Katrina and Ryan had the most beautiful wedding at Pipers at the Marott on October 2nd, 2021. They danced the night away with all those close to them in a huge celebration of love. We are so in love with their story and can’t wait to share it with you! Keep reading from a glimpse into the newlyweds big day…

What was your partner’s reaction when they first saw you?

I think Ryan was astounded when he first saw me. His jaw dropped immediately as he saw me walk down the aisle and he later grinned so hard (he is the happiest person you could ever meet and that was the biggest I have ever seen him smile). As I approached him at the end of the aisle, he did tear up (but not as much as I wanted him to LOL). Once my dad handed me off to Ryan, the first thing I said to Ryan was “do you see why I can’t wear this dress out to the bars afterward?” Ryan gave me the HARDEST TIME for purchasing an additional outfit for the wedding day. I bought a jumpsuit online because I knew my wedding dress would be too big and precious to be taken to the dirty floors of the bars. We got a big chuckle after I made that comment to him. 🙂

How did you feel in your dress on your wedding day?

Stunning. My biggest goal for my wedding day look was to look like myself, but with a little bit more makeup lol. Once I got my makeup and hair done, the minute I slipped on that wedding dress, I couldn’t help to cry because from that moment on, I knew I made the perfect decision. I loved the uniqueness and beautiful floral lace details throughout the dress. The dress was big enough to make a statement, but not quite big enough where it became a hassle to walk anywhere. The dress was a little hint of sexy, but not too sexy where I would feel exposed to family members. This dress couldn’t have fit my personality enough- big and loud like my personality. Diva enough to make a statement and stand out.

What piece of advice would you give brides planning their wedding?

Soak in every moment you can. Ryan and I got the best advice from our Deacon’s wife. At our rehearsal dinner, she gave us the advice to soak it all in. She mentioned that this is the one day in your life where all your favorite people in the entire world are all in one room (and when do you ever get to do that)? She shared that the day will go by so fast but to remember each small moment- whether it be getting your hair and makeup done with your best friends to the moment you walk out of the church as husband and wife.

I loved the big moments but I also loved the small moments too. I loved sharing our first dance together, but I also loved having our last dance together as just us. That would be another piece of advice I would give a bride. One of my best friends did this for her wedding where her and her husband shared a last dance just them two on the dance floor with no one else. Soak in every moment as much as you can and don’t worry about the small details. I was FINALLY able to enjoy myself the minute my photographer and videographer said “We have your whole day covered. We will work out the details. You just enjoy the day.” I’m so glad they gave me that advice otherwise I would have worried about all the things I wanted to do for the wedding day.

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?

Oh gosh so hard to pick just one! Every moment throughout the day was my favorite. If I had two choose just two specific moments, it would be getting ready with my best friends and sharing the last dance together alone on the dance floor.

What I loved about getting ready with my friends was we had SO MUCH FUN! We had an early morning and started getting ready at 5:30 a.m. (perks of having a church ceremony at 2:30 p.m. lol). My two hair stylists and makeup artist was incredibly efficient in getting everyone ready. Since we got so ahead of schedule, my friends and I all sat on a bed together to read through the vows Ryan had written me. Maybe some brides would find that strange and invasion of privacy, but I keep no secrets from my best friends. They know everything about me. One of my bridesmaids was reading the vows as if he were reading it and we got a good kick out of her manly voice.

But in all seriousness, after she finished reading the vows, all my bridesmaids shared their favorite memory of Ryan and it was so special to hear everyone’s story when it came to a part of our relationship. From one of my bridesmaids knowing us whenever we dated in high school, to one of them knowing us throughout our four years of college, everyone had a special memory of us and that was amazing to hear. Like I mentioned above, sharing the last dance together alone was also incredibly special. It was the only moment throughout the day where we were just alone the two of us as husband and wife. I couldn’t recommend enough how important it is to have a moment alone just the two of you.

Did you go on a honeymoon?

YES! We went to Montego Bay, Jamaica which was absolutely breathtaking. Our honeymoon felt like a dream come true.

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Vendors:

Photographer: Matt Wilson
Caterer: Pipers at the Marott
Videographer: Dion Hazelbaker
Florist: Ambrose beautiful-borrowed-bouquets
Wedding Venue: Saint Malachy Catholic Church/Pipers at the Marott
DJ/Band: One For All Entertainment

Any other vendors to include:

Photographer: Matt Wilson (see tag above) Videographer: Dion Hazelbaker Hair: Chelsie Coss / Freedom Curls Makeup: Kellie Nichelson Dress and earrings: Sophia’s Bridal and Tux Tux: THE BLACK TUX Flowers: Ambrose beautiful-borrowed-bouquets Catering and venue: Pipers at the Marott DJ: Clarence from One For All Entertainment Cake and wedding favor cookies: Marsha’s Specialty Desserts & Tierney’s Catering Rings: Shane Co. Photo backdrop greenery wall: Landish Decor Rentals

Any other stories or things you’d like to share?

Getting married to your high school sweetheart of 10 years was a serious come true (yes 10 years. The year we got married was the same year we celebrated 10 years. We didn’t even plan it that way either!). Another special thing about our relationship is that the day we got engaged was the same day our puppy was born! We got engaged on December 27, 2019 and Bella (our siberian husky and poodle mix) was born that day. We lated adopted her on April 4, 2020 because covid lol.

How was your experience with Sophia’s?

CLEARLY SO PHENOMENAL I WANTED TO WORK THERE! My angel stylist Abby made the experience so amazing I didn’t want even think about going to another store and finding our dress. I went in to my appointment having NO CLUE what I wanted and Abby was able to help me find that dream dress. She was incredibly patient with me and took every piece of feedback I gave to her to heart. It almost feels like she designed that dress specifically for me, that’s how exceptional she was at making my vision come true!!!!!! I didn’t realize that my appointment with her was four hours long, which is crazy because it didn’t feel long at all!!! Abby and the team at Sophia’s are incredible and will truly go above and beyond in their service.

I will never forget how stressful I felt whenever I called another bridal store to cancel my appointment… the store I canceled my appointment at makes you give up your credit card information and if you decide to cancel your appointment, you get charged a hefty fee. After the Sophia’s staff saw how stressed I was with the situation, they ended up giving my dress a discount to make up for the costs I had to pay for the fee. It was incredibly nice of them for doing that and I feel so fortunate that they did that!