Real Weddings | Hannah + John | November 2, 2019
Hannah and John said “I do” on a sunny, fall day last November. Their wedding day was nothing short of a dream, filled with handwritten vows, classic florals, stunning details, and all the love for each other, along with their family and friends. Their focus that day was simply on soaking everything in and having the time of their lives. Hannah said, “It’s just this sweet memory of laughter, joy and pure fun!”
Hannah and John shared some of their favorite memories with us, and we couldn’t wait to reminisce on this special day with you!
From Hannah:
John and I met at Baylor my junior year and his senior. During homecoming, sororities and fraternities team up and build large floats for the parade. Mine and John’s were teamed up that year! On one of the last nights before we had to turn it over to the university, we had to do an all nighter to get it finished and John was falling asleep in a chair right next to a large speaker blasting music. I wandered over and turned it down because I felt bad for the guy. After John noticed my kindness, he became interested and the rest is history! But I need to note, our float turned out horribly. It looked so bad and honestly, I couldn’t have cared less. I was smitten.
On our wedding day, I really just wanted people to walk in and feel warm and homey. I wanted all the candles in the world in and around The Laurel. I wanted people to be relaxed and really just have a great time!
I was dead set on getting married on November 2, 2019. It was a sign that The Laurel still had that date available. But when I saw pictures of the venue I fell completely in love. I LOVED the wooden beams and beautiful dance floor. The fire places were incredible and went along with my “theme” of warm and homey. Once I saw the pictures I knew that was the place for us. If I’m being honest, I sent my in laws to go tour it on a Tuesday when I was at work, and so was John. Verbatim I said, “if you love it too sign the papers immediately”. I didn’t actually see the venue until a couple months later (kinda crazy, right?). I just knew it was the place for us and I trusted that The Laurel would take care of us and make our wedding special.
Honestly that day feels like a dream. I know people say that all the time but it LITERALLY feels like it. It went by so quick, it felt like a flash. It’s just this sweet memory of laughter, joy and pure fun! That morning, all my girls were there relaxing and talking, and that’s all I could have asked for. I’m so grateful for the time we got to spend just being together. I know John feels the same way. We don’t live close to our friends right now, so we both genuinely value our time spent engaging with our friends and family.
I know my favorite moment of the day was our golden hour pictures. I really loved those quick moments of just soaking in the day. I think John’s favorite part was the speeches and the cigar bar. He really loved hearing from our close family and seeing their genuine feelings toward us. The cigar bar was so funny. I remember walking outside trying to find John because it was time for the bouquet toss. I walked out on the patio and saw all these men huddled together, smoking their cigars and having great conversations. Tess (our coordinator from the Laurel) was THE SWEETEST and was so cool about postponing the toss so John could have more time enjoying his quality guy time! All around though, we just really loved having everyone together. Since both of our families are from all over, it was nice to have everyone in one place.
One of the funnier stories that I remember from our wedding day is actually me walking down the aisle. Usually I’m particular about the details, but as I walked down the aisle my veil popped off. It was like one of those “gasp” moments from the audience surrounding me. But I was just so dead set on getting to John and walking down the aisle with my dad that I just turned around, looked at it, said “eh whatever,” and kept walking. I remember just smiling and laughing the rest of the way down the aisle. My guests kept coming up to me at the reception and telling me how great it was and how relaxed the whole scene was. That is the wedding I was hoping for- fun, easy, chill.
Another favorite was our corn hole set. I know that’s a pretty typical yard game most weddings have, but ours was really special. John actually made every piece of the set and they turned out beautifully. He worked so hard on them and now we will have a keepsake of our wedding day forever. So special.
Perfect. That’s the word I’d use to describe our day. So cliche, I know. Honestly it was just a dream and I find myself thinking about it daily.
Thank you, Hannah and John, for sharing these wedding day memories with us. We wish you all the best in the years to come!
Collin Ross Films
Butterfly Cakery
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