page 110 X metropolitan weddings X WINTER / SPRING 2021
written by | Meg Daniel photographed by | Shelby ChantÉ Photography
�the all-american dream�
What do you get when you mix together a boy , a girl , baseball , apple pie , Independence day and fireworks ? The perfect American love story . During the summer of 2017 , Taylor was working as a “ Louie Girl ” for the Springfield Cardinals . Dallas , in town from Texas to play baseball for the summer in the Show-Me league , was at a Springfield Cardinals game with friends and participated in a fan challenge during innings . Taylor and Dallas hit it off , hanging out after the game . Dallas knew . After that night , he told his friends and called his brother , he had met “ the one .”
From Missouri to Texas , they kept up a long distance relationship for two and one-half years . Taylor was teaching in Missouri and Dallas came to visit in October , 2019 . They went on a hike to Busiek State Park and Taylor noticed a beautiful , sparkly rock in the creek bed . Excited to show the rock to her class , she kneeled down to pick it up , but as she turned around , Dallas was on one knee with a different kind of sparkly rock , proposing !
First step , the venue . The Atrium was a new wedding venue that Taylor had been following on Instagram while it was under construction . Dallas and Taylor immediately fell in love with the space . “ It was the perfect mix of outdoor and glamorous , indoor space . Plus it sits up high near the lake and has a gorgeous , panoramic view . Since we were getting married on the Fourth of July , we knew we would be able to see fireworks the evening of our wedding . Our guests loved watching this free , spectacular fireworks show for about 20-30 minutes that night !”
Taylor had always wanted to feel like a princess on her wedding day since she was a little girl . She had dreamed of a glamorous wedding , but not over the top . Yet when they put the spotlight on her and Dallas in the Atrium ’ s ballroom and she was in her perfect dress , she said , “ I felt just like Belle in Beauty and the Beast !”
On the other hand , while at a Metropolitan Weddings Expo , Dallas visited the Paul Phillips Formal Wear booth and admired a navy suit . Since Taylor would not let him see her wedding dress , Dallas made her walk away to go look at cakes , while he put down a deposit on the suit without even trying it on .
The pandemic did not slow down this All-American couple . While they were disappointed some family and friends could not travel to the wedding , no other detail could have ruined their special day . However , what they did not plan on was rain . Just 30 minutes before the wedding was supposed to start , their officiant came to Taylor explaining it was about to rain on their outdoor ceremony . “ He said , ‘ We can push it back 30 minutes or go right now .’ I said , ‘ Let ’ s go now !’ And it could not have gone any better .” She loved walking down the aisle with her Dad and seeing Dallas tear up . “ The moment went really slow , in a good way ,” she reminisced .
The couple chose to use a dusty blue , cream and silver palette to decorate . Taylor ’ s something old was her Aunt ’ s pearl ring . Her something blue was a beautiful blessing . She had planned to carry her great-grandmother ’ s handkerchief , but her mother insisted on keeping it for her . Taylor did not know until the day of the wedding that it was dusty blue and matched their decor perfectly .
Guests enjoyed brisket , chicken cordon bleu and mac & cheese for dinner , while the cake was embellished with red and blue berries . Individual sized pies were the perfect wedding favor for this July 4th wedding . Taylor ’ s grandfather handcrafted small , stained glass boxes for her bridesmaid ’ s gifts while Dallas gave the groomsmen cigar boxes with American flag socks that they all wore to the wedding .
Jason Whorlow , of Whorlow Entertainment , kept the party going , but when Taylor noticed him whispering to Dallas just before the garter toss , she became nervous about what they were plotting . Then music from Dallas ’ favorite movie , Top Gun , started to play and the bridal party formed two lines . Dallas sashayed down the middle to Taylor to retrieve the garter , donning aviator glasses and a leather jacket . Little did he know , she had her own surprise planned for him . Taylor had hidden one of Dallas ’ greatest fears in her garter , a rubber snake . When he slid off her garter and found the snake , he was completely shocked , quickly hurling it across the room to the laughter and cheers of friends and family .
This All-American couple ' s advice to future brides and grooms is to “ have fun , slow down and remember why you are here .” After all , this is the American dream . XmW