KATE AND DANIEL met at Texas A&M’s Songfest. They bonded over their love for Jesus, history and family, which they would talk about while “studying” at the Starbucks on campus. Daniel’s plan was to make their relationship status official on February 14th, but panicked and waited until the 15th.

On the day of the proposal, Daniel was incredibly nervous and was afraid he would accidentally give away the surprise. He had nowhere to hide the ring either, so he shoved it in his sock. Daniel pretended that his uncle needed the two of them to turn off a busted pipe. Instead of driving to the pipe, Daniel drove Kate to a tree where he had set up framed photos and sunflowers all around a blanket, where he got down on one knee. Laughing as Daniel pulled the ring from his sock, Kate said “one thousand times, yes.”

PLANNING DURING A PANDEMIC

Every time Kate considered canceling the wedding or making the day smaller, Texas’ COVID-19 restrictions would lift just a little more, so they proceeded as planned. Thankfully, most of her guests received their vaccinations by the time the wedding date rolled around. “It was truly a joyful time, everyone had missed each other, and it was a sweet reunion where people were ready to celebrate and be together!”

Kate relied on her planner, Mary Frances Hurt of DFW Events, to bring her dreams to life in just five and a half months. Mary organized a two-day sprint to preview all of the potential vendors so Kate’s mom could fly in from Denver and be a part of it.

THE INSPIRATION

Kate drew a 250-mile circle around Daniel’s military station and looked only at hotel venues within that area. The rustic elegance of the Hotel Drover fit their needs and style perfectly. During the wedding, many guests told the couple that the vibe of the décor was “so y’all.”

HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED

Kate worked with her florist, David Kimmel, to develop a sunrise color palette with big pops of white for the floral arch and reception tables, which he accented with gold, candles and white roses.

Kate’s dad and brother made doors for the ceremony, fulfilling her dream of a dramatic entrance, even with an outdoor wedding.

Kate’s mom embellished the stationery with a long horn, a quote from the state song and a sunflower wax seal. Daniel designed the perfect diamond wedding band and ring for Kate, completely unbeknownst to her. Kate’s dress is a structured and elegant gown by Caroline Castigliano, with added buttons and big bow added down the back. Her veil was made by her best friend, the owner of Christian Joy Bridal. She wore her grandmother’s dress for bridal portraits and her mom’s dress for pictures. Daniel wore his Army service uniform and custom cufflinks that said “I love you more” and their wedding date.

During their cocktail hour, they included a coffee bar and their reception space had plenty of room for two-stepping. Their cake was a simple three-tier white cake with a gold stand and roses. The inside had lemon cake with blueberry filling. The groom’s cake was made of stacked cookie cakes from the Crème De la Crème Cake Company. They left the reception in a horse-drawn carriage.