Simple Inspirational Real Wedding stories

A Fuchsia and White Tented Wedding at Lanikuhonua in Kapolei, Hawaii

Shannon Watkins (31 and a dermatologist) and Neelesh Chudasama (30 and a cardiologist) became friends quickly while they were both attending medical school. By the time they graduated, Shannon and Neelesh discovered their feelings for each other and began to date. On Christmas Eve, Neelesh gave S...

A Simple, Traditional Wedding at Avion on the Water in Canfield, Ohio

Emily Jones (25, a hairstylist) and Bryan Kobylanski (28, a concrete finisher) met when they were partners during a game night that was thrown by Emily’s friend. Six years later, Bryan happened to go to the same bar Emily bartended at and officially asked her out on a date (better late than never...

A Simple Museum Wedding at Wonderlab in Bloomington, Indiana

Brooke Rasche (26 and a children's librarian) and Aron Newberry (31 and a USDA food inspector) met while working at a restaurant while attending Indiana University. When a group of people from work went out on Valentine's Day, the two started talking and a few months later realized they had feeli...

A Rustic Country Wedding at American Legion in Topeka, Kansas

Christy Bruna (21 and a bank teller) and Austin Steinfort (22 and a student in agricultural education) met in high school. Austin proposed in the hay loft on their farm. The couple had a traditional Catholic ceremony for their wedding in Christy’s hometown. “We chose the church because God is a p...

A Simple, Rustic Wedding Lake Oak Meadow in Temecula, California

Bennsey Johnson (27 and an event coordinator) and Scott Holst (26 and a manufacturer’s representative) met while they were attending the University of California, Riverside. They were at a sorority/fraternity social and discovered the many things they had in common. Bennsey and Scott had been tog...

A Simple Blush Wedding at Windows On The River in Cleveland, Ohio

Marylou Bontempo (27, a senior financial analyst) and Steve Hegler (29, a creative services manager) met at a toga party while they were attending John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. Marylou was charmed by his signature dance moves at the party (which she saw plenty of that night...

A Simple Rustic Wedding at a Private Residence in Mission, British Columbia

Jamie Olson (26, a Dental Assistant) and Erik Swanson (28, an Equipment Operator) held their wedding at Jamie's grandparent's farm, where Jamie had spent a large amount of time at as a child. Inspired by the magnificent cornfields and country setting, the couple went for a simple, rustic theme, w...

A Simple, Casual Wedding at Pomona State Park in Vassar, Kansas

Larrissa Heckart (27 and a dental hygiene student) and Randy Heckart (29 and a dental technician) met through Larrissa’s brother. Randy proposed at Pomona State Park in Vassar, Kansas, with a round-cut diamond, diamond halo, gold band engagement ring, which inspired the entire wedding. With Larri...

A Simple, Romantic Wedding at the Creek Club at I'On in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Stacy Crawley (28 and an occupational therapist) and Rex Bradford (26 and a member of the US Army) met through mutual friends. After a year of dating long distance, Stacy made the move to Georgia to be closer to Rex. Rex proposed two years later, popping the question at the end of a Tough Mudder ...

A Simple, Romantic Wedding at Tennessee RiverPlace in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Molly Martin (20 and a law student) and Nathan Simbeck (21 and a football coach and kinesiology student) met at church when they were just teenagers, but it was a while before the two actually got together. "There was undeniable chemistry between us, but we were always dating other people. We bec...

A Simple, Elegant Wedding at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina

Whitney Hewitt (32 and a director of growth strategy) and Phil Broussard (34 and a dosimetrist) met online on OkCupid.com. "Phil actually stood me up on our first date as my text confirming our meet up time and location did not go through," says Whitney. "Luckily, I knew he had potential so I was...

A Simple Ombre Wedding at Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center in Maui, Hawaii

Cherri Marinas (28, an architectural designer) and Antonio Bale Jr. (27, a skills trainer) met while they were both working at a restaurant. They didn’t get to talk while working since Cherri was a hostess and Antonio was a busser, but they got to know each other when they would hang out. While t...

A Black and White Wedding at Chagrin Valley Athletic Club in Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Gena Underwood (28) and Chris Hart (28) were engaged after Chris properly asked Gena’s father for his permission to propose. Once her father said yes, Chris started to the plan the proposal that would be occurring in the comfort and intimacy of their own home. One night like any other, Gina was p...

A Simple, Rustic Wedding at Moulin Events in St. Louis, Missouri

Cara Forsberg (28 and a research scientist) and Kevin Forsberg (27 and a research scientist) met in graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis. Kevin proposed where they had their first kiss before taking Cara to dinner. The couple wanted a wedding venue where they could have both thei...

A Simple DIY Wedding at Congregation Har Hashem in Boulder, Colorado

Kristina Koenig (32 and a bilingual speech language pathologist) and Jodi Winicour (41 and a physical therapist) met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. For their wedding, the couple chose a reform synagogue called Har Hashem. “It feels like our home,” Kristina says. “We know so many people ther...

A Simple Backyard Wedding at a Private Residence in Arvada, Colorado

Sharon McMillian (28 and a registered nurse) and Eric Sjoden (32 and a registered nurse) met during a core class at the gym. Six years later, Eric proposed while they were climbing Kit Carson Peak. The couple bought a house together and started pouring money into renovations, so instead of spendi...

A Rustic Wedding at The Barn at Twin Oaks Ranch in Dardanelle, Arkansas

Lindsy, 22, a surgical technologist, and Keith, 22, an oil and gas inspector, met in high school. The couple wanted to exchange vows at a place where their guests would feel comfortable and also have a good time. Keith's love for duck hunting and Lindsy's love for barrel racing made The Barn the ...

A Timeless Interfaith Wedding at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland

Although the bride and groom laugh to this day on how they are yet to match their stories of how they met, Sam Latter (28 and a managing editor) and Kristin Oleszewski (27 and an operations manager) met during their freshmen year at the University of Maryland. About 7 years later, the couple was ...

A Simply Casual Wedding at Blarney Event Center in Toledo, Ohio

Kristen Low (28, a volunteer manager) and John Jenkinson (30, a project manager) met through a mutual friend the night their college basketball team won a huge game. They instantly hit it off that night, and soon after decided to maintain a long distance relationship, Kristen being from Indiana a...

A Simple, Rustic Wedding at Brewmaster's Gate in Columbus, Ohio

Taylor Gibson (30, a nanny and owner of Kiddo & Toots) and Greg Cobb (35, a material handler at Allied Minerals) were set up through Taylor’s friend who knew they were meant to be. Four years later, the couple had plans to tailgate the Ohio State vs. Penn State game going on that weekend. The...

A Rustic Backyard Wedding at a Private Residence in Kent, Ohio

Ashley Seymour (24, a pediatric registered nurse) and Drew Helmling (26, a fire fighter) met and started dating when they were high school. Several years later, the couple was going out with a group of friends to Cleveland to celebrate Ashley turning 23. Drew surprised Ashley that night with a d...

A Simple Wedding at Thomas Welsh Activity Center in Harrison Township, Michigan

Despite meeting in a high school play back in 2003, newlyweds Melissa Russell (27 and a hair stylist) and William Sicheneder (29 and in technology sales) didn't begin dating until 2011 when the long-distance friends decided to meet up for coffee. "He told me he had just moved back to Michigan," M...

An Elegant, Garden Wedding at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio

Rebecca Fineran (37, in merchandising) and Derik Burkholder (33, an engineer) got to know each other through living in the same neighborhood. Over the summer, Rebecca used a lawn mower that had a noisy engine every time it turned on. After a season of frustration, Derik from down the street came ...