Meghan and Cory - Married!

It was a hot, beautiful sunny day in early September when I made the short hop from my home in Fenton to Eureka, to the hotel where I held my very first job. There I ascended the grand staircase in the lobby, walked the corridor that I used to vacuum everyday, passing the paintings of the family who used to own the original structure (and thought to myself, yep, still startling in their stark expression). I knocked lightly on the door of the Hospitality Suite, and was ushered in and greeted by several familiar, smiling faces. I hunted down Meghan, the beautiful Bride, who I have known since she was about, oh, I am going to guess 12 or 13ish. I love the Kemp family so I was already incredibly excited to be there, and it was fantastic to catch up with old friends, meet new babies, and see all the beautiful details that Meghan and Cory had planned for their wedding, in a location that I was incredibly familiar with, and that struck up so much nostalgia in me.

Meghan and Cory chose a venue that had a lot of personality, mostly being all very rustic wood and stone, which suited their style so perfectly. If I had to describe it, I'd call it "country glam" - gorgeous glamourous touches her luxe purple heels, beautiful brooch bouquet (that she MADE!), and elegant layered lace dress, and country touches like her sassy cowgirl boots, the bud boutonnieres, the little personalized favor jars of apple butters, and burlap and baskets. They met on a fishing trip, and the way they represented their personalities during the wedding through details was so wonderful to see.

There were so many funny and emotional moments from this wedding that I could talk about - one of my favorites was during the "lighting" of the Unity candle, when the mother's candles just weren't doing the trick - after a few very long nervous moments, when they couldn't get the mother's candles to light the Unity candle, Cory grabbed the lighter. Success! Everyone laughed at the time, and what a great metaphor for a marriage - when things don't go as planned in life, IMPROVISE. Draw on each other's strengths and make it work. It was perfect.

Another favorite was what I like to call, The Hunt for the Great Garter, when Cory donned a headlight and dove under Meghan's dress... and came up with something completely unexpected (you would have had to been there!) Another favorite moment was the emotional Father/Daughter dance, that Meghan's brother Ryan played and sang while Meghan and her father Jim danced. It was so touching. The entire day was truly wonderful - the wedding was very family-centric, and because of that and all of their close friends who rallied around them, there was nothing but love, love, love surrounding these two the entire day.

Cory and Meghan, I was honored to be with you both on your day. xo

Wedding Date: September 7, 2013
Venue: Holiday Inn at Six Flags
Dress: Oleg Cassini
Veil: Meghan's mom's, that was once part of a hat, and freshly hand-beaded by Cory's mom
Cake: Knodel's Bakery (the red velvet was TO DIE FOR)
Flowers: Schnuck's Focus on Design
Sexy Cars: Cory - 2007 Ford Mustang GT
and Jim (Meghan's father) - 1934 Chevy Coupe

 NOTE: This is Meghan's brother, Ryan, and that beautiful bad-ass 1934 Chevy Coupe belongs to Meghan's dad, Jim. So I had to add this picture, because I have a thing for sexy cars, and because cars have been a big part of Meghan's life - not only is her dad an aficionado, but Cory has a SUPER sexy Mustang GT that you'll see later.