, NY | Reception Location: Rabbit Room, Honeoye Falls NY | Transportation: Diamond Limousine | Officiate/ Minister: Pastor Phil Huber