We both look back over this night so fondly because it felt like we could be anywhere in the world, and it wouldn’t matter as long as we were together.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Hi, Lacey and Cole here! Cole and I are both creatives, but my job is the only one that reflects this. I’m a photographer, and he works in the admissions department at the university where we met. We love to travel, take photos/videos, watch movies, hang with our families, and eat amazing food.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Cole and I met at Torchy’s Tacos during our first weekend at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. We don’t remember much from this encounter, but we became good friends and hung out over the course of the next 3 years. We went on a couple of dates and then dated other people, and then senior year of college rolled around, and all of a sudden, we were in love. Starting out as friends laid the perfect foundation for our romantic relationship to grow strong and fast; we fell so hard within those first 6 months of dating that by graduation, we knew we were planning for the future!
When did you first realize that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
The week before Thanksgiving in 2021, we took a trip with Cole’s family to LA. There was one night we snuck away and went out to this beach in Malibu to hang out – I remember it so vividly, sitting there listening to the waves crash in the dark, holding his hand… I was pretty convinced he was the one. We both look back over this night so fondly because it felt like we could be anywhere in the world, and it wouldn’t matter as long as we were together.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
Cole proposed on March 1st of 2023! My mom and I had been out all day; she invited me to come to work with her, and I spent the day doing absolutely nothing, confused the whole time. It never crossed my mind that it would be because of the proposal because it was a Wednesday, but as we pulled up to my parent’s house, she handed me a letter from Cole saying that today was the day! I ran out of the car crying tears of joy to find that he (along with the help of so many others) had completely transformed the backyard. There were lights and flowers everywhere, it was so beautiful. There was a swing in the backyard where I would go sit and pray, and he had completely decorated it. He got down on one knee, and then we just sat and laughed together. He knew I had wanted to keep it really small, so he arranged for both of our families to be there, along with our two best friends, and we spent the night eating pizza and cake and celebrating!! We loved that night so much we decided to have our wedding in the exact spot and spent the next 8 months transforming my parent’s backyard into our dream venue!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.
I knew I would be intentional about every single little detail having to do with our day. I wanted to compose an environment that would invite warmth and allow people to walk away with feelings of remembrance. I wanted to focus on love, family, our union, and Jesus. I toyed around with a lot of different themes and finally settled on a warm, romantic, inviting atmosphere. This meant we put an emphasis on lighting, ambience, and good vibes. My dad
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
My first answer would be the photos – Being a photographer myself, I was always going to be picky about this, but as I searched, it became clear to me that Katie was the perfect fit. She specialized in both digital and film, and her work spoke for itself. Not only was she incredibly gifted, but her already being a friend made me feel that much more confident that she would capture us perfectly!!
My second answer would be the venue – Cole and I knew early on that we wanted to have our wedding at my parent’s house, and as we began to talk through this with them, we realized space might be an issue. We wanted to transform it into something that would allow us to host 200+ people while also being intentional about investing in parts that my family would love and use for years to come. The whole process of planning took up so much time, and my family was more than generous when helping out. My dad spent endless hours putting up lights, toying with plumbing and cutting down trees, my mom helped with every aspect of design and crafted so many of the visuals, Cole hand-built the cross that was set at the altar and kept me sane along the way- the list goes on! We quite literally poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this, but when the wedding day rolled around, we were all so excited and satisfied to see the product of all our hard work and prayers.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Oh, man! Yes, hahaha!! One of the funniest moments happened as we were taking photos with my bridesmaids. I looked down to admire the bouquet that I had spent months talking to my florist about, and the pollen from a lily got all over my chest – ON. MY. WEDDING. DRESS. Immediately, everyone kicked into action, trying to wipe it and pat it and wet it, everyone attempting to do anything possible to remove it. It was yellow and splotchy, and you couldn’t help but look. My planner tried, my mom tried, and even the owner of the bridal shop where I bought my dress showed up to try and help, but nothing was working!! Being the chaotic and clumsy person I am, I was laughing the whole time, thinking, “Hey, at least it isn’t coffee!” Everyone was so sweet, and I even have photos from my wedding day of a tissue sticking out of my dress collar because they were trying to remove the stain! One of my bridesmaids even prayed that God would remove the stain, and I’m convinced He heard her because, by the end of the night, it was completely gone! I felt like this was the most “me” thing that could’ve happened, and I wouldn’t have changed it! It was one of those things that you just had to laugh about and trust that even the little moments add character to your day.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
We loooved our looks. It ended up being a very 20s kind of chic look, but that wasn’t intentional. I went to LA with my mom right after I got engaged and thought I found THE dress! I loved it so much, and it was perfect, but when it came in literally 2 months before our wedding, the dress didn’t fit. I couldn’t believe it – it was custom-made and completely fit wrong. I was heartbroken, but we rallied, and my mom immediately booked me an appointment at a local bridal boutique in Tyler. I walked in and had no idea what I wanted because I was so caught up about the mishap but Jamie and her girls found me my dress. At first, I didn’t love it on myself, but after trying it a few times, I started to believe that it was made for me!! It ended up receiving so many compliments and
CEREMONY & RECEPTION Private home in Tyler, Texas USA FLORIST Marissa, Lilies and Co Florals, @liliesandcoflorals PHOTOGRAPHER Lead Photographer – Katie Yarborough, Katie Liz Photos, @katielizphotos_; Film Photographer – Ann Mark, Anne Mark Photo, @annmark.photo VIDEOGRAPHER Jessica James Media, @jessicajamesmedia OFFICIANT Grant Wilkie HAIR & MAKEUP Flawless by Fossey, @flawlessbyfossey BRIDAL DRESS Jenny Yoo – Harlyn Gown, @jennyyoonyc; Elevated Bridal, @elevatedbridal BRIDESMAID DRESSES Mismatched dress SUIT Indochino, @indochino GROOMSMEN SUIT The Black Tux, @theblacktux EARRINGS Anthropologie, @anthropologie VEIL Elevated Bridal, @elevatedbridal ENGAGEMENT RING JD English Jewelers WEDDING BAND Donlo Mercantile, @donlo.mercantile; Artëmer, @artemer SHOES Loeffler Randall, @loefflerrandall CAKE Baked Bliss Co – Waco, @bakedblissco BRIDAL & GROOM GETTING READY HQ Parents of the Bride’s Home
