For Katelin and Tyler, the blind date couldn’t have gone any better!
Of her Dawson gown, Katelin said “I can’t say enough great things about my wedding dress!! My dress was beyond perfect!”
Names: Katelin and Tyler
Wedding Date: August 1, 2020
Guest Numbers: 122
Wedding Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Tell Us Your Love Story
How did you meet?
Tyler and I took several years to finally cross paths and notice one another. We both went to the same University and hung around the same group of people from time to time, but never noticed one another until we matched on a dating app called Hinge three years later. After matching on Hinge our love story grew to something both of us could have never imagined in the early fall of 2018 when we went on our first date. Coming into any blind date we both thought that it would be a quick dinner followed by an early night, but little did we know that this would not be the case. Our first date turned into dinner and a fun night out. After our first date together we became inseparable and spent every day after work together for the years to follow. We spent countless days and nights talking to all hours of the night, spent time exploring Omaha together, went on road trips to various cities in the U.S., and countless adventures doing our favorite thing together, hiking.
How did he put a ring on it?
Tyler decided to put a ring on it the day we moved into our first townhome together and around the date of our one year anniversary. Tyler spent most of the day moving everything into our new home together and told me that I needed to be home from teaching as soon as possible because he had a special date planned to celebrate moving in together. As I got in the car and we drove for a while we pulled up to this parking lot and I found out we were going to hike one of the last places around Omaha we had been waiting to hike. While we were on our hike Tyler kept picking wildflowers for me because he knows how much I love them. Little did I know that when we got to a part of the hike where we were surrounded by tall trees and greenery everywhere around us, Tyler would decide to put a ring on it. I was hiking in front of him like we always do when we hike and he said to me “hey babe look at this flower.” I turned around to notice him on one knee with a paper origami flower with a ring in the middle of it. I specifically remember him saying “hey do you wanna marry me?” as I ripped the ring out of the flower screaming yes and then I looked at him and said, “oh I think you are supposed to do this.” He took the ring from me laughing, holding my hand still because I was shaking so bad, and put the ring on my finger. It was hands down the biggest and best surprise I have ever had in my life.
Where did you draw inspiration from?
Tyler and I love being outdoors no matter the time of year. We love to go on hikes, be out at the lake, sit outside on our favorite patios, and go to outdoor activities throughout our community like festivals and the farmers market. Tyler has come to learn just how much I love flowers, especially wild ones, and how I love to have them in our house constantly. Tyler and I had our wedding reception at my parent’s lake house and arrived at our reception on a boat. We had wildflowers all throughout the ceremony and reception. We took our love for the outdoors and brought it to our whole wedding day.
What made the wedding personal to you?
If you ask Tyler and myself, our whole wedding day was personal to us for more reasons than we can count. We decided to just tell you about the main reasons why our day was personal to us. It started with choosing the rehearsal location, which was built by the company that my dad works at. It’s always an honor to see what my dad has done and get to show it to all of our family and friends. The church that Tyler and I chose was the same church my brother got married at and both of his kids were baptized there. We then chose our priest because he was my grandmother’s favorite priest and he was also the priest at our church. Unfortunately, my grandmother could not attend because of the virus, but it was still important for us to have this priest to honor her. Luckily, after our ceremony, we were granted special permission to see my grandmother right outside of her assisted living facility for the first time since February. That was one of the best highlights of our day because we got to see how much her face lit up and see how special we are to her. The reception was held at my parents’ lake house where Tyler and I spend almost every weekend during the summer. We arrived at the reception on a boat that was driven by a dear family friend and when we pulled up to the dock we were greeted by our closest family and friends. To tie our engagement to our wedding, Tyler and I created a ring with a flower on it to symbolize how he proposed to me and wrote a personalized note to each person in the wedding party, and their significant other, and placed it at their spot at the head table.
What were you most nervous or excited about?
I was most nervous and excited about seeing my dad for the first time and seeing my husband Tyler for the first time. They are the two men in my life that I am closest to and I was so excited to see what they thought about me in my dress and to hear the personal vows that Tyler and I had written to each other during our first look. It was a moment that I will never forget and one of the most special moments I have had to this day in my life.
Now, the most important part – the Dress!
Tell us about your dress?
I can’t say enough great things about my wedding dress!! My dress was beyond perfect! I originally went to the bridal boutique I purchased my dress from to try on another Tara Lauren dress. The bridal consultant that helped me had me pick five to six other dresses just in case I did not like the dress I came in for, and little did I know that all of the dresses I picked out were designed and made by Tara Lauren. It is safe to say that I love the style of wedding dresses she creates. I ended up not purchasing the original dress I came in for, but I purchased the second dress I tried on and it instantly brought my mom to tears. I purchased the Dawson gown because it has simple elegance on the bottom, wild flowers embroidered on the top with beading and lace, it is form fitting to show off a body I had worked so hard to achieve in and out of the gym, and it did not overwhelm me. The flowers on the bodice of the dress showed off my love for flowers and fit my personality perfectly. When I put on this dress I knew it was the one because for the first time I felt beyond beautiful, loved my body, and felt so confident like nothing in the world could stop me while I was wearing it. As my mom said this dress has a simple and timeless elegance that compliments my natural beauty and not many ladies can wear this style of dress so I should embrace it. She was exactly spot on like mothers always are 🙂
What stockist did you get it from?
Rhylan Lang Bridal in Omaha, Nebraska
What was your most memorable moment from your day?
The most memorable moment of our day was the boat ride to arrive at the reception. It started off amazing because everyone around the lake started to cheer as we drove by on the boat. Then when we arrived at our reception, we got to see all of our family and friends that came to show us their love and support cheering and smiling as we walked up the beach. This was the most memorable moment from our day because despite a virus going around and all the unknown in the world, they all showed up to support our love for each other. It was simply breathtaking to see how many people came to support us and we are so grateful that they showed up during a time when it seems like most of the world wants to put love on hold. Our wedding day showed us how we can all come together to celebrate such a happy and loving day during a time when there have not been many happy things to celebrate.
Vendors to credit:
Photography: Becky Novacek Photography // Catering: Catering Creations // Planning: Susan McGillick of MAKE Event Planning // Table Cloths and Tables: AAA Rentals // Videographer: Kriha Films