megan & mike . engagement .

[...] mike & megan’s wedding was in the historic & absolutely gorgeous loose mansion- the decor was elegant & classic & everyone there was wonderful!” travis & i had a LOT of fun documenting this truly beautiful day– i’ll let megan’s words on their wedding explain a little better: “Mike and I always thought it was funny that we went to college on opposite coasts (me in California, him in Maryland) and somehow managed to meet right in the middle of the country. We debated doing a destination wedding since our family and friends are scattered all across the country, but in the end decided that having our wedding in Kansas City, where we’ll build our new life together, seemed fitting. Because so many of our guests hadn’t been to KC, we wanted the wedding to be a reflection of all our favorite things about the city. We also wanted to incorporate important elements of each of our backgrounds and who we are as a couple. And above all, we wanted it to be an incredible experience for our guests from start to finish! We really wanted our family and friends to see all the amazing things about the city during their weekend here, so we chose traditional KC landmarks for our activities. Our rehearsal dinner was held at Liberty Memorial, and the wedding at Loose Mansion. Guests stayed on the Plaza, and trolley cars brought them to the mansion on a route that took them by the Nelson and through Hyde Park, one of our favorite areas. Because the mansion itself is so gorgeous, I wanted a very simple and elegant décor. We used lots and lots of candles, white roses and hydrangeas, and displayed our favorite family pictures on the mantles – including one of me dressed up in my mom’s wedding dress when I was about 6! My friend Annie Arnold designed our save the dates and invitations with peacock feathers, so we also wanted to incorporate a few peacock touches in a fun way. We focused on the deep teal and yellow colors, using them in the programs, escort cards and bridesmaid dresses. I incorporated the old, new, borrowed and blue tradition by using my best friend Heather’s petticoat under my gown (the new, obviously!) and wrapping my bouquet in the sash from my mother’s wedding gown, held in place with a sapphire brooch from my grandmother. One of my favorite personal touches is the tree ceremony we did in place of a traditional unity candle. Mike’s family brought soil from the lacrosse field he played at in high school, and my parents brought soil from their farm. We combined them around the base of a Japanese maple, which we planted in our yard after the wedding. It will be so fun to tell our kids that it’s our wedding tree one day! Our dinner featured Midwest and east coast classics (smoked beef tenderloin and Maryland crab cakes), and the dessert table featured my favorite chocolate-covered cherries, handmade by my aunt and grandmother, and Mike’s favorite turtles that his mother shipped from Albany. We also had a cigar bar that was a big hit! One of Mike’s only requests was that we have a live band, and Dan Doran, who we love to watch at the Phoenix, was the perfect choice to keep our guests dancing all night long. It was the most incredible night, and the best part is that we were able to share so many special things with our families and friends.” [...]