For the most part, Aubrey and Jasmine’s wedding was DIY. They created styling items, baked their cake and even had their guests bring their favorite drink for their DIY ‘pot luck’ open bar.
Tell us about finding your perfect, nearly matching, wedding dresses.
Aubrey’s mother helped us both pick out our dresses secretly. We wanted the reveal to be a surprise, so Aubrey’s mom went dress shopping with both of us separately. Jasmine and Aubrey had no idea their dresses were so similar until the grand reveal when they realized they basically had bought the same dress.
What led you to the venue?
We spent months looking up the perfect venue. We were even willing to drive to Iowa or Nebraska to get the right venue. Luckily, we found this ideal location just twenty-five minutes from our home, and we even got to spend three nights with our friends and family. We found it just by looking online and on Airbnb for retreats.
Did you undertake any DIY projects for the big day?
It was primarily DIY.
-Built our own arch.
-Built two charcuterie boards as serving trays.
-Designed and printed our own invitations.
-Baked our own cake.
-DJ from a Spotify playlist and did karaoke later with our karaoke machine.
-Catered our wedding by shopping at Wal-Mart and asking our family to help us arrange it on our wedding day into a charcuterie style layout.
-Choreographed and practiced our dance in our own time.
-The “open bar” was somewhat DIY because we had our guests bring their favorite drink as a sort of potluck, and guests mix and match drinks.
-Our officiant was Aubrey’s sister, who actually works for the church and walked Aubrey down the aisle.
Talk to us about the big day!
Aubrey’s sister, Rachael, got everyone their coffee and breakfast orders early in the morning. We then got ready in different rooms and didn’t look at each other until the “first look” photos.
A lot of the day leading up to the ceremony was tying up loose ends, taking pictures, greeting people as they came, and trying to keep cool in the AC. Once the ceremony started, the day flew by.
Aubrey cried about five different times once the ceremony started. But, unfortunately, there are no photos of her when she looks at Jasmine walking down the aisle!!
Aubrey’s dad, who is incarcerated, wrote us a loving speech. He also had one of his friends attend the wedding in his place.
We went to the outside hot tub during the thunderstorm and after karaoke and closed the night drinking beers in the rain.
Many of the small details we were worried about ended up not being a problem at all. Our family and friends came to the rescue seamlessly and without being asked to multiple times. Three of our friends (who were either anti-marriage or indifferent on marriage) ended up telling Rachael that our wedding made them want to get married/believe in love.
What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage means promising to be there for each other through unforeseen thick and thin and always having your partner’s back whether they’re around or not. It’s loving them for who they are as a person and as a partner and wanting to be the best partner you can be to them.
Marriage is putting their feelings before your ego. At the end of the day, if she’s sad because of something you did, marriage is about apologizing first and then talking through your issues.
It’s definitely give and take. There are days when she isn’t 100%, so you have to compensate for her, and there will be days when it’s the other way around.
No two people are the same, so it’s about accepting your differences and making compromises, and balancing each other out where you’re different.
Marriage is also celebrating each other’s body functions and always making them feel beautiful and wanted. It’s also about truly *believing* that your partner deserves to feel treasured because she does. “Happy wife, happy life” is really a true saying.
Advice for other couples planning a wedding?
We didn’t have a rehearsal dinner. I wish we would have because then I would have realized that the speakers weren’t adequate, and I could have prepared. So if you’re planning to skip this, make sure every last detail is accounted for.
Unless you’re an expert gardener, trying to grow your flowers is time-consuming and unrealistic.
Keep a folder or binder of all the vendors and how much they cost. We even took ours on our Honeymoon and kept everything we needed in there, from rental information to vaccine cards.
Photography by Connor Barber Photographer
Accessories BellaViaDesigns
Decorative Elements ACA Event Rental
Dress Boutiques Celebrations of the Heart, Pronovias
Engagement Rings Benati
Florist HBotanicsWedding
H&MU Jennifer Nicole Hair
Officiant Rachael Essing
Robes LillyAndLeo, Rorien
Signage WeddingByEli
Venue Prairiewood
Wedding Rings AuroraDesigner
