A Casual Rustic Wedding at Keuka Lake in Branchport, New York

Jessie Decker (28, an Air Force ER nurse) and Matthew Decker (27, an Air Force flight nurse) initially met while on active duty at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, and were good friends for several years.“Brazilian Jujitsu, church, exercising, cooking,” Jessie says. “You name it; it was more fun to do together. In April of 2013, Matt asked me if I'd like to try out a relationship together. I figured we knew each other quite well and loved each other’s company. Why not? One month later, we got the news that he was going to be sent away for extensive flight nurse training, and then to Okinawa, Japan. On a short visit home between the completion of his training and his big move to Japan (I had requested a transfer to Japan as well and it was not granted), we were spending an evening together. We had cooked dinner and were just sitting down to eat. Matt followed me into the living room and had his iPad with him. He sat next to me and said that he had purchased a ring with the intent to marry me, but with the short timeframe he had, it had not arrived. So he pulled up the picture of the ring he had chosen – a platinum band with a sapphire center -- and said, "What about it?" I had not expected this at all and said absolutely! The ring arrived 10 days later, just days before he left for Japan. We had been dating by then for about five months.”“We had a rustic wedding on Keuka Lake in upstate New York, on the deck of Matt's grandparents’ home,” Jessie says. “The lunch reception was held under an open air tent in the side yard shorty after.”Jessie and Matt’s color palette was green, slate gray and ivory, since the always loved the outdoors, especially the greens found there. “I really loved how small and intimate our wedding was,” Jessie says. “At just over 40 guests, we all enjoyed a quiet afternoon together. My sister's fiancé taught a swing dance lesson to all of us after the reception and we danced for hours. My cousin from France also taught us some traditional dances from her town. So much fun! We wrapped up the day with boat rides on the lake and some swimming in the chilly water. My favorite aspect of our wedding was that it was relaxed and close knit.”