Our gorgeous bride, Cara, married her soulmate Matthew on June 6, 2020 - in the midst of COVID-19! Even though their wedding day hit some serious roadbumps, these two were determined to have their intimate ceremony followed by a larger party later in the year. Take a peek at these fabulous photos courtesy of Justin Casanova Photography and hear all about their wedding planning, curveballs, and more!
Cara and Matt got married surrounded by a small amount of friends and family on June 6th, 2020 at Rustic Timbers. Their elegant, natural wedding theme fit perfectly with the gorgeous secret garden that held their ceremony. Their light, airy color palette featured dusty rose, navy, and tons of greenery!
Cara was honest when it came to planning her wedding during COVID-19. "It was extremely nerve wracking!" she said. "We ended up having a small ceremony with friends and family, with a larger reception scheduled for the fall."
Cara and Matt decided that, since all of their loved ones couldn't celebrate with them during their ceremony, that they would live stream the event so everyone could see! While certain family members were unable to attend due to travel restrictions, those family members helped become the facilitators of the digital ceremony so everyone could join in!
"It was really disappointing my brother, sister-in-law, and their children couldn't attend, but she ended up being my online coordinator! She got everyone set up on the live stream and had people engaged in conversation on our Facebook event group. It wouldn't have worked without her help!" said Cara.
At the end of the day, their limo driver drove them to visit local friends and family who weren't at the ceremony. They maintained social distancing, while also having a small celebration with each loved one. How special!
When it came to choosing her dress, Cara already had an idea of what she was looking for. Since she utilized Pinterest to help plan her wedding, she had all sorts of interesting, unique ideas for her wedding gown. Originally, she envisioned herself in a tea-length gown, but ended up falling in love with her off-the-shoulder Allure a-line gown!
"I originally thought I wanted tea-length," Cara said. "Think vintage Audrey Hepburn. That ended up being dashed because I would have had to custom order a dress and I didn't feel I had time," she said. "My mom actually found a picture of the dress I chose and told me I had to try it on. I fell in love as soon as I saw the picture!"
"My Dress Gallery consultant, Courtney, was sneaky - first, she pulled a dress that was similar to what I showed her, but not quite what I wanted. Then she pulled the exact dress! The second I got it zipped up and walked out, there was a collective 'OMG, this is perfect!'"
Cara's fabulous Allure gown featured an off-the-shoulder neckline, multiple layers of lace, secret sparkle throughout the gown, and a fabulous champagne color! She accessorized with a rumpink beaded veil tucked underneath a romantic updo.
Cara also trusted us to make sure her groom, Matthew, looked his absolute best for their wedding day. While their special day didn't have a traditional bridal party, we were so grateful to suit up Matthew and his loved ones in our stunning navy suit. Accented with a brown shoe and a rose gold pocket square, we love how stylish and cool Matthew looked next to his glowing bride!
Thank you so much to Cara and Matthew for choosing Dress Gallery. We are so appreciative of you both and can't wait to see even more fabulous photos from your reception this fall. We wish you both a lifetime of love & happiness!