After having to fastrack their wedding due to COVID-19, our beautiful bride Hanna tied the knot in a beautifully intimate ceremony wearing the Dawson Gown from our 2019 Collection, purchasing it from stockist Rhylan Lang.
‘After trying on dresses over a two-month period, I had almost given up on finding my ‘dream dress’. The moment I saw the gorgeous, elegant, dreamy Tara Lauren dress I immediately fell in love with it. I could see myself walking down the isle and believed Brent would love it as well. I felt elegant and it had the beautiful subtle details I had always dreamed of.’
Names: Hanna and Brent
Wedding Date: 05/09/2020
*All of our initial planning for the wedding was complete by March 2020 and our plan was to marry on May 9, 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska. Just 45 days before our wedding, everything changed. We never dreamt we would be faced with a Pandemic, but due to the health issues facing our country and out of concern for our loved ones, we decided to change the location of our ceremony. We chose to marry at my grandparent’s pond near Wood River, Nebraska just 30 days before our wedding day.
Guest Numbers: 40
*The week before our wedding, COVID-19 related guidelines within Nebraska changed and we were able to have more than 10 people in attendance. Our closest family and friends, all while social distancing, surrounded us on our wedding day. We were incredibly grateful to have this many people celebrate with us.
Wedding Location: Wood River, NE – The pond where we married was on my grandparent’s land. My grandfather had a vision to create a place with a pond for his family to fish, gather, and make memories.
Photographer: Deana Coufal Photography
Tell Us Your Love Story
How did you meet? I moved into the Kearney Sterling Apartments in the spring of 2017. In the spring of 2018, Brent moved into the same apartment complex. I noticed him right away (and I’m pretty sure he noticed me too J). We continued to run into each other in the parking lot and apartment complex. Come to find out Brent didn’t just live in the same apartment complex, he lived across the hall from my apartment and was my neighbor. Before too long, phone numbers were exchanged and we quickly hit it off. We met each other’s families over the summer, and officially started dating in August of 2018.
How did he put a ring on it? After nine months of dating, Brent proposed at my family home outside of Cairo, Nebraska in April 2019. Our families, which made the moment incredibly special, surrounded us as he proposed.
Where did you draw inspiration from? I dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl. I knew I wanted it to be simple but elegant. Brent is from Omaha and the original Venue was perfect for an outdoor or indoor wedding. We chose dusty colors of blue and lavender mixed in with white and green. We built our wedding around our desire to marry outside, focusing on simple yet elegant styles with a modern flair. Once our location changed to the pond though, our focus quickly moved to simply celebrating with family, which is the most important thing to both Brent and I.
What made the wedding personal to you?
My grandfather, Rollin, created the pond in the early 80’s. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, our family had numerous memories at the pond, all of which hold a special place in our hearts. My grandfather passed away 7 years ago. It was hard for our family to go back to this place that reminded us so much of him, but once the decision was made our family came together to prepare the pond. Several family members, including my grandmother, worked multiple days/hours at the pond to rake, mow, plant flowers, paint etc. My father built a swing for us and we had an arbor made as well. There were multiple areas at the pond where we honored our families and lost loved ones – which made the day even more special.
Even though all of our initial wedding plans at the Omaha venue fell apart and the decision to change the location of our wedding occurred just 30 days prior, it all happened for a reason. If you asked me a year ago what I thought our wedding would look like, I’d never guess we’d be married on my grandparents land surrounded by only our closest family and friends, but everything fell into place – it was a perfect day! The pond holds an incredible amount of memories, and we now have another wonderful memory to add to the list.
What were you most nervous or excited about? I was extremely nervous about whether or not we would be able to get married, and if any of our family members would be able to attend.
There were so many unknowns surrounding us and honestly, I was just so excited that I was finally able to marry my best friend!
Now, the most important part – the Dress!
Tell us about your dress? After trying on dresses over a two-month period, I had almost given up on finding my ‘dream dress’. The moment I saw the gorgeous, elegant, dreamy Tara Lauren dress I immediately fell in love with it. I could see myself walking down the isle and believed Brent would love it as well. I felt elegant and it had the beautiful subtle details I had always dreamed of. The veil completed the look and I finally found my wedding dress. What made it even more special was that my mother-in-law picked out the dress!
In asking Brent his thoughts about my dress, he felt it was a perfect combination between traditional and modern. The skirt was ‘classic’ and the top was exactly what he envisioned me in.
What stockist did you get it from? Rhylan Lang in Omaha, NE
What was your most memorable moment from your day? My mother and family truly surprised us in multiple ways on our wedding day. The swing, arbor, and some of the decor at the wedding were some of our ‘surprises’. For me, the most memorable part of the day happened the morning of our wedding. My mother had a surprise for Brent and I to start our day and sent us a link to a video. This video was compiled of our closest family and friends giving us well wishes, sharing marital advice, praying over us, etc. A family friend put this video together and it was an incredibly sweet way to start our day. Brent and I will forever cherish this video and will continue to watch it throughout our marriage. Multiple family and friends within the video were not able to physically attend our wedding ceremony, but it meant the world to still have them a part of our big day.
Vendors to Credit: Bridal bouquet – HyVee Floral (Omaha, NE) // Arbor – CraeMills // Makeup – Candace White Makeup // Hair – Bridget Mini – Aveda Hair Stylist // Veil – Sara Gabriel