Katelyn and Michael @Nassau Vineyard ~ mkPhotography, Delaware Beaches Wedding Photographer
It was all very simple, actually. Katelyn and Michael met at a happy hour function at work. The two hit it off, became fast friends, and started dating a few months later.
They were enamored with each other and soon started talking about a future together. Once Mike made up his mind that he would propose he also decided to make it a surprise. He went to great lengths to make Katelyn think that a proposal was very far off in their future. Mike did this to such an extent that Katelyn thought he was implying that he may never want to get married!
She was on vacation with her family in London and he flew out to surprise her! Her parents knew he was coming and they all kept it a surprise. They were walking through a park and they turned a corner onto a beautiful flower garden where Mike stood, waiting – imagine Katelyn’s shock and excitement!
“My jaw was on the ground when he walked up and dropped to his knee, ” recalls Katelyn.
The Wedding
Says the Bride: “I am from the East Coast and Mike is from Kentucky so we wanted to infuse a sort of coastal/southern theme into our wedding reception via our food and drink options. Our hit hors devours were mini crab cakes, and our two entrees were short ribs with cheese grits a shrimp puttanesca. Hours were spent making our homemade favors – bourbon balls (a KY classic) and crab-shaped chocolates. Our cake was even of the chocolate-bourbon variety! Our favorite feature was that we had our two specialty cocktail drinks- 1 from each of our local areas – Bourbon Slush from KY and Orange Crushes from DE!
As far as a ‘perfect wedding vision’, I’m not sure we had one specifically. We just wanted good weather, a beautiful reception, and most importantly: we wanted to have a big wedding so we could invite all of our family and friends! We loved having our reception at the vineyard and it worked out well because our crowd might not have fit at many other venues.”
Some unique details about Katelyn and Michael’s wedding:
1. Their cocktail hour was outside in the grove, and their reception was inside, so gave them an opportunities to have two “themes”. They had a more rustic/vineyard themed cocktail hour and then a more traditional/clean look for their indoor reception. “I loved doing it that way because it gave us opportunities to play around with two different styles, ” says Katelyn.
2. Katelyn and Michael had a table set up as people walked in with pictures of their parents, grandparents, and other family members on their respective wedding days. The couple looks up to them so they chose this special way to acknowledge their respect and love for them.
3. They had their meal served family-style to get everyone at the tables interacting and talking. Katelyn says, “It wasn’t necessarily a decor choice but I think it gave the reception more of a warm feel.”
In the DIY category:
From the Bride: “We made all of the welcome bags. My uncle handmade and painted a huge frame to look like a polaroid picture which said “Katelyn and Michael” and our wedding date on it – people had a blast taking pictures with it! Also my mom spent hours making homemade bourbon balls as our favor – she’s officially become a chocolatier!”
special Bridal attire choices:
Shoes – Pink Badgley Mischkas. “My wedding band was handed down to us from Mike’s great-grandmother, a woman who wore so much pink, everyone called her the ‘pink lady’! Although she has passed and could not be with us on our day, I wanted to wear pink to honor her, ” explains Katelyn.
Dress – Romona Keveza. “I wanted something that looked classic but was still unique. The dress was a new design and I actually was the first person to buy it at Kleinfeld’s in New York! I loved spinning around in that dress on the dance floor.”
Jewelry – “I wore the same pearl earrings and bracelet that my mom wore on her wedding day – that was really special to me!”
Garter – “I wore the same garter that my grandma and her six daughters (my mom and 5 aunts) all wore! It has become both a silly and sweet family tradition.”
Advice for future brides:
“For as much time as you spend planning the material details of your wedding, once the day comes, its the people who are around you that make it what it is. Don’t get me wrong – it was a blast to plan everything! But the love of our family and friends around us is what I remember most.”
Some details:
Venue: Nassau Winery and Vineyard
Coordinator: Elevee Events
Caterer: Blue Moon
Cake: Carolina Sugar Fairy
Flowers: Theresa Floral
Hair and Makeup: Bad Hair Day
First Dance: Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra
Bridesmaid dresses: Bill Levkoff
Invitations: Crane & Co
See the Photographer’s Picks slideshow HERE
Don’t miss this Central Park engagement session! See HERE
