A FRESH TWIST ON A TRADITIONAL WEDDING

Apr 3

Bentley and Cade put a whole new meaning to “traditional” with their fun and fresh summer wedding at Hawthorne House.

The dance floor was PACKED, the drinks were flowing and every little detail had its own unique twist. After dating for 10 months, Cade got down on one knee with the surprise of Bentley’s life (you gotta read the full story below)! 17 months later the pair said, “I do” in the chapel surrounded by 250 of their family and friends.

The proposal:

“On a warm Friday afternoon in spring, Cade had planned a date for us to go on. I left work a bit early to start my weekend and Cade called me that there was a change of plans for our date night. Even though I didn't know the original plan, I was told to dress for the outdoors but with the switch, I was told to dress however I would like. I threw on a dress and we headed to the Plaza. Cade took me to the Nelson Adkins Museum. We spent a great hour walking around but I noticed Cade kept checking his phone. After we walked through the entire museum, he took a call and came back and said "Let's go walk around again." At this point I was confused and curious what was going on. Finally after another 20 minutes of looking at things we’d already seen, he grabbed me by the hand with a huge smile and took me outside. We started to walk down the back steps of the Nelson Adkins toward one of the birdies. I saw a blanket rolled out and thought we were going to have a picnic, even though the weather had turned into an overcast, somewhat rainy kind of day. As we got closer, I saw our friend who is a photographer sitting by the set-up. I was starting to think about all kinds of things because, although we had previously talked about marriage, we had only been dating less than 10 months. When I turned back to look at Cade, he was on one knee and popped the question. As soon as I shouted yes, both of our entire families ran from behind the trees to surprise us and join in celebration of our future!“

Well DANG, Cade set the bar high!! Not only did he have a photographer to capture the proposal, but to also surprise Bentley with their families!

My favorite memory from the wedding day:

“Cade and I did our first dance to "May I Have This Dance" by Chance the Rapper. The weekend before the wedding, we went to the gym and in the yoga room made up a dance. We didn't tell anyone the extent of what we prepared and when we got to the dance floor, we had people on their feet cheering for our first dance. It was very unconventional, quick and twirly. It was the best three minutes of my life. I'll never forget that dance or that song or the way I felt dancing with my soulmate for the first time as husband and wife and having all our family and friends there cheering for an encore.”

Bentley and Cade used the word “magical” to describe their wedding day and that was spot on. I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THE PHOTOS BELOW!

One thing I’m glad we did on our wedding day:

“We didn't do a first look and I loved the tradition behind the bride walking down the aisle and everyone getting to see Cade's first look not just me. It was a special moment for everyone. During the planning process, Cade and I had to spent a lot of time refocusing on what WE wanted and not allowing for outside influences to overtake our original goals and dreams for the wedding.”

One piece of advice I’d give to an engaged couple is:

“Plan the wedding together but don't get caught up in the cinematic expectations of a wedding. If your significant other doesn't care what color napkins you choose, make the choice yourself and move on to planning on the honeymoon. You're getting married to bind your love forever, not to have to bicker about colors, flowers and other things that are only but a brief moment of your wedding. Plan the honeymoon 50/50 and make that your special celebration of all you have accomplished from working together to create your forever.”

Can I get alllllll the praise hands for Bentley and Cade’s advice to engaged couples? If you’re out there planning your wedding know that it is absolutely one of the best days of your life and of course it takes time and (sooooooo much) effort. But the point of the whole shindig is that two families are becoming one. Keep your eye on the prize; planning will not only be more rewarding but it might be, dare I say, FUN!