Brei & Steven’s wedding was woven with refined minimalism and chic simplicity.
Of her GILES gown by Tara Lauren, Brei said: “I immediately fell in love with GILES because of her gorgeous structure. I loved the softness of the neckline, the feminine look of the gown, and the deep V back.”
Names: Brei & Steven
Wedding Date: 07.10.2021
Guest Numbers: 110
Wedding Location: White Cottage Guest Farm, CO
Photographer: Ninety Six Oak
Tell Us Your Love Story
How did you meet?
After college, I worked as a server at a sports bar and one night, when Steven happened to be in town visiting his friend, they came into the bar. We chatted for a while and Steven and his friends karaoke’d ‘I Want It That Way’ by the Backstreet Boys. When they were leaving, Steven’s friend left Steven’s number for me without him knowing. I had never texted a number that had been left before but had (what I thought) was a funny one-liner so decided to text him shortly after they left. Little did I know, I’d end up marrying him six years later!
How did he put a ring on it?
Every year, we visit the Iowa State Fair with Steven’s parents. The week after the fair in 2019, we were going to Kauai for the first time and I had hopes that Steven would be proposing there. I’m an event planner by day which makes it difficult to outplan and surprise me, and thus had mapped out in my head every place he could possibly propose while we were in Kauai. I had zero inclination that Steven would pull together a surprise at the State Fair! At the end of the day, we were at the craft beer & wine tent at the top of the hill and all of a sudden I saw my parents and sister and asked ‘What are you doing here?’ only to immediately realize why they were there. I turned around and saw Steven on one knee and we both instantly started crying! Steven never actually got any words out, we just cried and smiled and laughed. I was so thankful he took the time to surprise me and it allowed us to simply enjoy our time in Kauai as a newly engaged couple!
Where did you draw inspiration from?
Honestly, Instagram. I follow so many wedding accounts from my former life as a wedding venue manager and loved seeing all the incredible ideas people have and making them perfect for us.
What made the wedding personal to you?
I am a total sucker for personal touches at a wedding. I love when couples find unique ways to share parts of themselves and that was the most important thing to us. Our dog, Dez, was truly the star of the wedding as he was the ‘Best Boy’ and was able to be with us the entire day which made it so special. We tried to find as many ways to incorporate special moments – a few things we did included playing our parents wedding first dance songs as two of the requested slow songs and having the DJ announce so people knew, for our appetizer bar we had Steven’s Dad make his famous salsa and my Grandma made one of her favorite dips, and so many more personal touches. I’m so thankful we could find ways to show our love and appreciation for our friends and family in little ways throughout our day.
What were you most nervous or excited about?
Our wedding venue had cancelled on us just four weeks before the wedding and I had to find a new venue and replan the wedding. I was very nervous that our new venue (which is brand new this year) wasn’t prepared to host our wedding because it all happened so fast. Thankfully, there was no reason to worry! Our venue and their staff were phenomenal and it was better than I could’ve ever dreamed. I truly love to believe that everything happens for a reason and I don’t think our wedding would’ve been quite what it was if we hadn’t switched to that venue!
Now, the most important part – the Dress!
Tell us about your dress?
I immediately fell in love with GILES because of her gorgeous structure. I loved the softness of the neckline, the feminine look of the gown, and the deep V back. As someone with an athletic build, I wanted a softer look for my wedding day and GILES was perfect for that.
What stockist did you get it from?
Rhylan Lang, NE
What was your most memorable moment from your day?
The most memorable moment of our day was the very last song of the night. Our friends and family circled around us and the DJ re-played our first dance song and it was the perfect way to end the most magical day of our lives. I couldn’t have dreamed of anything more!
Vendors to credit:
// Photography Ninety Six Oak // Bridal Boutique Rhylan Lang // Venue White Cottage Guest Farm // Florals Emma Hulseyart // HMUA Blush Blow Dry Bar // Cake Sugar Buzz Cakes // Pizza Truck Witty Pork’s Wood Fired Pizza // Ice Cream Truck Splits n Dips // Alterations Livi’s Designs // DJ Complete Weddings + Events // Bartending Service Olive the Above //