WeddingMagazine

Jilane and CJ

Cj proposed to me on a trail we often walked on behind my parent’s house. He gave me the ring that had been his mom’s before she passed away five years prior. In planning our wedding, what was most important was affordability, uniqueness, and getting married soon. After six years of dating, we were ready.

Family and friends helped us plan our vintage-style wedding in four months. A friend came early on the morning on our wedding day to do my hair. A family friend made pies that served as desserts and centerpieces that were perched on birch logs my dad cut for us. My mom made the programs with seating arrangements in the back. Guests found their table by the kind of pie they were assigned. Mom also tied ribbons around the logs and added details throughout the day, like a gumball machine and pitchers of lemonade. Rather than real flower bouquets, we carried flowers we created from feathers. To further our theme, and replace the traditional guestbook, we put old postcards on the table asking for wedding advice. We took other inspiration from the movie White Christmas, adding fedora hats to the guys’ attire (they wore black suits they already owned) and retro pins/brooches to the bridesmaids’ dresses that came from ModCloth.

We were married by the best man’s father at Heritage Hill. After the ceremony, we served a spaghetti lunch.That was Cj’s favorite part of the day—one of his favorite meals. My favorite part was the square dancing that followed. As a photographer, I wanted beautiful images of our wedding day. Our photographer gave us exactly what we wanted.

In the end, our wedding wasn’t about the dress or the food or the decorations, something we knew from the start. Instead, it was about celebrating our commitment to each other before God with people we love.

BUSINESSES: Konop Companies (Catering), Pies Plus in Coleman (Desserts), Heritage Hill (Reception), Adam LeSage Photography