PAGE 126 X METROPOLITAN WEDDINGS X SUMMER / FALL 2023
WRITTEN BY | MEG DANIEL PHOTOGRAPHED BY | CHRISTINA ZAPATA PHOTOGRAPHY
fairytale fantasies
Who would have thought that in the video game , World of Warcraft , Mikily would meet her Prince Charming ? Seven years ago , while playing in this online community , Brenden and Mikily starting chatting . She was living in Bentonville , Arkansas while he was living in Rockford , Illinois . After badgering her to meet in person , she finally said yes and immediately they felt a connection . Not wanting to have a long distance relationship , Brenden moved to Arkansas and the love story continued . The couple discussed getting married and Mikily had planned out the engagement proposal , but Brenden would often threaten to propose at crazy , unromantic places . Finally , he did propose one evening at Crystal Bridges Art Museum , below the twinkling lights and it was perfect .
Mikily and Brenden knew they wanted a December wedding and looked at many different options . From barns to industrial venues , nothing felt right until they came to Chateau Charmant . This castle was the perfect place for this magical couple to tie the knot . It was beautiful , soft and had plenty of rooms that would make fantastic backdrops for photos .
To help make the whole wedding planning process easier , Mikily had the assistance of a fairy godmother , also known as her Wedding Planner , Jenna from Cue the Confetti . She was so helpful and was able to recommend vendors , answer questions , squash any concerns , keep unruly guests in line and as Mikily says , “ just allowed me to spend the day in love with my groom , enjoying time with family and friends .”
Mikily and her bridal entourage went to a couple of local bridal boutiques to find her perfect dress . But this bride soon discovered it was hard to discern her own likes and dislikes while hearing everyone else ’ s opinions . She made an appointment at Norman ’ s Bridal and went there solo . She showed her consultant a photo of a dress she liked and they were able to find one very similar . Once Mikily put it on , she knew this dress was “ the one .” She scheduled another appointment to bring back the entourage and got approval tears from everyone . Mikily also knew since her wedding was in December , she did not want floral touches on her dress . Her alterations seamstress , Coco from Coco Couture , was able to add some snowflake lace and beading and as Mikily says , “ My dress was custom , crazy beautiful .”
Brenden did not have strong opinions about what he would wear and Mikily found a handsome deep purple suit at Paul Phillips Formalwear . She asked him , “ How mad would you be if I put you in purple ?” “ Not mad at all !” was his response . Brenden looked dashing and felt so confident in his custom suit .
Being a December wedding , initially they wanted to decorate with red , white and gold . But once they found the purple suit , the bridesmaids then wore plum velvet dresses . The couple still had crimson red touches throughout , from Mikily ’ s shoes to flower girl and ring bearer outfits and decorating with ornaments and gold , the Chateau Charmant looked like a fairytale dream castle .
Knowing this was such a picturesque venue , the couple wanted a photographer that would capture this feeling . Mikily had met Christina Zapata at a Metropolitan Wedding Expo and fell in love with her bright and effortless style . “ I am obsessed with Christina ’ s work ! I just love it so much , now that I am pregnant she is going to do my maternity shoot . I cannot wait to find more ways to get more Christina in my life !”
The couple also knew they did not want traditional wedding food , but loved the idea of a brunch . At the Metropolitan Wedding Expo , Mikily met Simply Delicious Catering . Mikily ’ s family has a tradition that on Christmas morning they always eat Orange French Toast . When she asked if they could recreate her family ’ s recipe , Simply Delicious ’ response was , “ no problem !” Elevating the menu to another level , they added a complete brunch menu , with the family recipe at the centerpiece .
Jenna , from Cue the Confetti , also recommended DJ Jason Whorlow . “ Jason was fantastic ,” raved Mikily , “ he did a great job of reading the room and encouraging folks to dance . We had a lot of little children as guests and we even did the Hokey Pokey .” But the couple ' s favorite moment was their last dance . Wedding Planner Jenna ushered the guests outside and began passing out confetti . In the meantime , while it was just Mikily and Brenden , they had a private last dance to a song that was so meaningful and special to them with no one else in the room . Mikily remembers , “ I did not even know Jason was there , and Christina was so sneaky , letting us soak up the moment , but she captured some of my favorite photos .” After the private dance , the couple exited through the confetti , waving goodbye to all their guests .
Mikily encourages engaged couples to “ not worry so much . Some plans just work out for the best .” Xxoxo