Emily and Kyle
March 22, 2019

How They Met
Emily and Kyle’s love story started in high school, when Emily was a senior and Kyle a junior. They had two classes together and one day when Emily was getting ready to eat her lunch, she realized she had no utensils. Emily explains, “So, I turned around and asked the guy behind me if he happened to have a spoon…[Kyle] did not have a random spoon, but we became friends after that awkward exchange.” Their friendship eventually bloomed into a relationship, and they had their first date at the mall to see a movie. “It was very high school, but we love it!”

The Proposal
To ask Emily to marry him, Kyle planned a four day scavenger hunt. It included the theme park Emily currently works at, a meal at a restaurant with their friends, a massage, a nail appointment, and stops at all the places that are significant to their relationship. “The second to last item on the list was a cake he made which promised me a vacation to either Iceland or Mexico.” After deciding on Iceland during a walk, and the last bit of the four day proposal, Kyle popped the question while his sister filmed from the bushes across the street.” Emily excited says, “It was so much fun!”

The Details
“We were looking for a venue that was dramatically beautiful. The John Marshall Ballrooms was the perfect backdrop for our elegant wedding!” According to Emily, the theme for their early spring wedding was all over the place. After being glued to her Pinterest Boards throughout the planning process, the two decided their theme was, “elegant, vintage, and fun.”

For their ceremony, they wanted it to feel intimate and tailored to their relationship. “I wrote the entire thing myself with lots of inspiration and advice from the internet!” They decided early on that they wanted Kyle’s father to officiate, since he is important to the both of them and they wanted that personal connection on their big day. “We had a ring warming ceremony…All of our guests shared well wishes over our rings, so we truly felt everyone was involved in our ceremony!”

During her wedding planning on the internet, Emily found a picture of a bridesmaid in an emerald green dress, holding a bouquet of bright pink flowers and fell in love. From there, their color theme was born. Emily describes, “I love the vibrancy of the pinks and the classic elegance of the dark green.” They added touches of gold to really drive home that vintage feel.

These two high school sweethearts walked into their reception at The John Marshall Ballrooms, struck by the romantic ambiance that candlelight gives. They served a scrumptious dinner, and even had a poutine bar giving their reception a fun, party vibe.

Favorite Part of the Day
Emily explains, “My favorite moments are when I could feel the energy of all the people I loved In one place. At one point, I grabbed my cousin and then he grabbed our Aunt and we ended up doing an awesome Conga Line!” Another particular favorite moment was when “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver played towards the end of the night. “My new husband and I grabbed the group closes to us and started swaying in a circle.” The circle kept growing until almost all of their guests were in one giant circle, singing in unison.

Biggest Challenge
“I didn’t hire a planner, so I took on all of the organizing and executing and scheduling myself. That took a lot out of me and consumed all of my free time for months before the wedding. I’m not the best at making decisions so every choice felt like a battle. Luckily, Kyle was super supportive and my network of bridesmaids and family was so patient and helpful that I don’t regret a single thing!”

Best Piece of Advice
“Enjoy the planning, it’s part of the fun! If the details matter to you, focus on them; if they don’t, don’t. Let your wedding be what you want it to be. Whether you have played filet mignon or a taco bar, just make sure it’s fun and there’s food for everybody.”


*All information in our Featured Weddings is provided by the couple. Richmond Weddings™ is not responsible for discovering and adding vendors who were not on the submission form completed by the couple.* All photos courtesy of  Ch & Sh Fredericks Photography.