Real Wedding | Kerry + Dave | August 28, 2021

From day one, we knew that Kerry and Dave’s wedding day would be special. These two brought grace, love, and pure joy into the walls of The Laurel on August 28th, and every moment celebrating with them was one we’ll never forget. We couldn’t wait to hear more about where they started, the stories behind the details, and the memories they hold dear from their summer wedding. Enjoy!

From Kerry:

We met in 2018 at a local bar in Hoboken, NJ where we were both living at the time. We went on our first date the day before Valentine's Day and have been best friends ever since.

We wanted our wedding to be an intimate, yet really fun celebration, and we're so fortunate that it was exactly that! Our guest list may have been small, but we had a chance to spend time with everyone who came to celebrate us, and it made every minute of the day so special and memorable.

Since neither of us are from Texas, we knew we wanted a venue that could host all of our wedding events in the same place and be convenient for our guests given 99% of them would be flying in from out of town. Before we even finished our tour of The Laurel, I pictured us getting ready in the suites, getting married in the gorgeous chapel, taking photos outside, and hosting an amazing reception in the Great Hall. Each and every space is so beautiful, and we knew as soon as we left that we wanted to get married there.

Getting ready was truly a mix of emotions for both of us. Dave and I decided not to see each other until the ceremony, and although it made that moment so special, we were both really anxious to see each other. Although it was hard to be apart for so much of the day, we loved having our closest family members with us to help us get ready.

I've always been very sentimental and saved just about everything from our relationship over the years, including the shirt I wore on our first date. I always knew I wanted to reuse it in some way for our wedding, so I asked our florist if she could incorporate the lace applique and other pieces of the fabric into our personal flowers as a surprise for Dave. Because I hadn't seen him all day, in the few moments we had alone together after the ceremony, I was so excited to see him and have a chance to let him in on the surprise and see his reaction (he was so, so happy!). This was definitely a highlight of the day for both of us.

We had such an amazing time dancing with all of our family and friends! From our first dance, to dancing with our parents, to our last private dance, we definitely spent most of our night on the dance floor and it was exactly the type of celebration we hoped for.

It was a perfect, and unforgettable, whirlwind of a day!

Our advice is to be as present as you can, to soak in each moment, and spend as much time together as possible. The day goes so fast, but you'll have those memories forever.