Interview with our GORGEOUS bride, Megan:
HOW DID YOU MEET? It only took three and a half years of attending the same small college, in the same small town of Kirksville, with the same friends, and even living on the same floor of the dorms for Ryan and I to finally cross paths…at the Lake of the Ozarks. A big group of our friends had all traveled there for a Fraternity Formal Weekend. After dominating the dance floor with some friends, we spent the next hour pleading with a pizza place to deliver to our hotel. I guess you could say the stars aligned when Ryan proudly entered the room showing off an empty pizza box as a joke. Then, like all of the times before, we sat in the same circle of friends for the rest of the weekend, only this time we noticed each other.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU THE MOST TO YOUR HUSBAND? Ryan is the cute boy-next door that I never grew up living next to. He is fun-loving, intelligent, caring, full of jokes, motivated, always smiling, and down to earth.
HOW DID HE PROPOSE? We were in St. Louis for the weekend visiting my family and had plans to visit Old St. Charles for my favorite Christmas Festivities. As we walked down Main Street, I was excited to visit all of the shops, while Ryan was uninterested in anything other than walking further down the street. Even as we ran into friends, he unusually showed little interest to stop and catch up. At this point, I was getting frustrated that I chose Scrooge to join me for the day. Especially when two blocks later he was suddenly interested in going down an alley into an empty garden overlooking the streets below. At that moment, I was completely oblivious as to what was happening, even as he begins to propose. Ryan must have realized this as well, because he grabs me by the shoulders, continues with his speech, and got down on one knee. I said YES! …and here we are!
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR VISION FOR YOUR WEDDING? I loved the idea of having a very simple beach wedding. Something that looked natural to the location that we chose.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR VENUE: Seeing that we had to leave the Midwest to find a decent beach, we looked to South Florida for a home to our wedding. Ryan grew up vacationing on Sanibel Island so we did our research and found the beautiful South Seas Island Resort on the adjacent island of Captiva. The small town feel of the islands along with the beautiful natural landscape of South Seas made this our ideal location!
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST PLANNING CHALLENGE? The biggest planning challenge was waiting for the day to come! South Seas along with our other vendors made it extremely easy to plan from a distance. Aside from the expected glitches here and there, planning our ceremony and reception was pain free!
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN ELEMENT OF YOUR WEDDING? I love small details in decoration. This made it easy to love everything that the Floral Artistry team did to bring our ceremony site to life. The chuppah was fabulous, and shells lining the isle looked as if they had just washed up to shore.
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY DETAILS? Aside from the flowers and the ceremony site, we created all of the details ourselves. The place cards, table frames, place setting cards, painted shells, programs, and welcome bags were all homegrown.
WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF YOUR WEDDING DAY? The most memorable moment of the day was having a “First Look” with Ryan and my Dad. Having the opportunity to share a private moment with the two men that made that walk down the aisle special was perfect.
DESCRIBE YOUR CAKE: Delish! Our cake exceeded every expectation anyone could impose on a bakery! It was a two tiered square cake covered in icing and decorated with naturally painted chocolate shells and coral. The sugar mixture at the base of the cake made it appear as if it just washed ashore!
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER? Sara & Jason might as well have been in our wedding party! We learned early on during our engagement session that they have an incredible eye for capturing the smallest moment and making it a lifelong memory. Not to mention they also have the best personalities and tactics to bring the camera shy out of their shells. This made the photography portion of our wedding planning the easiest! A year later, on our wedding day, these two exceeded themselves! This dynamic duo put everyone at ease, made the picture process seamless, and blended right in with the crowd! I think from here, the pictures speak for themselves. ☺
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND AS A COUPLE? Ryan and I just returned from our Honeymoon in St. Lucia, and are preparing for our post-wedding party in Kansas City in April. Then, once the wedding marathon has finally come to an end, we plan on enjoying our first full summer in our new backyard with our favorite pup Pelé!
CAN YOU PLEASE LIST YOUR VENDORS:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
John Dillis & John Blaharski at South Seas Island Resort
Floral Artistry-Flowers & Decorations
Mason’s Bakery-Cake
Thank You For The Dance Entertainment-Dan Confrey, Musician & DJ
Kay Casperson Salon-Wedding Party Hair & Makeup
Ida’s– Wedding Dress
Concept Photography– Photography