Stories of Love

Kali & Colin’s Story

 

Photography by Kaitlynn Cassidy

Engaged three months before the Corona Virus came into America, Kayli and Colin had no idea what an adventure it was going to be to look at each other across the aisle of if there would be an aisle at all! We had the opportunity to hear their encouraging experience and advice with us and how their big day went!

 

Real Life Accounts

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Colin and I met in high school. I was a senior and he was a junior. I was a teacher’s assistant for my drill team director during the boys’ dance class that Colin “just happened” to be in. We got to know each other better in that class and officially became a couple in October of my senior year and have dated ever since!

We got engaged in October of 2019. I had been dying to go to the Dallas Arboretum to see all of the pumpkins and so one day after work (I work nights and went on ZERO sleep) we went on a day date. I had to go to Dallas that day anyway, so it worked out well!

I had a feeling it was coming soon, but I had a false alarm the previous weekend, so I wasn’t trying to get my hopes up too much. We get to the arboretum and I was trying to discreetly look at his pockets to see if I noticed a ring box sticking out, but no luck! We walked around for a few hours looking at all the pumpkins and flowers, talking, and enjoying the day. He eventually says he is ready to go home and I agree because I had been awake for a long time at this point. Colin causally mentions that there’s one more place we have to go see that someone from his work mentioned to him, so we go search for it. We finally see it and I say, “Alright let’s go.” That’s when he suggests we look around a little more. As he says that, I notice a couple following us closer than a normal couple would. We start taking all these turns and they don’t leave. At all! We get back to the spot his “friend” wanted us to see, which was the reflection pod overlook and part of it was roped off. That’s when the girl from the couple following us says very loudly “Don’t worry I can crop that rope out of the picture” to her spouse.

Colin then started to getting antsy and nervous and led me back to that pond while the other couple started going the other way. That’s when he turned and popped the question! Turns out the other couple following us was the secret photographer and her husband that he had hired! He got the engagement all on film as well as a small photoshoot afterward!!

Wedding planning was stressful! Everything was going as expected until COVID hit. Once that happened, I had to postpone a lot of planning because no vendors were able to meet in person. We had to delay the main meeting with my day of coordinator until a month before the wedding, so if felt like all the little important details got done at the very last minute. 

 It was especially difficult not knowing if our wedding  was even going to happen or if we were going to have to postpone it completely. Everything was up in the air until the week of!

Our wedding ended up being absolutely perfect. All of our vendors came out and did the most wonderful job. My day-of coordinator, Carrie Ebbesen, was amazing. She made sure all of my vendors had a mask and gloves and the correct additional paperwork that was needed proving they hadn’t been around anyone with COVID. She made sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. I could not have done it without her! We didn’t have one issue come up. If we did, I didn’t even know about it because she had it taken care of! 

We got married at Dove Ridge Vineyard in Weatherford, Tx. Almost everyone we originally invited came, with the only a few unable to attend because of fears of getting sick. We had masks and hand sanitizer set up multiple places. For the ceremony, we had the rows spread out more form front to back to give people more room. For the reception, there were fewer people at each table and the tables were more spread out than they normally would have been. We did a buffet type service with servers, so no one had to touch anything but their plates and glasses. Other than those small adjustments, it felt like a normal wedding!

The best part of the planning was finding my dress! It was such a magical moment when you put on “the dress”! You know instantly that it is your dress! The most challenging part of wedding planner would be knowing what vendors to choose. There are so many options and so many great people to go with that I was nervous about picking the right ones. In the end, they all ended up being amazing and I wouldn’t have picked anyone different!

Reflecting on my own experience planning my wedding, I would encourage other brides to pick a sold budget and stick to it. There are a ton of great vendors within smaller budgets, so you don’t have to break the bank to have a fabulous wedding!

Another tip is, it is YOUR day. Not your mom’s, not your mother-in-law’s, but your day. If it’s what you and your fiancé want, then go with it. Don’t worry about what anyone else has to say! You only get to do this day once, so make sure it’s how you envision it! The day of don’t stress, just take it all in because you’re not going to miss anything!!

Just have fun!!!

 

 

Stories of love

Kali & Colin

“Don’t worry about what anyone else has to say! You only get to do this day once, so make sure it’s how you envision it!”