Carissa & David’s Rustic Wedding at The Home Place at Valley View

More often than not, we’re seeing the wedding norms changing. Modern brides and grooms are easygoing, keeping calm from beginning to end with one main goal: to celebrate their happily ever after in a comfortable, beautiful, memorable setting with their closest friends and family. And Carissa and David were the perfect example of this—both throughout the wedding planning process and the big summer day itself at The Home Place at Valley View.

One thing our team will never forget about their special day was just how fantastic this particular venue and its owners were in helping us ensure their day was absolutely perfect. They were so lovely and professional!

Other details to pore over include the gifts given to one another—for the groom: a custom basketball (David is a former Harlem Globetrotter and current high school basketball coach!) with their names and wedding date, signed by the groomsmen, and for the bride: a handwritten, heartfelt letter. Not to mention, the custom ceremony with added humor led by one of David’s closest friends!

But, we won’t give too much away as the bride, Carissa, shares everything you want and need to know about her and her husband’s rustic wedding filled with love. We hope you enjoy reading, and cheers to Capturing the Moment for sharing a few special moments with us.

How did you two meet? How did he pop the question? Tell us your love story.

We met in a very non-traditional way or as some might say, the traditional way of the future; #ThanksTinder! Both of us saw something we liked and were hoping for love at first swipe. However, as fate would have it, David was set to fly to Japan later that day, so we didn't have an opportunity to meet. During this brief time of getting to know each other, I thought, “There’s no way in hell this man wants a serious relationship from all the way in Japan,” and communication was limited to the occasional double tap on Instagram and “like” on Facebook, and yet just like some of the best love stories, our interest had to simmer before it could become a roaring flame.

The flame of the match didn’t begin to sizzle until a couple years later when David hung up his player's jersey for a coaching position and decided to reach back out to me. On Christmas Day of 2016, David executed his master plan using the famous tactic popularized in hip hop music and better known as "sliding into the DMs" of my Instagram account with a witty and creative pickup line of "Merry Christmas." This substantial greeting was responded to and re-ignited both a flame of the past and future conversations. These conversations soon led to our first date on a cold, snowy Thursday night at Yard House.

The next year and a half became a roller coaster of emotions, high and low alike. And on New Year's Eve of 2017, I surprised David with a trip to Denver, Colorado, to witness the iconic Patrick Mahomes’ first career start as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. After having an amazing vacation together, in David’s words, he knew without a doubt he wanted to marry me.

So, on May 5, 2018, with the help of my closest friends and David's savings account, he bought an engagement ring and proposed to me at our house. The proposal went just as planned with our two dogs ripping up the signs that took David hours to make, me walking into the situation with a mouth full of food that made "say yes" more of a muffled “mhm” and a head nod, and both of my parents fumbling with a camcorder and cell phone trying their very best to pass as seasoned videographers. Perfectly imperfect. We couldn't have asked for a better love story.

Describe your wedding vibe in one word:

Rustic.

How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding?

130

Where did you allocate the most funds?

The venue, food, and drinks.

Where did you allocate the least funds?

Hair and makeup. But in the grand scheme of things, maybe decor because I let the venue speak for itself!

What was totally worth it?

Everything. Honestly! Best advice would be to book a venue you love - despite the price. If it checks most of the boxes, it is worth it! Also, having a planner to help de-escalate stressful situations and help bring your vision to life is most definitely worth it!

Share a few things that helped you along the way with planning a wedding.

Friends and family experiences and The Knot were huge resources for me. Past experiences myself with hair and makeup artists made those decisions a breeze for me! Also, planning a wedding at the same time as my best friend made it a bit easier as we could always bounce ideas off each other and share our experiences with different vendors.

Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them.

I am a music junkie, and David and I went to many concerts over the past year, so a lot of our song choices were not simply love songs, but songs from concerts we saw together.

Some of the artists we saw and included on our big day were Bruno Mars, Sam Smith, Justin Timberlake, and Beyoncé. For my walk down the aisle, I chose an instrumental version of “Latch” by Sam Smith. I adore that man, and his music speaks to my soul! Our recessional was “You Make My Dreams” by Hall and Oates. Cake cutting was done to “Marry You” by Bruno Mars, and our first dance was to “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur.

Did you have something borrowed, something blue, something old, and something new? If so, do tell!

Borrowed: my perfume from my maid of honor. Blue: my flowers in my bouquet. Old: the gift “from” my grandpa - a piece of one of his fishing caps that was sewn into my dress. New: shoes and earrings.

Share your best practical advice for our soon-to-be brides.

Don’t sweat the small stuff! Everything will come together, I promise! Take the last week to enjoy being an engaged couple and spend some quality time with your fiancé and family as the next week will go by so fast!

The best advice I received was to “let things go.” No one else knows the precise vision that exists inside your head for your wedding, and their perception will be that everything is beautiful. So if the flowers aren’t the EXACT color, if that one decoration you had to have isn’t available, no one but you will notice. Take time to enjoy your day and let the planners handle the rest!

What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together?

Other than the typical “buy a house, have babies, and live happily ever after,” David and I plan to take a year to enjoy our married status and each other. We enjoyed making memories on our honeymoon in Playa Mujeres! David is in his first year as a head basketball coach, and we both know big things are in our future! We are currently taking the time to enjoy the present and live in the moment with each other!

Let us know one thing that WOWed you while working with McKenzie Phillips.

McKenzie was always very thorough! She always came prepared to our meetings and brought up a lot of points and topics that may easily go overlooked. She was easy to get ahold of and had an exceptionally fast response time. Without a doubt, she made my entire wedding vision come to life!

Real WeddingsMcKenzie PhillipsNovember 20, 2019summer wedding, Real Wedding Wednesday, Wedding Planning