Real Weddings | Brittany + Joe | December 14, 2019
This past December, we got to celebrate with one of the sweetest couples. Brittany and Joe exude love and care for everyone they encounter, which made our time with them extra special. Their wedding was everything it should be: a day full of pure joy and celebration.
They were kind enough to relive their story & details of their day with us, and we can’t wait to share with you today!
From Brittany:
Joe joined my home group (church group) winter of 2017. We started off as friends but I quickly became extra fond of him. I dropped a few big hints to get his attention… he missed them all 😊 But luckily, he started to become interested as well and he had the courage to ask me out! I fell in love with his passion for teaching, his silliness, and his knowledge of scripture. He fell in love with my heart for others, my loyalty to my friends and family, and my love for Christ.
We wanted the day to be a celebration of commitment! We wanted it to feel romantic, authentic, and joyful.
We wanted a venue that would guide us through the process and make it simple. The Laurel does that so well, and has expert staff (shout out to our Event Manager, Tess, she is the best) that has the answers to everything. No matter what concern or problem I had, Tess had experience with it and knew how to give the best advice. On top of wanting a place that makes things simple, we also wanted something kind of trendy and classic. It feels elegant and traditional, but also trendy, and just slightly rustic. It appealed to all of our tastes.
Getting ready that day was so exciting! We both were fairly nervous and anxious. The whole day felt so surreal.
So many favorite moments to choose from. Goodness! Joe and I wrote our own vows and shared those at our first look. Sharing those sweet promises to each other in private was something that we will cherish for a lifetime. Joe’s father is a pastor and officiated the ceremony. Having him say so many sweet words about Joe and telling him how proud he was of him was incredibly special.
Additionally, the few moments that we had together after the ceremony and before the reception was special. We goofed around, acted silly, and just talked about how excited we were to get to the celebration. Also, my Dad’s toast was one of the most heartfelt and meaningful things that I have ever heard. I have always been a Daddy’s girl, so hearing him spill that out to all of our closest friends and family melted my heart. And lastly, dancing the night away with all of our friends and family with an incredible band (In10city) just topped off the experience. In summary, we loved it all! Oh and of course, you can’t forget the last dance before our send off. I remember everyone leaving the room, and we just got to be silly again, and I got to rest my head on his chest… soaking it all in. The most perfect day.
Joe and I are really glad that we did a sweetheart table. It gave us plenty of time to eat and at the same time, the PERFECT seat in the house to observe all our friends and family having a great time. Joe’s family is from all over the US and it had been many years since they had all been in one room together, so this made it extra special for him.
CELEBRATORY is the word we would use to describe the day. We were so excited to celebrate our commitment to each other and we felt this from all of our family and friends as well. They did this through their well wishes, hugs, and kisses throughout the day. They celebrated as they roared and cheered after we were pronounced as husband and wife. And they celebrated as they danced the night away on the dance floor with us. At one point we were able to look around and see that EVERYONE was on the dance floor with us. To have all of our friends and family in one room encouraging us and celebrating our future together as husband and wife was precious!
Advice to future couples: figure out the few things that really matter to you most and focus on those and don’t worry about the small stuff. Less expectations and more celebrations. Oh, and alcohol… can’t forget alcohol, haha.
Brittany and Joe, thank you so much for sharing your story with us! We are so glad that we were able to celebrate such a special day that you will remember forever. We wish you all the best in years to come!
