REAL BRIDE: Melissa

Tyler + Melissa

7.31.20

A covid-19 postponement, soft, romantic + modern details, an amazing vendor lineup + not a single detail missed - talk about an absolutely beautiful day. Melissa + Tyler’s downtown Kansas City wedding was an urban garden dream come true. With the color palette of blush pink, dusty rose + mauve, the vibe of Melissa + Tyler’s day was unmatched gorgeousness.

Thank goodness Jill Caren Photo was in attendance to capture every detail perfectly. One look at these photos + you’ll be dreaming up your own urban Kansas City wedding day!

How did you decide on July 31st, 2020?

“Our date was originally set for Saturday, April 25th, 2020. We chose that date because our dating anniversary is in April and it opened an opportunity to have beautiful weather during our outdoor ceremony. Then COVID-10 happened! We made our postponement back in March and we chose Friday, July 31st, 2020 because it was the date that worked best with all of our vendors and some of our wedding party schedules. We were also in the "sooner rather than later" mindset since we have been together for over 10 years so we were ready to get married.”

How did you know your gown was the one?

“My gown was the first one I tried on and I immediately loved it. There was one other gown that I loved and it was very similar to my gown, so I narrowed it down to both of those. When it was time to re-try on the top two gowns, I had an overwhelming feeling that I knew the first gown was the one and I decided to not even re-try the second dress. I tried on my gown again and knew it was the one.”

What advice would you give to other brides in regard to dress shopping?

“Enjoy the process of trying on dresses during your dress appointment and then schedule a separate appointment for accessories. I ended up picking all of my accessories during my dress appointment which is okay because it worked out great, but I wish I would've allowed myself more time to try on all of the fun things!”

How did the two of you meet?

“We met when we were kids, became friends in middle school and started dating in high school. We were in band and other classes together all throughout school and what really brought us together was that we played the same instrument - saxophone - in school so we sat next to each other quite a bit.”

Tell us about the proposal!

“All throughout our college years, we were constantly asked, "When are you two going to get married?" We had already been together for a long time at that point, so it was pretty obvious that we were going to get married at some point. Our answer was always the same, we were waiting until Tyler finished law school so that we were more financially ready and had the extra time to plan. We had agreed that we would go ring shopping before the proposal but we hadn't done any jewelry store trips yet! On Wednesday, September 12th, 2018, I got a call from Tyler while I was at work that he passed the bar exam and we were going to dinner with his parents that evening to celebrate. After work that day, I had some prior plans set to get coffee with my best friend, co-worker, and Matron of Honor - Alex Esposito Burton. So after our coffee date, Tyler met up with me so that we could drive to dinner together. Only he drove us to a park instead of a restaurant and I knew something was up! He proposed and Alex followed us to snap photos. To keep it a surprise, Tyler proposed with a sample ring from the jewelry store. I completely thought it was real at the time until he confessed it was fake! Later, we went and picked out the real ring.”

Did you have a specific theme in mind while planning?

“I wanted to utilize the venue space as much as possible so we played up the urban garden and flowers. Our wedding vibe was a combination of soft, romantic, and modern. Our colors were different shades of blush pink, dusty rose, and mauve. This opened up a lot of opportunities for decor since we didn't have one specific color in mind. We utilized a lot of the venue's gold accent decor and I designed all of the signage to be simple black and white to make it modern.”

Where did you draw your inspiration + ideas from?

“A lot of my ideas came from Pinterest, but my vendors played a huge role in the overall aesthetic.”

What was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day?

“How can I choose just one? I often look back at the time that Tyler and I snuck out of the reception for golden hour/sunset photos. It was a beautiful sunset, the weather was perfect, and it was nice to get a breath of fresh air and some quiet time with just Tyler and me alone. Though my absolute favorite moment didn't actually happen during the wedding. Tyler and I read personal vows to each other during our ceremony but while I tried to pay as much attention to them as possible, I was still caught up in the moment and didn't get to fully soak it in. So after the wedding, we stayed at the cutest Airbnb and read our vows to each other again.”