Caitlyn and Jarrod’s Wedding day

This wedding took place at the Rustic Grace Estates in Van Alstyne, TX

Rustic Grace Estates

The Rustic Grace Estates in Van Alstyne, TX

featured vendors: photography: Emily Nicole Photo | venue: Rustic Grace Estates | makeup: Makeup by Krista Ann | hair: Jena Peterson | dress: Sunday’s bridals | cake: Cupcake Queen-Cheryl Macek| DJ: Chris Brown 

A little bit of backstory from the bride: Jarrod and I’s love story started in September of 2017. Jarrod and I met at Orangetheory fitness where Jarrod was my enthusiastic Thursday morning trainer. All of the older ladies in class wanted me to date him, but I had a rule against not dating the trainer. As my attendance in Jarrod’s classes became more regular, our friendship grew stronger. The first time we hung out was Gateway’s One Night young adult service. That night after service when he joined my friends for dinner he finally asked me out on our first official date that Friday! A year and one day later, Gateway church would be the last stop of a scavenger hunt where Jarrod would ask me to be his wife. A place we hold so dearly to our hearts as a couple.The truth is, Jarrod and I are two very imperfect people who live in a very fallen world, and to know us you have to know the story of our God. A story of grace, compassion, and love that surpass any love that Jarrod and I could ever give each other!  I truly use our love story to encourage other girls that a godly man is worth the wait, holding your standards is worth the wait and I would relive all my years of singleness and loneliness just to be with Jarrod again. Its undeniable how much Jarrod and I have in common, but the only way I knew Jarrod was my person was when we agreed on one goal for our relationship. That goal being that our relationship would be dedicated to process of sanctification and glorifying the relationship of Jesus and the church. You are probably thinking this post is more of a sermon than a picture of our love story. But to know the gospel is to know a love story much greater than ours, and in the end that is the only love story that matters!   – Caitlyn Q: What was your color palette and style vision?

A:My vision was to embody everything you would think a sweet Sunday afternoon, white chapel wedding would be like. I wanted everything to be centered around one word, lovely. And from there I established everything from our mauve and dusty rose color palette to the bright and simple greenery with white and gold decorations.

The wedding dress described by the bride: I still to this day want to put on my dress everyday! All I knew is that I wanted it to have sleeves, lace, and open back. Sundya’s Bridal was the 3rd bridal shop my mom and I went to and we had an AMAZING experience. The lady who tailored my dress was from my hometown church, so I know the alterations were done with such care and love. I love when brides wear veils, but I was too in love with the back of my dress and wearing my hair down, that I did’nt want one more thing convering my back.

Q: What was your favorite memory from your wedding day?

A:Wow everything about that day was a dream! Getting to stand before our friends and family as we recited our own vows and took communion was incredible. And nothing could have topped the day off better than our last dance alone in the silos.

Q: What were your flowers like?

A: All of our flowers were artificial except for the real ivy on the tables. I think flowers are absolutely gorgeous, but it wasn’t something that was at the top of my ‘Must Have List”. I actually hand made my bouquet and loved it!

Q: What were the bridesmaids dresses like?

A: All my bridesmaids dresses were from Azazie, which I loved because I was able to order swatches to make sure my colors matched. I did not want all my firls to match so I chose three colors (mauve, dusty, rose, and dusk) and two different dress styles.

Q:What is your advice for future brides?

A:There are two things that everyone who went to our wedding always comments on. First our handwritten vows and second our personal handwritten cards that we wrote each of our guests as their place cards. Flowers, food and decorations are all fleeting and to most people are very forgettable. But what people do remember are the personal touches of how your love for your spouse and others are displayed. If I had to tell a bride to splurge money on two things it would be your photographer and makeup! Your photographer is like an honorary bridesmaids, they spend your whole day with you and can have the biggest influence on the vibe of your day! (Hints why I chose Emily!) I have been in 11 weddings and have seen a lot of amazing things, so always keep in mind that comparing yourself to others in your wedding planning will completely steal your joy!