Noel + Evan by Jenna Brooke Clark

Jardin de France set the tone perfectly.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

When we first met, Evan was a magazine writer and I was a dancer—nobody thought we’d make it. Just two young creatives, hopelessly in love. But here we are, happily proving them wrong.

Today, I’m the Creative Producer and Brand Manager for Leanne Ford Interiors (as the only employee, I wear many hats and get to dip my toe into all kinds of projects), and Evan—after writing for nearly every magazine you can think of, from GQ to Esquire—is now an Editorial Director.

In many ways, we’re the epitome of “opposites attract”—from my wild, free-spirited energy to his quiet, thoughtful nature. Even down to the fact that he’s blonde and I’m brunette. But at the heart of it all, we share a deep love of good design. We’re drawn to well-made clothes, beautifully produced music, and restaurants where the food is incredible and the ambience is even better. Not the kind of design that’s stuffy or pretentious, but the kind that really makes you feel something.

Because we met at eighteen and twenty, we’ve truly grown up together. We’ve moved cities, changed careers, and weathered every shift side by side. And each time, instead of drifting apart, we chose each other again. We gave one another the space to grow and change, to date the new, ever-evolving versions of ourselves—and in doing so, we kept falling in love all over again, again, and again.

The truth is, I’m so dang proud of us. Proud of the lives we’ve built, the things we’ve created, and the partnership we share—I could scream it from the rooftops! Just two creative kids making our way in this world, dreaming big, living big, and loving even bigger, hand in hand. And that, to me, is something worth celebrating.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Evan and I met ten years ago. His childhood friends lived on my freshman dorm floor, and when he saw me walking by, he insisted they introduce us. When they finally did, he stoically shook my hand and just stared at me blankly. Needless to say, I wanted nothing to do with him—I was eighteen, living in a new city, and had absolutely no idea I’d just met my future husband.

Not long after that awkward introduction, a fateful Halloween party—and an unfortunate tumble down a set of stairs that sent one of my roommates to the hospital—ultimately brought us together. Evan was a complete gentleman every step of the way, making sure not only I, but all of my roommates, were okay. I’ll never forget calling my mom from the hospital and rattling off who was with me. When I casually added, “Oh yeah, that one boy is still here too,” she stopped me mid-sentence: “Noel Knostman, you better give that boy a chance.”

From that moment on, everything shifted. Evan and I fell into a “we” before I even realized it was happening. I think Evan knew from the very beginning—and deep down, I probably did too. But that hospital visit and my mom’s words softened me, broke down whatever resistance I had, and suddenly it felt like recognition. It was as if our souls just went: Oh hi, it’s you. From there, we never looked back—every single day since, we’ve chosen each other.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

The venue was everything for us. We wanted a space that was naturally beautiful—not one we had to transform with loads of décor and bells and whistles. It was really important to me that the wedding felt elegant yet never stuffy. I wanted guests to feel at ease, to relax, and to fully enjoy themselves.

Jardin de France set the tone perfectly. As a French antique showroom, the furniture already carried so much soul, which immediately created the atmosphere we were after. The ceremony room itself featured detailing that had been shipped in and repurposed from an old Parisian apartment—layers of history woven into every corner. The palette was a mix of soft silvery blues, sage, and deeper greens on the exterior, all accented with touches of gold. We let the grandeur of the architecture lead the way, adding only neutral florals as a complement. I specifically requested that the arrangements feel organic and free, with natural movement and shape—celebrating their beauty instead of arranging them into something overly polished or perfect.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

The town really set the tone for the whole weekend—it was perfect. Round Top, TX, a tiny town just an hour outside Austin, has a whopping population of 95 people (95 of the kindest, most wonderful Texans you could imagine!). Our 75 guests nearly doubled the town’s population for the weekend!

Twice a year, Round Top becomes something like Coachella for interior designers sourcing vintage treasures, but the rest of the year it’s just a quaint, beautiful country town. Rolling green fields, wide-open landscapes, classic country roads—the very best of country living.

It was the perfect setting for our little wedding. You couldn’t go anywhere without running into someone from the celebration, so naturally people really got to know each other. Unlike Colorado, where I’m from, or DC, where Evan’s family is from, it truly felt like an escape.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

As a couple, we spent two years going back and forth between eloping and having a wedding, and I have to say—I’m so glad we went for the wedding! My advice: do it your way, on your own timeline, and really let it become your own flavor of chaos (a term our incredible photographer introduced me to, and one I’ve been using ever since). For us, it will probably be the only day in our lives that all of our people were together in one space—and THAT alone was worth it.

What works for one couple won’t necessarily work for you, so start making decisions and don’t look back. Listen to your gut and don’t settle—you’ll know when it’s right. I visited more wedding venues than I care to admit, but when I knew, I knew! Weddings are chaos—they’re one day with the weight of a lifetime somehow resting on it. Accept that the day will be perfectly imperfect, then dive in: plan the whole thing in three months, let your kitchen turn into a hub of budgets and to-do lists, and embrace getting caught up in the details.

One wild part about weddings that I don’t think gets talked about enough is that it’s usually everyone’s first (and only) rodeo. You have to find the sweet spot between giving it your all and giving yourself grace to let it be exactly what it’s meant to be. And don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have a “perfect” wedding—having a flawless day doesn’t mean your life will be perfect, and having an imperfect wedding doesn’t mean your lives together are off to a bad start. It’s just one day—give it everything you’ve got, soak in all the joy, and then go live your life with the person you love most! Aim for special, not perfect!

When it is all said and done you won’t remember what it looked like but you sure will remember how it felt.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

It felt like everyone went above and beyond for us—the generosity and kindness of all our vendors still overwhelms me. They were truly the salt of the earth.

We were the very first couple to ever get married at our venue, which is an honor I will cherish for the rest of my life. Being the first meant we had to navigate so many details and figure things out as we went—but that also created a special bond and closeness with our vendors. Working through everything together made the experience feel collaborative and incredibly meaningful.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

I was pretty set on wearing a Danielle Frankel gown—but as I mentioned, we planned the whole wedding in just three months, so my options were limited. I ended up snagging a sample dress from a wedding shop on Stillwhite…only to find it was two sizes too small when it arrived. With the help of a very sweet and determined seamstress, we somehow made it work—but the dress saga was one for the books. I owe a formal apology to all my girlfriends who had to endure the sheer panic that ensued to make sure I actually had a wedding dress that fit!

Looking back, my dress is probably the one thing I would change, but that’s the beauty of a wedding—you only get one shot, so c’est la vie! If I got a do-over, I’d go for a Vivienne Westwood…maybe one day I’ll get the chance to wear a Vivienne somewhere truly special!

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

I have an oval diamond on a gold pavé knife-edge band—but what’s unique is that the diamond has six prongs instead of the usual four, which almost gives it a marquise-like shape without actually being one. A woman once stopped me to tell me how much she loved my ring, then added that an oval represents a big family, like a big family dining table right there on my finger—a sentiment I’ve cherished ever since.

The engagement ring can feel quite princessy on its own, so I paired it with a simple, chunky gold wedding band to give it a touch of rock ’n’ roll. I can’t wait to continue layering more chunky bands with it in the future.

Evan chose a classic white gold band, which we found while shopping in my hometown in Colorado at Christmas. The jeweler is the kind of place where time seems to stand still—someone tinkering in the back, an old Rolex clock quietly ticking away. It’s also a place my parents have gone to their whole lives, which made it extra special for us to finally buy our first pieces of jewelry there together.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

As I mentioned before, the venue was everything for us. But without a doubt, food and photography were our top priorities—and easily our best investments. Every penny was worth it!

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

I have three moments that I’ll cherish forever, so bear with me.

The first was during our ceremony. To be entirely honest, everything that could go wrong did—the music glitched, and my veil started falling off as I walked down the aisle with my dad. When we got to the doorway, I just decided to rip the dang thing off. Somehow, one of the sweet venue staff ran the veil up to Evan, and when I reached the altar, he was standing there holding it and asked if I wanted him to put it on me. I said yes, and he did—right there in front of everyone. The crowd went wild! That perfectly imperfect moment immediately let me let go of trying to make everything picture-perfect, and we just laughed it off. From there, the night only got better and better.

The second moment was dancing. You have to understand—I come from a dancing family: my mom owns a dance studio, my degree is in dance, and my little brother is one of the very few who went to Juilliard for dance. So when my dad literally swept me off my feet during our father-daughter dance—who knew he was such an incredible dancer?—it was a real treat. Then later in the night, my little brother stopped the music and took over the dance floor, teaching line dances we’d learned two nights before off TikTok to everyone there. It was an absolute blast!

The final moment I’ll never forget was jumping into the fountain to end the night. We hadn’t planned a grand exit—seeds or sparklers felt too staged—so we had no plan at all. But as we danced, the venue coordinator came up and said, “You should jump in the fountain!” At first I thought he was joking, but maybe it was the French 75s—or just all the love in the air—but I couldn’t imagine anything more US. So, on that warm May Texas night, we ripped off our shoes, charged the fountain with a speaker in hand, and sang Sweet Caroline at the top of our lungs, wildly out of tune, under the Texas stars. It was spontaneous and totally wild and free and full of MAGIC!