How did last weekend go by so quickly!? Katie and Clay’s big day was absolutely incredible! From the details, to the vendors, to the guests, to the weather, it went so perfectly and I was just in awe the entire time. These two high school sweethearts are clearly crazy about each other and we had the best time watching their love for each other, their friends, and their family all day long. Our top ten details and moments were hard to choose because of alllll of the options we had, but hopefully you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed working with the wonderful newlyweds!

ten. mother nature
Weather this year for weddings has been a challenge! We’ve had the wind, the rain, and the blistering heat, but Mother Nature gifted Clay and Katie with the absolute perfect August day. Sun shining with very few clouds, a light breeze here and there, and a perfect temperature in the high 60s. The sky was clear and showed off the property and views of The Roost wonderfully, especially during the gorgeous sunset that they got – it was honestly perfect!

nine. the mocktail bar
There are so many reasons that a couple might choose to have a dry wedding, but there are exactly zero excuses for not having fun with the offerings, alcohol or not. These two offered multiple options, including four signature drinks that I absolutely loved: apple-y ever after, sweetheart sangria, the perfect pair, and my personal favorite, first kiss fizz – it was basically cherry 7-up, A+. I loved that they had fun with the drink options (and their names!) and especially loved the super cute mocktail menu they made. 10/10!

eight. the rehearsal
The night before rarely makes it into the top ten, but this moment was too good to leave out. During the ceremony rehearsal, they were getting to their unity ceremony. They had chosen to do a Cord of Three Strands ceremony, where they braid each of their sides with the middle one, which symbolizes their union with God. Obviously, we did not bring this to the rehearsal, but that did not stop them from practicing. They each took their imaginary ropes and pretending to braid them as they would at their ceremony tomorrow. They were smiling, and giggling, and definitely over-exaggerating their moves to braid this invisible rope. They even did it long enough that I managed to get a video of it, which is almost as precious as the moment was in real life.

seven. the homemade decor
A DIY wedding project is always a commitment – they can be tedious, frustrating, and are truly a labor of love – theirs were no different! When talking in our meetings, they tried to explain it to me, but I’ll be honest, I couldn’t really picture what these would look like. When I opened the decor box on their wedding day, I was in AWE. 40+ tea-lights with petals hand-glued around them so they looked like roses – I’ve honestly never seen anything like them. They were super vibrant and in so many fun colors to match their color scheme, and were just the sweetest detail as it got darker in the room and the lights shined through. These were super cute and unique and really brought the colorful theme into the reception space without being too over the top. It’s only made better by knowing that these were a DIY project… of the groom! I’m told he got some help finishing them up from his groomsmen the night before the wedding though.. 🙂

six. their parents
From the second I met both sets of parents at the rehearsal, I knew we were going to get along great. Upon meeting them, before Clay & Katie even got there, their mom’s were telling me stories and we were joking around with their dads like we’d known them forever. There were multiple moments that showed me why Clay and Katie are so wonderful (the people who raised them are pretty awesome) but two of them stuck out. The first one was Katie having a mother/daughter dance. Mother of the brides don’t get a whole lot of recognition on wedding days, and this is such a beautiful way to honor them. I, too, had a mother/daughter dance at my wedding, and it was one of my favorite non-traditional pieces of my wedding, and I’m sure theirs will be no different. They were so sweet and even danced part of it forehead to forehead and whispering, which was absolutely adorable! The second piece was when Katie’s dad started his welcome speech by thanking his “bride” because if their wedding had not taken place, none of the guests would be at this one. He teared up while saying it, and I’m almost positive he wasn’t the only one.

five. bridal party
We were hardly 10 minutes into the rehearsal before we could tell that this bridal party was awesome. The bridesmaids crushed everything with hardly any instruction. The groomsmen needed a tad more instruction, but were an absolute hoot and we knew that they’d be perfect for an instagram reel we’d been wanting to make all year – we were absolutely right.. they crushed it! Throughout the wedding, the whole wedding party were always smiling and genuinely enjoying themselves. The maid of honor and best man crushed their speeches (a fun coincidence that both friendships started in student affairs related activities… Haley and I’s former careers.) The love that their friends had for both of them was so evident through both the ceremony and the reception. The groomsmen even brought Clay gifts and engaged other guests to help with getting them to him.. which made for a quite hilarious evening.

four. the cake
From the very beginning of the process with Clay and Katie, we were talking about cake. I was helping them find someone for them before everything was even filed, so it’s no surprise that they were giddy at our first meeting about the one that they ordered. A small and simple, heart shaped cake with “Just Married” written on the top and decorated with florals to match their color scheme. Their excitement was well-placed, because this vintage-esque detail ended up being perfect. Not only was it beautiful, but you would have thought that the colors were chosen directly from a color chart of their wedding – truly perfect. It also helps that as soon as they took their first bites, their eyes got big and they immediately started nodding at eachother over how tasty it was.

three. first look
After sending the bridal party onto the patio to line up for the ceremony, I told Katie that she could come out into the reception space to get ready. When I said this, Katie hesitated and her dad, who overheard me, immediately walked away. It was then that I realized that he hadn’t yet seen her. I had her dad turn around and brought her out to where the dance floor would later be. I moved back, and obviously got my phone out, and thank goodness I did, as when I gave her dad the cue, the waterworks started. This was one of the sweetest father/daughter moments I’ve seen, but my favorite was what he said. “This is both the best day of my life, and the most difficult.” 😭😭😭

two. grand entrance
Okay, but for real. I don’t know that I’ve met anyone as giggly and playful as these two were. I honestly don’t think I saw an ounce of stress come from them the entire weekend. They truly lived in the moment and just had so much fun. The whole day they were sneaking kisses from each other every second that they got and the twirls and lifts during the dances and photos had to be in double digits. That said, they chose a wonderfully different way to show their affection during their grand entrance into the reception. They walked in, and about 5 feet in, they stopped, and stopped holding hands, followed by an absolutely fabulous secret handshake. Once they got to the hip-bump, they ever so casually held hands, did a little skip, and continued on with their entrance and into a dip and lift filled first dance. I love how they customized their entrance to be perfectly “them” – you know I’m a huge fan of authenticity in weddings! 10/10!

one. a moment for the dress
Oh my goodness, this dress is absolutely my favorite so far this year, if not ever. Little did Clay know, this was what the entire wedding plan was centered around. A beautiful off-white gown, with small floral accents in various soft pastel colors, which ended up being the color scheme for the evening. From the decor, to the bridesmaids, and even Clay’s suit, everything tied back into these colors which made for a beautifully cohesive evening.

honorable mention: it takes a village
It makes such a difference when all of the vendors are on the same page and working towards the same goal, and we had the best time working with Jill, Matt, Laurie, and the ladies from Luigi’s to pull off such a wonderful evening. Check out all of our vendors below the photos and hire them for all of your events – seriously, they rock!!

Katie and Clay were just so much fun to work with, and having seen who they surround themselves with, I can tell that that’s just who they authentically are. Sweet, fun, caring individuals who I have no doubt have a beautiful life ahead of them. I’m so thankful that our team was able to play a small piece in their big day, and wish them a lifetime of happiness. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. McClintock!!