Real Wedding | Patty + Derek | June 7, 2019
Who knew middle school band class could lead to a lifelong romance? Dating back to the tuning of their first instruments, Patty and Derek Schepel felt sparks their senior year in high school when their best friend, Lauren, set them up. “We were both too shy to say we had any interest in each other. I guess you could say, we’re so happy she took initiative for us.”
This summer, Patty and Derek said their vows in our chapel and then danced the night away as husband and wife. The entire day was bursting with thoughtful, gorgeous details and an excitement that was felt by all.
Patty was kind enough to share their love story with us, their favorite parts of the day and the best advice she ever received that helped them remember what was most important. Enjoy!
From Patty:
Derek and I had known of each other since middle school band class, but it wasn’t until the end of our senior year in high school that our best friend, Lauren set us up. We officially decided to say “I do” on our 8th year anniversary during a trip to Seattle. We decided to get married right before our 9th year anniversary! We always say, even after 9 years, our love is stronger than ever.
I actually was set on an outdoor wedding, but the moment we stepped into the chapel, we knew it was meant to be inside. It’s beautiful and breathtaking! It also was easy considering we had a June wedding. We didn’t want our guests to be stuck in the Texas heat, but we also wanted to accommodate our 150+ guests.
We love that we weren’t so fixed on the details of the day. We knew going in, whatever happened, happened – as long as we were together and surrounded by all the people we love, it was going to be the best day no matter what. Thinking about it, that’s what marriage is to us too.
I would say The Laurel inspired my style. The Laurel itself is elegant and beautiful, yet effortless. The only main thing we really spent on for décor was flowers. During our [planning] meetings, we had so many options on how to set up the room. What we did like about the reception was that the dance floor was the perfect size to keep guests in close proximity to feel like they weren’t dancing alone.
We loved that everyone was on the dance floor. We knew it was a hit when we saw our grandmothers dancing the night away.
Our sister-in-law, Jessica, gave us great advice leading up to the wedding. She told us to cherish the little moments of alone time throughout the night – after all, it was OUR night. One of our favorites was when we were alone before being introduced for the reception as husband and wife. We kept telling each other we did it! We had moments like this throughout. Best advice ever!
We loved being able to dance [our last dance] to “Till’ Kingdom Come” by Coldplay. Even though everyone was outside for the sendoff, we felt so much love dancing alone in the room.
Thank you, Patty and Derek, for sharing your beautiful day with us! We wish you all the very best in the years to come.
