Wedding Belles Magazine Volume I Issue 1 | Page 19

Dakota and I met our first week of nursing school and there
was an instant connection. We quickly began dating in
February of 2015 and took on nursing school together. We
spent the first two years of our relationship traveling and
spending as much time together as possible.
DaKota proposed on September 10, 2017 while on a
spontaneous cruise that we had taken. I was completely
caught off guard and equally impressed that he was able
to pull of the surprise with me having zero idea. We enjoyed
the remainder of our cruise as a newly engaged couple,
disconnected from the rest of the world. When we got home,
I immediately began planning. We decided that we wanted
a fall wedding and we checked out several venues before
deciding that Bell House Bed & Breakfast was the perfect
choice for us. We chose our best friends and siblings to be
in our wedding party, Dakota’s father was our officiant, and
we were wed surrounded by our friends and family.
Our wedding day was a magical day. I worried that I would
be stressed and have to handle bumps in the road but to my
surprise it was one of the calmest days of my life. Everything
was perfect. I spent the morning with my girls drinking
mimosas and getting pampered, while the guys were able
to sleep in and eat breakfast before arriving at the venue.
DaKota and I chose to not have a first look and that the first
time we would see each other would be when I was walking
down the aisle. Getting to see DaKota’s face as I walked
down the aisle was one of the most special moments of
the day. Another moment I won’t forget is holding hands
through a divider as his father prayed over us prior to the
wedding. It was the perfect way to begin our marriage.
For our ceremony, we chose to write our own vows and
we also did a tree planting ceremony where we planted
a magnolia tree and added a pitcher of dirt from our
childhood homes to it. This was important to us because
it symbolized the two of us becoming one family. After the
ceremony we moved into cocktail hour where homemade
hors d'oeuvres were served and our guests were able to
help themselves to a S’mores bar. Dinner consisted of a
country style meal from Top O' The River with all the fixings.
Our DJ, Amado, made sure to keep the party going for the
reception and there was never a dull moment. We danced
until we couldn't dance anymore.
We ended our perfect day with a sparkler exit and by signing
our marriage license. We left the venue and went to Taco
Bell, which didn't surprise anyone that knows us. The day
after our wedding we flew to Aruba for our honeymoon. ❤
VOLUME I • ISSUE 1
Wedding belles | 17