Katie & Eric | Wedding Interview

THE TWO OF YOU

Tell us how you met.

We met as kids through the same grade school and by swimming on the same swim team. We both had crushes on each other and finally started dating in 8th grade.

How long were you together before getting engaged? What did those years look like?

We spent 11 years dating before finally getting married, creating countless memories along the way, from high school dances and cheering each other on at sporting events to celebrating holidays, going on family vacations, and driving to get sweet treats together.

How did the proposal happen?

Shortly after moving to Fort Worth, we discovered our favorite spot, the Drover Hotel. It quickly became our go-to place for cocktails, country music, and time with friends, so Eric knew it was the perfect place to propose. Eric proposed in front of the Drover Hotel, and afterward we gathered with family for a celebratory brunch to mark the special moment.

How would you describe each other?

Describing Katie is easy. She’s loving, beautiful, and so supportive. She’s been my best friend for so long, so I know her so well. Being around her just makes you feel special, and her kindness and smile still give me butterflies.

Eric is very thoughtful, funny, loyal, and all around just a great guy. He’s always there for the people he loves and kind to everyone he meets. Eric is also very hardworking and supportive. Having him by my side these last 12 years has been the greatest blessing.

What does a normal weekend look like for you two?

A normal weekend to us looks like getting coffee in the morning, walking our dog Goldie and spending time at the dog park, going to church on Sundays, and sometimes lying out by the pool. We love being outside as much as we can if the weather is nice and spending time with each other. When we can, we also like to occasionally take weekend trips back home to see family and friends in St. Louis!

THE BASICS

Why did you choose your venue?

We had our wedding at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. When it came to picking our venue, we wanted one that gave off that bright, airy, beautiful, and springy energy for our wedding day, and Bellerive had all of those things. The outdoor happy hour patio, overall exceptional service, and food by their chefs were also factors in why we chose our venue as well. We also liked how the venue was on a golf course, making it a beautiful place to take pictures with our bridal parties and families. Eric also loves to play golf, and I grew up living on a golf course, so it just seemed like the right fit!

How many guests did you have? What did you want the room to feel like — intimate, full, somewhere in between?

When deciding on how many guests to invite, we landed on wanting to have around a medium-sized guest count of around 200 people. We did this because we wanted our reception to feel somewhat intimate while also giving our guests room to mingle and enjoy themselves. We had our formal seated dinner inside and reopened the patio doors for people to enjoy the beautiful spring weather on the outside patio if they pleased.

What was your budget approach — did you splurge anywhere or keep it simple?

Areas where we splurged were the florals, venue, and the band. We didn’t really have a lot of signage and decor for the wedding and kept it very simple, so I knew I wanted my florals to be the main “decor” for the day, tying everything together. As for the venue, we chose Bellerive because of the energy, service, food, and beautiful interior and exterior landscapes it had. And lastly, we chose to splurge on our band. We knew we wanted a live band that had great energy and engaged with our guests, and Lustre Lights delivered! 

Walk us through your wedding day look.

The wedding dress that I wore during the ceremony was from Mia Grace Bridal. I was looking for something classy yet feminine and something that felt true to myself. The dress I chose had a ballgown silhouette with a draped, detailed bodice and a bow in the back. The original dress didn’t have a bow on the back and was something that I had added to complete the look.

The second dress I wore was a Jenny Yoo mini white dress with pearls scattered all over. It had a boat neckline and an open back as well. I loved changing into my mini white dress at the reception when it was time to dance; it made such a fun transition into the night.

THE PLANNING

What was the most important thing to you both when planning?

The most important thing to us both when planning would have to be communication. We started by making communication our biggest priority, because we knew if we stayed on the same page, everything else would fall into place. It really helped us when it came to booking things and sticking to our budget, and just made the whole planning process way less stressful.

Were there any details that were non-negotiable?

We didn’t really have any non-negotiables for our wedding. The only thing that I really wanted was having gold chairs at our tables for the reception. I chose to have gold chairs to lighten the room up and make the room feel more like the vibe we wanted our wedding day to have. We wanted the room to feel light and happy rather than dark and moody, which dark wood chairs can sometimes give.

Was there anything you chose to leave out that felt freeing?

What I love about weddings is how each couple makes it their own. There are a couple of things we left out, such as the leg guarder, the bouquet toss, party favors, and a dessert table. Instead of party favors and a traditional dessert table, we had late-night snacks for the guests to enjoy after the reception, such as Ted Drew’s ice cream, Imo’s pizza, and Fitz’s root beer. It was such a hit!

THE DAY

What moment from the day do you keep coming back to?

We don’t think we have a specific moment from the day we come back to, but rather a collection of moments through our pictures and videos from Grace that we find ourselves looking at and watching whenever we want to relive our day and remember all the little details that made it so special.

Was there anything that surprised you?

My parents actually surprised us with fireworks as we exited our reception. It turned out so cool, and Eric and I said it felt like we were in a movie when they went off it was so surreal!!

What did the energy feel like — ceremony, reception, all of it?

From start to finish, we would say that the energy we felt that day was excitement, happiness, and love.🤍

LOOKING BACK

What would you tell couples who are just starting to plan?

We’d say just take it one step at a time and don’t overcomplicate it. Focus on what actually matters to y’all, communicate, and try to enjoy the process instead of stressing over every little thing.

Any vendors you want to shout out and why?

We absolutely loved all of our wedding vendors and couldn’t possibly shout out just one or two. So here’s a list of everyone we used.

• Planner - Before I Do STL

• Venue - Bellerive Country Club

• Food - Bellerive Country Club

• Florist - The Special Event Florist 

• Photography - Graceful Moments Media 

• Videography - Graceful Moments Media & Films By Victoria

• Makeup - Hannah Change Beauty Co

• Hair - Bailey Hager MUA

• Music - Lustre Lights & Landolfi Quartet 

• Rentals - Weinhardt & BBJ Latavolia 

• Paper goods - Iron Leaf Press

• Transportation - JED Transportation  

What do you want people to feel when they look through your photos and film?

What we want people to feel when they look through our wedding photos and film from that day is the happiness, joy, and great energy our wedding truly brought. Our photos and film were captured so beautifully and authentically to who we are and how the day was. We will treasure them forever!