Simple. Modern. Elegant. We are so excited to share Derek and Kristin’s wedding with you today. Kristin is one of the sweetest brides ever and we simply love she and Derek’s laid back style and savvy advice. No fuss style, maybe, but no less lovely … from Kristin’s capped sleeve lace wedding gown to their intensely vibrant color scheme of purple and orange, enjoy!

Wedding Style: Simple & Modern
We didn’t really go into planning our wedding with any style in mind. We just wanted to keep things pretty simple–nothing too fancy or over the top as Derek and I are pretty much no fuss people. Our ceremony lasted all of four minutes! Our goal was to keep our energy focused on having fun and enjoying the day, and not taking anything else too seriously.

Wedding Colors: Eggplant, Pumpkin, Carrot
Ceremony & Reception: Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf, Iowa

Photography: Drescher Photo * Design
Wedding Invitations, Thank Yous, Programs: MagnetStreet Weddings

What advice are you glad you took?
Let go and let everyone do their job! It was really tempting for me to constantly check in with everyone to make sure they were doing what they needed to and on schedule. But I tried to just let go and focus on making sure I was calm and ready.

First look photos
Also, I was glad that we did our photos before the wedding rather than after! If I hadn’t seen Derek until walking down the aisle I would have been so much more nervous! Taking a few minutes for us to just talk and be together before photos and everything else was nice. It allowed us to sort of ground ourselves.

What advice would you like to give?
A lot of people are going to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do or have. If you want to do it, do it. If you don’t, don’t. Stay true to who you and your fiancé are, then shape the wedding around that–not what other people have done.

Also, choose your shoes for comfort rather than style!

Do tell us about your gorgeous color scheme …
I had the colors orange and purple in my head from the beginning of our planning process. The challenge was finding the right shades of purple and orange that went well together. I was able to find the right colors through the MagnetStreet personalization tool, and even gave the color swatches to my florist. Very helpful!

Derek and Kristin personalized Damask Dream Tea-length Wedding Invitation and Thank You Card.

Said Kristin, “I picked Damask Dream because I thought it was gorgeous–even though it doesn’t really fit with our simple, no fuss theme since it looks pretty fancy. I wasn’t too concerned with that. I just liked it best.”

Fun Reception Idea: Derek and Kristin’s turned Flower Flourish Wedding Program design into a fun “Things you may not know about Derek & Kristin”.

{p.s. I love The Beatles too, Kristin!}

What was the best part of the whole wedding day?
The end of the day! Leaving the reception and knowing that everything was fun and went well was a huge weight off my shoulders. That, combined with knowing that I was married to a great man–best feeling ever.

Pro Shout Outs

Drescher Photo * Design
James and Missy Drescher are such great, fun people! They made us and our families feel so comfortable, and we had a blast with them all day. I couldn’t recommend them more highly.

MagnetStreet Weddings
I could write a book about how much I love MagnetStreet. Every interaction I’ve had with you guys has been awesome. Even when I got my programs in the mail and there was a small printing error, I got a reply and a new set printing that same day. I have been so pleased with the quality of the products and the high level of customer service and attention!

Congratulations Kristin and Derek! Thanks so much for sharing your day with us. We wish you every happiness!!

xo

We LOVE {to infinity} Erin and Austin’s 10 year anniversary session! Captured in their photos and in their words, it is obvious that they are still truly, madly, deeply in love with each other. Erin and Austin are also a military couple–with additional stresses that most of us can only imagine. That said, their humility is commendable and their love and respect for each other is a terrific testimony for a lasting marriage. Let’s all take note! Much thanks to Erin and Austin for sharing their story and to Amanda Hedgepeth Photography for sharing their story in pictures. Enjoy!

Meet Erin and Austin:

10 years and clearly, you’re still going strong! Care to share your secret?

{Erin} These past 10 years have not always been easy. We have been separated more than we have been together (Austin is in the Navy). When we got married, we promised to love each other through thick and thin, for better or for worse. Divorce has NEVER been an option, giving up has NEVER been an option either. We have always worked through every bad situation life has thrown at us–from being broke to being separated on and off for 4 years. We have never given up on us!

So fun and clever, where did your idea for having an anniversary session come from?

{Erin} We did not have a professional photographer at our wedding 10 years ago. We have one “nice” photo of the two of us on our wedding day. We really wanted to do something special for us to celebrate, so we thought an anniversary session would be the best way to celebrate our 10 years!

Can you tell us a little about why you chose Virginia Beach as the location?

{Erin} We chose VA Beach as the location because that is where we met. I asked Amanda if she would take a photo of us on the exact corner that we met each other on … 21st and Pacific is where it all started!

Austin, what is it that you still love most about Erin—after 10 years?

Well if I had to boil it down to one thing it would be her sense of humor and her ability to deal with mine. She is still able to laugh at my stupidity after this long and I appreciate that more than anything.

Erin, what is it that you still love most about Austin—after 10 years?

There are so many things that I love about Austin. He makes me happy. He can always make me laugh. He supports me on everything, he believes in me … he has never given up on me or lost faith in us. AND…he is an AMAZING daddy!!! There is nothing sexier than watching your hubby become an amazing father!! Hubba hubba!!

What is your favorite thing to do together?

{Erin} Our favorite thing to do together is to snuggle on the couch and watch movies–even though I always fall asleep because I don’t like the movies Austin chooses!! haha

How has life changed for you—since you got married?

{Erin} KIDS!!! We have 3 amazing kids!! We were not even married for a year when we got pregnant with our first and only son. Kids have been the biggest but most exciting change so far.

Erin and Austin, dressed in their wedding attire …
Please share your favorite memory from your wedding day?

{Austin} My beautiful wife walking up the step in her dress.

{Erin} Austin pretended that he lost my ring. He didn’t lose it–he just gave it to one of his groomsmen who was standing beside him. He is ALWAYS joking around! Even during our ceremony!

Is there anything you would “do over” if you were to get married today?

{Austin} Nope. There is nothing that we would change. I could not imagine our wedding any other way.

Looking back, what “words of wisdom” do you have for today’s brides and grooms?

{Erin} Plan YOUR MARRIAGE. Don’t try to plan the next best pinterest wedding. When we got married, social media was pretty much non-existent, so we didn’t have anything to compare our wedding to. I think that there is a lot of pressure on couples to plan this amazing, over the top event … like if your images don’t go viral, then you’ve failed at planning your wedding. It is sad to me… marriage is not just about the wedding, it is about your new life together. So my advice would be–not to get so caught up in the small details of one day, and to put more effort into planning your future together.

{Austin} This is a challenge and you can always work at it. It’s easy to get into a routine and be the same all the time. That is one thing we always want and try to work on. So always adapt to each other as you grow older.

By the way Erin, you STILL look fabulous in your wedding dress!! How do you do it?

OMG Thank you! I don’t really do anything special–I am kinda boring on that issue. My kids keep me on my toes 24 hours a day!!

*So fun* Thanks so much Erin and Austin–and Happy 10th Anniversary! And thanks again for sharing your testimony on how wonderful life can be–beyond the wedding day! Oh, and Austin–thank you for your service!!

Want more? Visit Amanda Hedgepeth’s photography blog to see all of this sweet session!

From the wildflowers to the old railroad tracks, we love the setting and laid-back vibe of Jacqueline and Joseph country engagement session. They have this sweet simplicity about them that is well, pretty adorable. And of course, we think they’re save the date is pretty sweet too–personalized with one of their lovely black and white engagement photos and in their other wedding colors of yellow and white. Enjoy.

Wedding Colors: Gray, Yellow & White
Engagement Session Location: Alton, IL

Photographer: Ashley Carstens Photography
Save the Date: MagnetStreet Weddings

Jacqueline and Joseph personalized Romantic Ruche Save the Date Magnet design. “I chose this design because of its simple but modern elegance … and of course, it’s romantic look just spoke to me!” said Jacqueline.

Congratulations Jacqueline and Joseph!

Pro Shout Out

Ashley Carstens Photography
Ashley is fantastic! She really tuned in to what I was imagining for our engagement pictures. She totally captured the love and excitement that my fiance and I have for each other. Not to mention, she’s a total sweetheart!

MagnetStreet Weddings
Magnet Street was extremely easy to work with. There are so many things with wedding planning that can lead to stress, but the save the dates certainly wasn’t one of them!

We have Evermore Photography to thank for today’s lovely real wedding. Alyce and Kalusha are Australian and I love this sweet snippet from Alyce of how she and Kalusha’s relationship began … “Kalu and I were just friends and I hadn’t thought about him being anything else until he told me he was leaving to live in Sydney for good. It was then that I realized that he meant more to me than just a friend. I wrote him a letter which I gave to him as he was boarding the plane–telling him what a great friend he was to me. We started texting and calling. Six months later, I visited him for a Hillsong conference in Sydney and we started dating. Five months later, we were engaged.” {And here we are today–viewing their wedding photos. Life is grand!}

Alyce makes a beautiful bride and looks so stunning in her Maggie Sottero dress. I mean seriously, its vintage feel with the corset back, embellished lace and illusion train!!! Oh. My. And yes, Kalu cleans up quite nicely too. Enjoy!

Photographer:  Evermore Photography//Hair Stylist:Carousel Hair
Ceremony Location:Como Baptist Church
Dress Store:Dion for Brides
Floral Designer: Fox and Rabbit
Dress Store: Second Hand Wedding Dresses//Tuxedo and Mens Attire:Suits in Leederville
Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero//
Submitted via Two Bright Lights