Real Bride Friday | Delaney and Brandon

Wedding Date: June 17th, 2023

Gown Designer: Martina Liana

Veil Designer: Bel Aire Bridal

Bridesmaids Gowns: Sorella Vita from Bateau Bridal

Venue: AK Diamond J Ranch

Photographer: Joshua Veldstra

Videographer: Haley Jay Media

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Dacia Cunningham

DJ: Fractal Theory Productions

Menswear: Men’s Warehouse, Generation Tux, and Bateau Bridal Boutique for the ties

Florist: Tundra Rose Designs

Hair: Sage Hair Co (Cara Gibbons)

Makeup: Jenna Bakk

Catering: Promethean Cuisine

Cake: Sugar Mountain Cupcakes

Tailor: Bella and Beyond

Favorite part of your gown: “The train!”

Why did you pick your dress: “I put it on and instantly felt like it was the one. I felt beautiful wearing it.”

The best part of the venue: “The beautiful scenery.”

Why did you pick your venue: “I loved how magical it felt.”

Three words to describe your day: “Romantic. Whimsical. Elegant”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “I loved muted pink and cream tones and went from there. I wanted a romantic feeling about everything.”

How you met: “We met in 8th grade!”

How they proposed: “He proposed with a golden Easter egg that my daughter found, but the surprise was for me.”

Any other fun memories/moments from the day: “Spending the night dancing with our closest friends from near and far.”

Real Bride Friday | Carolina and Jason

Vow Renewal Date: August 8th, 2023

Gown Designer: Stella York Bridal

Venue: Hawaiian Beach

Photographer: Tetiana Me Photography

Favorite part of your gown: “The complete surprise in my Husband’s eyes.”

Why did you pick your dress: “Long story long… our ceremony was a renewal of vows; 25 years of marriage. At first I purchased a casual champagne dress, something casual and simple. In my mind we had already had our wedding day years ago… however my husband had more special plans. The day before traveling to Hawaii for our family vacation and vow renewal my husband asked about my wedding dress. And to my surprise he was very disappointed that I hadn’t purchase a full wedding gown. In a scramble to surprise my husband to show him how special our vow renewal truly was to me I called Tara in a panic. What a beautiful experience it turned out to be because with in a few hours she had me at her shop trying on dresses. It was surreal to find a dress in such a rush. It fit me perfectly… it was stunning. But the truly heart stopping moment was when I walked down the beach and my husband did a double take. He was shocked to see at after all I did have a truly stunning wedding gown that match the sentiment of our special vow renewal day.”

The best part of the venue: “Open beautiful skies; with a gentle breeze. Best sunset in the big island.”

Three words to describe your day: “25 years of Love.”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “Hawaii is our home away from home. It’s where we hope to some day retire. The beach, the sunsets and the breeze… we wanted a Hawaiian ceremony that would encompass all those things.”

How you met: “We met in September of 1997 at the Lucky Wishbone. We soon started dating and before the year was over we were married with a very intimate small wedding with family and friends. This year we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and to mark the occasion we renewed our vows by the sea as a family. Hawaii holds a special place in our hearts and we wanted to have our children be part of our commitment of love; not just to one another but to our family.”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “My most heart felt memory is how our children reacted. Emma is 10 years old and in mid ceremony she was sobbing. Really big tears. I reached for her and she tells me: mom don’t worry these are happy tears. Really happy tears. Then I look at our son Nicholas who is 13 years old and he too had tears down his face. In a much more serious way he wiped his face and says: I may or may not be crying. In that moment I knew that both our kids were true witnesses to our love and our life together. And they understood what our vow renewal truly meant.”

Real Bride Friday | Raegan and John

Wedding Date: June 2nd, 2023

Gown Designer: Private Label from Bateau Bridal Boutique

Veil Designer: Jaclyn Jordan

Venue: Veil and Vine

Photographer: Thistle Creek Photography

Videographer: Jaron Mobley

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Forest and Fern

DJ: APE Entertainment

Hair and Makeup: Kate Yagle

Catering/Cake: Veil and Vine

Tailor: Aggie’s Sewing Shop

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved the pockets, floral detail, and the champagne undertone that it had.”

Why did you pick your dress: “When I put it on, I felt like a princess.”

The best part of the venue: “The view!!”

Why did you pick your venue: “The view and the pavilion made this the perfect wedding venue for us!”

Three words to describe your day: “Lovely, Beautiful, Perfect.”

How you met: “John and I met at our church youth group.”

How they proposed: “John proposed at Flat Top Mountain, which is where is parents were married.”

Real Bride Friday | Rachel and Josiah

Wedding Date: August 14th, 2023

Gown Designer: Stella York Bridal

Veil and Hairpiece Designer: Bel Aire Bridal

Venue: A Local Church

Photographer: Lloyd Pikok Jr

Florist: Rachel did her own flowers

Makeup: Rachel’s Sister did her makeup

Cake: Laurie Serino

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved that the gown was simple.”

Why did you pick your dress: “This gown was everything that I had imagined for my wedding day.”

The best part of the venue: “We were married in the church that I grew up in.”

Three words to describe your day: “Loving, Memorable, Outstanding”

How you met: “Josiah and I met in school.”

Real Bride Friday | Linda and Matthew

Wedding Date: July 3rd, 2023

Gown Designer: Evie Young Bridal

Venue: Arctic Valley Alpenglow Lodge

Photographer: Joe with Chugach Peaks Photograph

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Katie Hoover

DJ: Steve “DJ Lefty” Franklin

Menswear: Custom Suit

Florist: The Teal Door

Hair: @hairbyaleciafoshaug

Makeup: My friend Brenner

Catering: Qdoba

Macarons: Mt. Magnificent Macarons

Cake: Melanie Keddington

Charcuterie Table: Fields of Grace Charcuterie

Tailor: Mother of the Bride

Favorite part of your gown: “My dress had detachable sleeves that took the dress easily from elegant/classic for the ceremony to boho-fun for the reception.”

The best part of the venue: “The beautiful views!”

Why did you pick your venue: “Many of Matt’s friends & family had not been to Alaska so we felt this was the perfect place for them to experience views of the Chugach mountains. We ran the chairlift to allow access to the top, and we also took our photos up there! We also loved that you could see our town of Anchorage & from the top of the chairlift, my hometown of Eagle River.”

Three words to describe your day: “Fun. Perfect. Happy.”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “We agreed that the ceremony/outside portion would represent Linda’s Alaskan side while the reception would be a reflection of Matt’s Michigan side. As I like to tell people, a soft & pretty version of Michigan sports colors (blue & maize) but soft and a smidge of pink thrown in. We also threw in some fun features of our dogs since they did not attend; faces on the bar napkins, cocktails named after them & our bag boards painted with their faces.”

How they proposed: “Matt proposed on a hike on Little O’Malley, where we had our first date.”

Any other fun memories/moments from the day: “Having so many friends and family attend, drink up & let loose on the dance floor!”

Real Bride Friday | Niki and Kenii

Wedding Date: August 1st, 2023

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Venue: Outside in Alaska

Photographer: Narrow Road Productions

Florist: Tundra Rose Designs

Hair: Kelsey at Maxim Hair Design

Makeup: Jenna Bakk

Catering/Cake: Addie Camp

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved the details.”

Why did you pick your dress: I chose my gown because it made me feel so beautiful.”

The best part of the venue: “We loved the natural beauty that Alaska has to offer.”

Why did you pick your venue: “It just doesn’t get much better than Alaska.”

Three words to describe your day: “Blessed beyond belief.”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “Teamwork! Kenii was 100% involved in all of the planning.”

How you met: “I was 18 and walked into a new gym, he was the trainer and terrified me! After some hand-to-hand combat, I left there forever impressed. It didn’t take long to connect through social media! We spent nearly 5 years disconnected and in different states before reconnecting and eloping in the same year! We just celebrated an amazing 10 years while renewing our vows in the beautiful state of Alaska. Alaska is where we started our family and shared our fondest memories together. It was the perfect day and were happy to share it with our family and closest friends.”

How they proposed: “I proposed to him after anticipating his proposal!”

Any other fun memories/moments from the day: “We have the coolest crew!!”

Real Bride Friday | Kelsey and Kevin

Wedding Date: August 12, 2023

Gown Designer: Willowby

Venue: The Inn at Turn Lake

Photographer: Donna Marie Photography

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: A Touch of Saige Events

DJ: DJ KDean

Menswear: Beckett & Robb, Seattle

Florist: Two of Kelsey’s Dear Friends

Makeup: Analisa Paige Ramos

Catering: Inn at Tern Lake

Cake: Made by Kelsey!

Tailor: Aggies Sewing Shop

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved the unique yet subtle accent color and the large-scale lace patterns.”

Why did you pick your dress: “I wanted something that would be fun to dance in and it was! This dress also gave me that magic, confident feeling once I tried it on.”

The best part of the venue: “We loved that it was scenic and private. The staff was also exceptional.”

Why did you pick your venue: “The venue is in a remote location, there were rooms available to stay on-site, and so many other fun on-site amenities that made the space feel really special to bring guests there. We loved being able to host multiple events throughout the weekend of festivities.”

Three words to describe your day: “Joyful, Intimate, Memorable”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “Simple, natural, private, and intentional”

How you met: “Kevin and I met during high school cross-country running practice.”

How they proposed: “Kevin proposed while we were camping outside of Whittier.”

Any other fun memories/moments from the day: “The rain was truly a main character during our ceremony, which was a comical, torrential downpour but everyone stuck it out, and there was lots of laughter which made the ceremony feel really special, and helped me stay very present in the moment. Also, we had the best dance party, and the DJ created an epic emo/punk mashup which was unbelievably fun to dance to with our friends!”

Real Bride Friday | Leonella and Jacob

Wedding Date: August 3rd, 2023

Gown Designer: Stella York Bridal

Venue: Lazy Mountain Acres

Photographer: Sam Photography

Videographer: Eric Must Film

Menswear: Mens Warehouse

Hair: Christina and Co. Hair Design

Makeup: Chance Droege

Tailor: Aggie’s Sewing Shop

Favorite part of your gown: “I cannot pick one, I loved the whole entire thing.”

Why did you pick your dress: “I picked my gown because it made me feel beautiful.”

The best part of the venue: “We had our ceremony overlooking the peony field.”

Why did you pick your venue: “We loved all of the beautiful peonies.”

Three words to describe your day: “Best day ever!”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “Italy Gardens”

How you met: “We met in 8th grade and then rekindled at the gym.”

How they proposed: “Jacob proposed while we were hiking the Butte.”

Any other fun memories / moments from the day: “We loved hanging out with family and friends and enjoying time spent with everyone.”

Real Bride Friday | Kiley and Gehrig

Wedding Date: July 22nd, 2023

Gown Designer: Essense of Australia

Veil Designer: Bateau Bridal Boutique

Venue: Forget Me Not Nursery

Photographer: Ashlee Mcswain

Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Melissa Lawrence & Stacey Casey

DJ: DJ Lefty

Menswear: Suit Shop

Florist: Sireli Floral

Hair: Sharai Shepherd

Makeup: Danielle Blessie

Catering/Cake: Allisaw Cakes

Tailor: Aggie’s Sewing Shop

Favorite part of your gown: “I loved the bodice of the gown.”

Why did you pick your dress: “I felt like this gown had the perfect amount of elegance for our wedding day.”

The best part of the venue: “The Simplicity and Natural Atmosphere”

Why did you pick your venue: “We loved the beautiful Alaskan scenery that it had.”

Three words to describe your day: “Best day ever!”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “We wanted the day to have a natural feel with hints of terracotta and greenery.”

How you met: “Gehrig and I met in the emergency room while we were working.”

How they proposed: “Gehrig proposed during a Christmas party with all of our friends and family present.”

Real Bride Friday | Reve and Hunter

Wedding Date: May 20th, 2023

Gown Designer: Evie Young Bridal

Venue: Cusack’s on the Kenai

Photographer: Bianca Wardwell Photography

Menswear: Generation Tux

Florist: Sola Wood Flowers

Hair and Makeup: Trim Salon

Catering/Cake: Pizza Boys and Friend

Favorite part of your gown: “The off-the-shoulder detail!”

Why did you pick your dress: “It just felt like me. I put it on and it felt perfect. I loved the unique lace detail instead of traditional lace.”

The best part of the venue: “The gorgeous views! Almost every room had a view overlooking the river. The venue also was big enough for our whole wedding party to stay the weekend at the venue and enjoy it!”

Why did you pick your venue: “Jenny was amazing to work with and provided top-of-the-line accommodation! And again the view, I couldn’t think of a better backdrop for our ceremony!”

Three words to describe your day: “Perfect, fun, blissful!”

Your inspiration for the wedding: “We called this our boujee backyard wedding. We wanted it to be casual and really reflect us.”

How you met: “Hunter and I met through a mutual friend.”

How they proposed: “Hunter proposed while on a walk at Peters Creek in the middle of the creek.”