Zach + Katherine Humphrey

07.28.18

Holy smokes. These two had the dreamiest day in the heart of Kansas City. Surrounded by the architecture of our favorite city + blessed with a gorgeous sunset, the Humphrey's tied the knot during a classic + simple wedding that gives us all of the feels. All of them. Zach + Katherine didn't stop there either - scroll down to read about their thoughtful + impactful donations to local animal shelters + St. Jude! One thing is for sure, we are obsessed with these two + their big day.

How did you decide on July 28th?

"We actually chose our date around one of our very close friends schedules! She is currently in medical school + her schedule is extremely tight so she can't just come home for a weekend. I have ALWAYS wanted a fall wedding but Zach + I couldn't imagine getting married without Laura there. Right after we got engaged in April 2017 we had Laura figure out when her breaks would be with school + summer was the only time that she was going to be home for more than just two weeks. We had about 6 weeks to work with + most of the other Saturdays during that time frame were other family + friends anniversaries, except for July 28th, so we decided to go ahead + book for July 28th! My dream fall wedding turned into the dead of summer wedding!"

How did you + Zach meet?

"We actually met on Tinder! Good thing we both swiped right!"

How did Zach pop the question?

"Zach proposed on April 3, 2017 in Kansas City, MO. It had been raining for the past few days + it was finally a nice day out. It was a normal weekday + when Zach got home I asked him what he wanted to do for dinner. He said “let’s go to On The Border” - which I thought was kind of weird because we really never go there, but I said alright. I thought we were going to go to the one closer to our house, but Zach wanted to go to the one in Zona Rosa because “it is where we had our first date,” so since he was already driving I didn’t really have much say in the matter. We drove the 30 minutes to go to the one in Zona Rosa. After dinner it was already dark and he said he wanted to go walk around Liberty Memorial... which I told him would be closed, but he decided he wanted to go anyway. We got there + (surprise!) it was closed. I knew that something was going on at this point because Zach can’t lie or keep a secret for anything. Then he decided he wanted to go to Scout’s Point, which overlooks the entire city. I think I knew what was coming at this point. So Zach starts attempting to find his way to Scout’s Point but he doesn’t really know where he is going + he can’t find his way to the parking lot at the top of the hill, so instead we park at the bottom of the gigantic hill + start the climb upwards. We finally made it to the top + it was a really pretty night + the city was all lit up + up by the statue he just got down on one knee + asked me to marry him! I didn’t really know how to react other than just saying “are you serious?” over + over again until I finally said “of course!”. We just enjoyed the moment for a while + after probably 10 minutes we decided to make our way back down the gigantic hill to the car (which, by the way, we had found the parking lot when we got to the top of the hill). When I was making my way back down the muddy, wet ,grassy hill I took one step in my flip flops + immediately fell on my butt + slid about 10 feet down the hill in white pants. I would have been embarrassed, but it was 100% us… not overly serious + planned out to the very last detail… just sort of going with the flow + taking things with a grain of salt. It was perfectly imperfect!"

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

"Seeing Zach as I walked down the aisle. We didn't do a first look, so walking down the aisle was the first time we had seen each other. I saw him + the closer I got the more I noticed he was sweating (not a big surprise) + I saw him wipe his eyes + just thought it was funny. He told me after the ceremony he was actually crying + I never would have thought he would have cried, but it was just so sweet, but so funny at the same time! Also, we took time right after the ceremony to escape from everything + just go right up to the rooftop for 10 minutes with our photographer. We just knew this was the only time we would have to ourselves + we took some beautiful photos together + just had time to ourselves. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance."

Did you have a specific theme in mind while planning?

"I really just wanted to keep things as classic + simple as possible - but the good kind of simple! I wanted something that wouldn't be overly trendy because I wanted to look back at our wedding photos in 30 years + not cringe because of something that I wore or something we decorated with (picture the 80's giant poofy sleeves + hair + the 60's + 70's bridesmaid dresses). I just wanted something that was elegant, classic + timeless. I wanted to try to incorporate some of my dream fall wedding colors into the mix, so that is how we ended up with the navy bridesmaid dresses (the girls all chose their own dresses, I just requested long + navy) + then burgundy // ox blood touches in the flowers. We are also crazy dog people, so we wanted to have our dogs incorporated somehow. We had our cake with little replicas of our dogs playing around on it + we also had our napkin inserts let our guests know that instead of providing them favors (coasters or coozie type things), we donated to KC Pet Project + the St. Joseph Animal Shelter (both places we got our dogs from) instead. We also requested that in lieu of gifts, donations be made to KC Pet Project + the St. Joseph Animal Shelter as well + quite a few people did this! That combined with donating our flowers to St. Luke's Hospice house made things a little more special + we really loved being able to give back during our special time."

How did you know your gown was "the one"?

"It literally had all of the things I wanted! It was a satin ballgown with pleats. That is really all that I wanted + it was WAY harder to find something that simple than you would think. All of the sales associates I worked with (prior to SW) would find a ballgown but with tons of stuff on it, or in satin but with lace overlay + pleats were definitely not easy to find. I was honestly laughing at some of the stuff that one salon associate picked out for me because it was completely not what I asked for + they also did not respect my budget (which wasn't tiny) AT ALL - which really frustrated me. It made me feel like I was just a commission + it honestly made me so frustrated I left the appointment early. I liked that SW gave me the opportunity to actually see all of the dresses + it was in an intimate setting. The women I worked with were so sweet + supportive of what I was asking. I think I knew it was the one when I came out + all of my friends + family said "when I pictured what you would be wearing it was this". I felt it before I said anything to them + they said that on their own, so it solidified my feelings. Trust yourself + trust the people who know you best, because your dress should be a reflection of you, not a caricature!"

Where did you draw inspiration from while planning?

"I did a lot of Pinteresting, as any millennial bride does!"

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

"I went in pretty much knowing the general idea of what I wanted, but I still tried on other things, just to make sure that I really did know what I wanted. It made me more confident in my decision because I didn't have the "what if" floating around in the back of my head. Also, don't shy away from a sale gown or floor sample gown! My dress was a sample + I got an AMAZING deal on it. We had to add in a little hook + eye that came off and had to clean off a little dirt on the hem of the dress, but it all worked out perfectly + it allowed me to spend my remaining budget on something else! The only other thing is to make sure that you wear something that looks like something you would wear. I am pretty classic + not fussy (pretty much the theme of my wedding), so I didn't initially want something with lots of lace or crystals or anything like that... but I did try things on like that to see. I was second guessing myself because I didn't want to be too plain or for people to think it was boring, + really, on your wedding day is the day for you to go all out + be the most glammed out you have probably ever been. I did struggle with that for a bit, worrying that I would be too simple, but with the right accessories it made it EXACTLY what I wanted + I had so many people tell me that the dress was so beautiful + elegant + it was perfect for me. I would have been uncomfortable + self conscious if I went with something that I wasn't initially drawn to, so I am glad I stuck with my style - you gotta trust yourself!"