*THE PRE-BEGINNING Our story begins with Scott and I growing up and attending the same high school in Delphos. He was two grades older than I was so we never really knew each other all that well. I used to have the biggest crush on him and would make my mom take me to Pat's Donuts and Kreme where Scott worked so I could go and see him. We chit chatted throughout high school and would text here and there but nothing ever really came out of it besides a little flirting at some parties we both happened to attend. Fast forward six years from high school and I am living in Columbus while Scott is living in Cincinnati. We had kept in touch here and there on occasion since our flirtatious high school days but nothing more than the occasional hello at the Rustic Cafe if we were both home for the holidays. Thanksgiving of 2017 comes around and we are all home for the holidays spending the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving at the Rustic. When I walk in Scott is talking with my cousin Trent (also one of Scott's brother's (Justin's) groomsman) and right away he notices me walk in (so he says). He proceeds to joke around with Trent about him asking me out on a date and Trent is not really into the idea and basically just laughs it off. After awhile Scott and I are next to each other at the bar and Scott asks if I had recently gotten a haircut. It was surprising that he had asked me that because 1) we hadn't seen each other in quite some time and 2) he was the first person to notice that I actually did get my hair cut just a week prior. We talked a little bit and caught up on each others lives at that moment but nothing else took place that night.

THE BEGINNING Just a month or so later I get a text from Scott asking if I had any plans for New Years Eve on the upcoming weekend. He told me he was visiting friends who lived in Columbus for it and that we should meet up if I was going to be in town. He had went to a NYE party but eventually later that night came and met up with me and a few of my friends at Pint House in the Short North. We spent the rest of the night together drinking and having a good time. When the morning came, he joked around about wanting to take me out on a real date and I liked the idea of that. No date offer ever came until the next time we saw each other, again at the Rustic Cafe, in January. We hung out together amongst our friends and ended up spending more time together. That night he offered to take me to breakfast the next day but it may have been the alcohol talking because when the morning came he said he was too hungover and had to get back to Cincinnati. A few weeks go by of us flirtatiously texting and him apologizing for backing out of the breakfast date and so we made plans for me to visit him in Cincinnati for the weekend. We had a great time together in Cincinnati and made our next plans for him to come visit me in Columbus in a few weeks. We went out in Columbus on a Sunday and visited several different restaurants and bars and had a great time. I may have told him then that I loved him drunkenly in an Uber (he hadn't even asked me to officially be his girlfriend yet!) but that didn't scare him away because just a few weeks following, he did ask me and of course I said yes. THE MIDDLE After officially establishing our relationship as a couple, Scott still lived in Cincinnati while I still lived in Columbus for about the next year and half. During this time we would make an effort to visit each other as often as possible, splitting the weekends on a semi-regular basis in Columbus and Cincinnati. After doing the whole semi-long distance relationship, Scott had mentioned getting transferred to a work-from-home position full time and that he would be able to move to Columbus. Shortly after that, he moved to Columbus and we got an apartment together. After living in Columbus together for another 2 years or so Scott decided that he wanted to make me his wife and bought a ring.

THE PROPOSAL His birthday weekend was coming up and I was making plans with his friends to come down to Columbus to surprise him. Little did I know, the plans "I" was making with Vince and all of his other friends were really being "planted" by Scott via his friends for his proposal. We went out to Condado that Saturday for lunch and it was supposed to be a surprise for Scott that his friends were there (of course he already knew they would be). When we got there he still acted surprised and everything that they came down (mission accomplished, or so I thought). The next plan "I" had lined up for the day was to walk over to another bar with all of his friends to go hangout at Land Grant. Scott mentioned that another friend of ours was down by the river and that we could just stop by there and grab them before we continued on our way. When we get to the river and say hi, Scott "notices" something across the river and asks me if I see it. I look over and see a group of around 30 of our friends and family holding a large banner that reads "Ashley Kroeger, will you marry me?". As I turn around to look at him he is down on one knee with the ring and asks me to be his wife.

After spending the morning at the salon the ladies headed over to Ashley’s parents house to finish getting ready. The ladies wore purple robes while Ashley wore a stunning white robe made from her mother’s wedding dress from when she married Ashley’s dad.  Back in Ashley’s light purple childhood bedroom she slipped into her showstopping fitted gown. It had a sleeveless lace bodice with a V neckline, AMAZING lace train and buttons all down the back. She wore her hair down in romantic curls with a beautiful jeweled gold hair piece and jeweled fingertip veil. Her shoes were simple white heels.  She wore a single diamond necklace and rose gold, jeweled drop earrings. Her look was finished by a sweet bouquet of white, mauve, and light purple flowers wrapped with a wrap also made from her mother’s wedding dress and charms to honor her late father, including a heart with “Love, Dad” etched in his handwriting.

To honor Ashley's dad and Scott's mom the couple opted to have the immediate family gather in a circle and sway to the song, Holes In The Floor Of Heaven.

Vendors
Wedding Dress | Henri's Bridal
Florist | Ivy Hutch 
Decorator | Plan on Jules 
Ceremony Venue | St. Johns Church
Reception Venue | Fort Jennings American Legion
Hair + Makeup | The Hair Chair
DJ | Fox Event Group
Videographer | Caleb Smith 
Cake | Baked To Perfection Bakery
Catering | Cooking Country Classics 
Bridemaid Dresses | https://shoprevelry.com/
Groomsmen Attire | Men's Wearhouse
Invitations | Magnet Street
Favors | https://24hourwristbands.com/custom-coolies

We met mainly because of my sister Alex and where we were working, which was in the ER at St. Rita’s. I pursued him because I knew he wasn’t going to. Our mode of conversation was Snapchat because I didn’t have his number and he wasn’t on any other social media. I got his Snapchat and added him as a friend. I had swiped up on him when he posted a picture of his cat. Haha The first 3 days we talked about animals. And then he finally figured out I was interested in him so we moved the conversation more about each other. One night after work, he walked me out to my car and asked me out on a date. It was HANDS DOWN the best first date of my life. And I knew it was my last first date. Terner felt this way too. Fast forward almost 3 months, he proposed to me in front of my family and it everything I had dreamed of. Since then, we have spent the last 2 years wedding planning and enjoying each other.

Bridal preparations took place at the Crossroads Church. The ladies lounged in one of the classrooms munching on subway and other goodies as they all had their hair and makeup done.  Jenna wore a gorgeous pocketed, sleeveless, A-line satin gown. The neckline was a plunging V with a sheer modesty panel. The back dropped halfway down her back where a line of buttons ran all the way down the entire dress. The final touches were the beautiful beaded belt with a large bow on the back. Her hair was beautifully curled and swept up with a stunning jeweled hair piece and a cathedral length veil with lace edges. She wore strappy white heels, a gold bracelet, pearl necklace, and pearl drop earrings.

Ashley and her bridesmaids sipped on mimosas in SoSerene’s beautiful bridal suite as the prepped for Ashley’s big day. Ashley wore a stunning white with blush undertones, A-line gown with a sweetheart neckline and teeny tiny delicate beaded straps. The back dropped midway down her back where a sheer panel met a short line of buttons. Her hair was half down, the upper half was swept up into a romantic intricate braid. Her look was competed with a pair of white Vans sneakers, a gold heart necklace, and a cathedral length veil covered in pearls. Ashley a bundle of nerves would burst into tears anytime someone told her how beautiful she was. She asked us to tell her she was hideous instead. Always wanting to please I did not hesitate lol. The trick worked perfectly allowing her to laugh instead. She was EVERYTHING but hideous <3

I'll be honest... I was a little nervous the 24 hours leading up to this wedding. I typically don't listen to weather apps until the morning of and even then if it's calling for rain I am usually willing a break in the rain into the universe. However this wedding was 2 hours and 40 minutes away and they were calling for rain allll day. I spent all afternoon the day before strolling the streets of Indiana on Google map street view trying to find pretty covered areas! Thankfully though, the weather did shift for us, and we only had a few surprise pop ups we had to deal with!

The reception was held at The Saint Florian, an old school building that has been remodeled into a really neat venue. On the second floor they have a beautiful bridal suite where the ladies were getting ready while sipping mimosas in their matching navy robes. Brooklyn work a beautiful sleeveless, A-line gown with a gorgeous train and keyhole back. Her hair was pinned half up with a romantic braid along the side, completed with her mother's cathedral length veil and a greenery comb when the veil was not in. Her heels were stunning and covered in gems, and being a realist she had some gem covered sneakers to pop on after the ceremony [smart girl].

Although COVID separated people from their family and friends, it actually brought Wesley and Haylee together. When Ohio started initiating shutdowns due to COVID, the local farmers market had to get creative in order to save their season and livelihoods. Haylee's passion for supporting local agriculture, love for her friends, and now free time in her weekend schedule allowed her to step in and help Brown Bros. Farms and VanScoy Farms grow their businesses during the pandemic. She helped them on the weekends at the drive-thru farmers market and helped create content and promote their online advertising campaigns. What Haylee thought would be a short term gig, ended up continuing for the remainder of 2020 and is how their love story began.

The Proposal!! Wesley was nervous all week trying to keep Haylee out of the loop on his surprise proposal..... He suggested that they go out to dinner for Valentine's Day a week earlier since it would likely work out better for their busy schedules and not be as busy as actual Valentine's weekend. Haylee and Wes had discussed that he wouldn't propose on a holiday, so this made Haylee start to wonder if something was up... but she didn't let on that she had any hunches. Before they went to dinner, Wes suggested that they go visit his Grandad's farm that he was in the process of purchasing to see the property since Haylee had only been there a couple times. As they drove back the lane on the property, Wes had his grandmother's tree (an Eastern Redbud) decorated with hanging pictures of the two of them, string lights, and a bouquet of flowers. The ribbon he used to hang the pictures from the tree was purple to match the blooms that usually emerge in May, but since it was early February with nearly 6 inches of snow on the ground, he had to improvise. As they got out of the truck and approached the tree, Wes had a bible in his hand that he had engraved for Haylee with her new soon-to-be last name and the verse "I have found the one whom my soul loves" - Song of Solomon 3:4. He nervously got down on one knee and pulled the ring off the bookmark in the bible and proposed to the love of his life. Even though Haylee had a hunch that it was coming, she cried tears of joy, saying yes to the man of her dreams. It certainly was a picture perfect proposal and more than Haylee ever could of asked for.

Haylee + Wes chose such a gorgeous venue when they selected Little Creek Barn! Everything is stunning from the bridal suites, the ceremony space, to the lower level reception space lined with windows to view the amazing property! Haylee sprinkled sentimental elements like glitter throughout her day :) I love that she took the time to make sure that so many parts of her day held meaning.  Haylee wore a stunning sleeveless, fitted gown with a shear lace tattoo back that was completed with a gorgeous line of pearl buttons that ran from the nape of her neck halfway down her dress. The sweetheart neckline fit her perfectly and the long lace train was to die for.  Her hair was beautifully pinned up and finished with a delicate beaded comb and a jaw droppingly beautiful beaded cathedral length veil.

Can we talk about Haylee's shoes???? Um these babies are gorgeous. I've mentioned before that there are brides that grin and bare the pain of heels and others that say "um no thank you, I'll take comfort." Many times though flats can be a little lack luster. Not these from Kailee P!! Holy moly I'm in love AND it get's better! The flower girl's shoes match... how cute is that?!

Haylee chose navy and copper as her colors and her florist had to search high and low for these toffee colored roses to represent that copper color but finally found the perfect ones! The blue thistles are also special since they are Scotland’s national flower and that reminds Haylee of the time she spent there.

This is the bible Wesley had made for the proposal with her new name engraved on it.  

She wore beautiful drop earrings with a pearl on the bottom, her grandmother's pearl necklace, and a bracelet given to her by her mother. As I read the letter her mother gave her with the bracelet I can see she gets her sentimental ways honestly. In the letter her mother explained that the pearl bracelet belonged to Haylee's grandmother but that she had added a charm. The wing of the charm represented the wings that Haylee is growing as she starts her new life, the pearl, a rare and valuable treasure should remind her that her value can never be measured, and the blue drop represents the bittersweet tears that fall from her mother's eyes but as the precious metal wraps around the stone so do her arms around Haylee and she will never be alone.... ughhhhh you guys!! Stop making me cry over here!

Jenna + Calvin are high school sweethearts. They met when Jenna was a freshman and Calvin was a sophomore. They have been dating for 6.5 years and engaged for 3. Seriously could they be any more perfect?

Bridal preparations took place in the bridal suite and dude cave on The Buckeye Barn property. Jenna and her girls sipped on mimosas in matching black jammies while they got their hair and make up done. The guys stood around looking dapper in their suits while enjoying beer and foosball. Jenna wore a beautiful fitted gown with a sweetheart neckline, sheer lace sides, delicate beaded straps, and a plunging open back that met a small line of buttons at her waist. Her hair was curled and beautifully pinned up with a beaded finger tip veil tucked underneath. She wore a simple bracelet, drop earrings, and jeweled sandals.

Caity's bridal preparations were nostalgic for me. 14 years ago this August I was doing the same thing, in the exact same place. Ebenezer is my childhood church and I spent A LOT of time in that building.  When my original wedding location got flooded 3 days prior to our wedding, Ebenezer graciously opened their doors for us to have our ceremony there.

When we arrived at the church, Brent, Caity's father, was hard at work setting up the elaborate back drop he had created for the ceremony, Wes and his guys were chilling in one of the nurseries, and Caity was munching away on some delicious smelling Subway with her girls. We got started right away on detail shots, hanging Caity's gown on a gorgeous set of doors her father had created for them to walk through. About 45 minutes before "dress on" time, Caity asked me, "Can I get my dress on now?" She was SO ready to get her day started! When the time finally came she slipped on her beautiful, cream and blush, lace, A-line gown.  Her gown was sleeveless with the most delicate beaded straps I've ever seen, the back dropped mid-way down her back where a line of buttons started. Caity wore her short curly hair down with a fingertip beaded veil. Now there are three types of brides in the shoe department, the ones that don't care if their feet are screaming 2 minutes into their day, the ones that pick middle of the road heels, but are still gonna be hurting in a bit, and the ones that are ALL about comfort. Whatever category you fit in... I'm here for it and respect all of you. Caity was in the comfort category and chose a pair of white Birkenstock sandals... you go girl, it's your day, you do you!

Dallas and I originally met in high school at a county fair through mutual friends where we exchanged numbers and began dating shortly after. After dating about a year, we broke things off and went our own ways. In college, Dallas reached back out to me often to see how I was doing--mostly on birthdays or holidays--and one year asked if I'd get coffee when back in town. Since I went away for college, we did not see each other much at all after high school. Well, winter break 2017 I agreed to get lunch with Dallas one random Monday. We spent three hours at the restaurant catching up. We planned another day to see each other, and a year and a half later, he proposed. The rest is history :-)

I love when the bride and groom get ready at the same place so we can pop in and see both.

The ladies, in their matching jammies, were getting ready in the beautiful newly renovated bridal suite while listening to music, sipping on mimosas and munching on snacks. When the time came, Brook slipped into her stunning sleeveless trumpet gown. The bodice was sheer lace on the back and sides and was covered in little white beads. The back plunged to her waist where a small row of buttons continued till the skirt. Brook wore simple pearl earrings and her hair half up. Her look was completed with a gorgeous bouquet from the talented Bartz Viviano crew.

The gentlemen were getting ready a floor below the ladies sipping on some beers. The groomsmen that came up to visit the ladies were very jealous of the "party" the ladies had with their music and food spread and decided to hang out a little longer up there. When it was time, Dallas in his custom made Brook face socks, put on his suit with the help of his brothers. This was hilarious 😆 after Dallas was dressed the rest of his crew decided they needed to recreate the classic bridesmaids fluffing the dress pictures, but with Dallas and his suit. Oh. My. Goodness. I love these guys they made the day so fun!

Several months ago my best friend of 27 years (gosh that number can't be real 😬) called me up and said "Hey... do you want to go on a vacation, just the 4 of us? We are thinking we might just get married on the trip."  UHHH, vacations are my FAVORITE thing and weddings are like my second FAVORITE thing... plus my bestie??? YES PLEASE!! We started making plans right away. However, just like most plans made in 2020, ours ended up changing too. Originally we were headed to Cancun. A month before we were supposed to head out the CDC put in place the policy of testing to get back home. None of us could risk being stuck in Mexico for 3 weeks (although if I had to quarantine that is the place I would choose!!) We ended up pushing their wedding date out a few months and changing our location to be states side. Turned out for other reasons that kept popping up this was the perfect timing and everything turned out beautifully. 

Bridal preparations started EARLY! We had decided on an early morning ceremony to catch the sunrise. This meant we needed to be out on the beach by 6:40 am!! I think we made it by 7:00 lol. Sarah wore a stunning flowy gown with a sheer lace bodice and lace up back, gold dangle earrings, and a gorgeous bracelet. Her hair was pinned up at the nape of her neck and finished with a vintage looking jeweled and feathered hair piece. For the ceremony she kept her feet bare and put on gold sandals for photos outside the hotel.

May 16th is a date that will forever be special to Sarah and Keith but it is also Sarah's late grandmother's birthday.  This is her grandmother's delicate ring that she wears all the time.

They could have had a really romantic story and been High School Sweethearts. Instead they were just goofy kids, that became friends after three long years of Travis’s corny jokes and Nicole’s impatient banter. They developed something deeper in late night talks on the swings at St. Charles, through prom dates senior year. After LCC graduation, Nicole and Travis took separate paths to separate colleges. But they kept their friendship alive by reconnecting on Christmas and summer breaks, with the occasional school year visit....Then it all changed in fall of 2017. Any true Ohioan remembers the game: the Buckeyes faced a heart wrenching loss to Oklahoma. Nicole, always pretending to be a sports fan, was at Little Bar watching the game. Travis, being a real fan, was at the same bar drinking his sorrows away. So, fate had it that they ran into each other. And just like that, Travis and Nicole found their way back to each other. Drunken nights out and long text conversations soon melted into calls and FaceTimes and regular weekend visits. And somewhere between the talking and laughing, real life and love started to happen. It’s a simple story really: Boy and Girl become friends, then Boy and Girl fall in love. So, no, they aren’t high school sweethearts. But their hearts stay young and their love continues to grow. And that’s the best kind of story in their book. Oh, and remember those late night talks on the swings at St. Charles? That’s where Travis proposed to Nicole. Where the next chapter of their lives together begin, in a story they will write together: Travis adding those corny jokes, and Nicole editing them out. It's a love story that practically writes itself, with the ending we were all rooting for.

Bridal preparations for the ladies took place between Beauty by Jill Salon and The Studio on High. I can't sing enough praises about both of these vendors! The Beauty by Jill team is always quick and professional. This time Jill even called me to make sure we were all set for our EARLY and tight timeline. The Studio on High is a new AMAZING space in Lima created by a photographer friend of mine. It is a gorgeous space with beautiful natural light that can be rented by the hour. When she announced she was opening this space a few months ago I knew it was going to be the perfect place for Nicole to get in her dress! Nicole wore a stunning flowy gown, with a intricately beaded, shear bodice with a high neck line. Her shoes and earrings were a beautiful dark green. She wore her hair pinned up at the nape of her neck, finished with two delicate hair pins and a beaded fingertip veil.

Matias and I met in undergrad. I was his laboratory assistant for his freshman Zoology class. I immediately noticed how handsome he was but tried to keep everything strictly professional. It wasn’t until he asked me for help on his Organic Chemistry homework that things really sparked. After I sat with him at the library helping him with O-Chem, we stayed and talked until the library closed. We then moved to continue talking in the student union and talked there until it closed. Needless to say, we hit it off. He walked me to my apartment that night and asked to meet up again. Over two years quickly rolled by with countless nights laying under the stars on the soccer field just to catch up on our day, adventuring while rock-climbing and hiking, and studying hard for our future professions.

A lot changed in our relationship once I went off to medical school in 2019 while Matias was still finishing his undergraduate Biology and Chemistry double-major. Yet, his intentionality in our relationship never wavered. If we could not see each other on a weekend, we Skyped. If we could not Skype, we called. We began to talk about a forever future together pretty early on in our relationship. Honestly, it just felt like a match made in Heaven <3

Valentine’s Day 2020: Matias and I had been talking about getting engaged for some time now but I KNEW it would not be Valentine’s weekend. I told Matias on Friday night that I was absolutely sure he would not propose this weekend. I told him, “I know you are not cliche enough to propose on Valentine’s Day AND I have a medical school exam on Monday. You would not be cruel enough to make me miss a day of studying.” I was wrong! Matias knew that this was the weekend I least expected, so Saturday morning (February 15), I woke up to my best friend, Kristen, knocking on my bedroom door in my apartment. She walked in and told me to “Drop everything because Matias is taking you on an adventure today!”

Matias had left my apartment early that morning to create the first story of our forever future. He left notes at locations that were meaningful to us and sent me on a massive scavenger hunt to find all of the notes. Kristen was my chauffeur. Kristen gave me the first “clue” and it led us to a rock climbing gym. I had to climb a problem to get my second note. Next, the clue sent us to a public library where Matias had left a copy of the same Organic Chemistry homework that I helped him with on that first day we had talked. After that, he sent me to my favorite coffee shop and had a table reserved with a bouquet of flowers. He sent me to a local chocolate shop to treat myself and set up an appointment for me to get my nails done!! The next clue after getting my nails done lead Kristen and I to a park in Columbus, OH. He had included pictures of the area I was to find in the letter. I found the location, found my last letter and opened it. It said, “STOP! Do not open this letter. Put on a blindfold and let Kristen read the letter.” I put on the blindfold and Kristen started to read the letter. A few lines in, I felt someone grab my hand and Matias began to say his proposal to me. Kristen took off my blindfold and I was able to see the love of my life down on one knee promising to love me always and to stand by me even in the challenges that life brings. Of course, I cried, and of course, I said “YES!!”

I am beyond blessed to have this man as my partner in life, forever fellow adventurer, and the man who always points me back to realize what is most important in life. I love you earnestly, Matias.

Crimson Lane is such a beautiful venue! It also makes bridal preparations easy for the whole crew with ample space and beautiful suites to get ready in. The gentleman lounged in the men's suite, sharing stories and  listening to and singing worship songs. The ladies wore matching robes and  worked on each other's hair and makeup, laughing and chatting away. 

Madison wore a stunning sleeveless, A-line, lace gown with a plunging v-neckline and beautiful white fur stole. Her hair was pinned elegantly at the nape of her neck and finished with a delicate beaded hair piece and cathedral length veil. She wore nude heels and silver dangle earrings. Her something borrowed and blue was a sweet ring that belonged to her momma. Madison and her bridesmaids are incredibly talented and made their own bouquets. Madison finished hers off with a rosary that was given to her by a late dear friend.   

The ladies gathered in matching robes on the upper floor of the Stone Ridge Golf Club to get ready, sip mimosas, munch on pizza, and open their gifts from Allison. Allison wore a stunning long sleeved, a-line gown with a plunging lace lined back that met a small row of buttons. Her hair was pinned up at the nape of her neck and finished with delicate beaded hair pieces. She wore silver strappy heels, dangle earrings and a tiny blue & silver anklet . Her look was completed with a cascading bouquet filled with burgundy, cream and white flowers.