Wedding Story
Photographer’s Comments: “The day of Kendal + Tyler’s wedding day it POURED rain — an absolute downpour. Kendal and Tyler had planned to be married at Tyler’s family property under two pines, an spot that Kendal loved, and that Tyler’s dad had worked hard over months to prepare for the ceremony. It was now soaked.
“When I met Kendal and her family getting ready at the hotel however, I found everyone collected, calm, and totally stress free, just happy to be starting the day together. This was refreshing. Luckily, Tyler’s parents also have a beautiful, covered porch which their immediate family gathered to see them married. I’m personally happy it worked out this way: the sound of rain falling in the background and family gathered close made this very intimate, emotional and memorable. Afterwards, family gathered around Kendal and Tyler to share toasts, stories, and well wishes, followed by dinner together as the sun went down with the sound of rainfall.
“On day 2, Kendal and Tyler celebrated at The Bond in downtown Tulsa with even more of their family and all of their friends. There’s a funny story about day 2 — you see, providing two days of photo coverage, I was pretty much left to my own devices for most of the second day, as my coverage didn’t start until 6:00 pm. So, I bounced around a few Tulsa coffee shops and bars, reading a book and relaxing until I began. I had been sitting at Hodges Bend, a bar about a block from where I needed to be in an hour and a half. I was debating on ordering a cocktail when Kendal and Tyler walked in, already dressed in their wedding clothes, wanting a cocktail before the night began.
“Weddings like these really reaffirm why I love what I’m doing. When two people surround themselves with family and radiate so much welcoming and kindness, it’s infectious. Seeing Kendal and Tyler focus their energy on marrying each other and intentionally spending time celebrating their families coming together really made me remember what weddings are all about. Thanks for your consideration of these photos.”
Bridal Q & A
Q1: Tell us about your wedding!
“Tyler and I talked a lot about how we wanted our wedding to feel and what we wanted our experience to be. We had both been in our fair share of weddings, so we knew how stressful a traditional, big wedding could be. We decided to have a family only ceremony (immediate family & grandparents) with 2 receptions (I’m from Houston, he’s from Tulsa). Our main inspiration was to goal/inspiration was to be relaxed and actually experience the day with the people we love the most!”
Q2: Let’s talk wedding decor
“Tyler’s parents have 20 acres of land outside of Tulsa. When we had just started dating, Tyler took me on a tour of his parents land. Along the side of their property, Tyler’s dad planted a couple rows of pine trees (when they first bought the property!) and they now are 20+ feet tall and make a beautiful arch. I told him “wow, this would be a beautiful place for a wedding”. A few months later, our plan was to be married under the pine trees. We decided to let the beauty of the trees be the main decor. We had 3 large bouquets of flowers to frame where we would stand (“the alter”) and that was it!”
Q3: What were the florals like in your wedding?
“We used 3 large bouquets to frame where Tyler and I would stand (or the alter). Tyler’s dad made us stands for the bouquets out of tree stumps. We stuck to simplicity with white and neutral flowers.”
Q4: Did you personalize the day in any way?
“Since we did a family only ceremony, we did not have a wedding party. In stead of gifts for our wedding party, we gave gifts to everyone in our family.
“For the guys, Tyler have them all a Yeti koozie. I gave Tyler’s mom and sister (and myself!) a bracelt with the letter ‘P’ in Morse Code to represent our new shared name. I gave my mom and sister a ring with three stones to represent all of our different last names, but shared family roots.
“We gave the grandparents a picture frame with their wedding photos from each generation in the family. Lastly, we gave our niece and nephew some new books. We also placed handkerchiefs on the seats of our parents and grandparents that said, ‘for happy tears’.”
Q5: Let’s talk fashion
“I was actually between two wedding dresses up until a few weeks before the wedding. Tyler and I realized we hadn’t put his outfit together, and once we did it solidified my decision. Tyler (and consequently my) outfit was centered completely around his shoes. All he wanted was to wear his Johnston & Murphy canvas, wingtipped shoes. And he did. And we both were very happy!”
Q6: How did you meet?
“We were actually set up by some mutual friends! We were both extremely doubtful of the set up, but after Tyler did a Facebook creep and I was told he was a feminist, we decided to give it a shot. After we met, we went on a date the same weekend and the rest was history. Tyler and I had many conversations about marriage before we decided to get engaged. But just like every other decision in our relationship, we made the decision to get engaged together. We went to the jewelry store together and bought the ring together. Tyler formally proposed to me on our couch on a week night. Nothing special, just us. And it was all we wanted.”
Q7: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
“It rained all day on our wedding day. We were supposed to get married under the pine trees outside at Tyler’s parents house.
“I think the most special moment (unexpectedly) was arriving at his parents house and seeing the back porch set up for the wedding. I distinctly remember Tyler’s dad asking if I thought it would work. The whole family was prepared to stand in the rain, under the pine trees—if I wanted!
“I could have cried seeing how beautiful the back porch was. I believe my exact words to Tyler’s dad were, ‘how could I not be happy with this?’. And we got married on the back porch.
“Now every time we go out to his parents house, we get to stand at our wedding venue and we love it.”
Q8: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?
“Do what’s best for you! Tyler and I decided to do a family only ceremony and then receptions. I was slightly concerned we would receive some negative feedback for this choice, but we only received praise for it! Married couples and our families commended us for the decision, and commented that they wished they had done it that way. In the end, we are so, so happy with how our experience turned out!”
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