Weddings are so fun, and we love getting to feature lovely, modest weddings on our blog! Today, we are interviewing Kayla Gilmore and are thrilled to feature her gorgeous wedding. Kayla, thank you so much for sharing the story of your special day!
KG: Thank you so much for asking me to be a part! I throughly enjoyed looking back on our day and my emotions.
SI: How would you describe your wedding decor theme or vibe?
KG: For our wedding I wanted a timeless theme. I wanted to be able to look back years from now and not regret choosing trendy colors, decor, or anything that would soon be outdated. As for the colors, we went with black and white with a touch of emerald green for the bridesmaids' dresses.
I wanted all white florals and a mixture of real and synthetic to give a full but extravagant look for half of the price. I couldn’t find picture inspiration for what I was envisioning, so I made a sketch just from what was in my brain and so many people helped put it all together.
SI: What are some of your favorite or special memories of your wedding day?
KG: There are SO many favorites it’s hard to choose. I wanted our day to have fun aspects. My mother told me, “There are no rules to a wedding”, and I ran with it.
Instead of flower girls, we asked our grandmothers to throw petals. They didn’t think we were serious at first, but we assured them and they all accepted. This was such a fun moment and everyone loved it, especially them!
My dad made a spinning wheel for the reception with challenges guests would complete when it landed on one, kind of like Wheel of Fortune. These challenges were anywhere from doing the chicken dance back to your seat, to donating to the honeymoon fund. Our guests loved this game.
Dalton begged me about a hundred times to please sing a song to him at our wedding, but I knew my voice would be too shaky to get any words out. I surprised him and prerecorded our song, “I Choose You” that was played during our unity. Our unity wasn’t a candle lighting or tying a knot, but something more symbolic for the both of us. We took dirt from each of our childhood homes and our soon-to-be-shared home and poured them together. We plan to plant a tree with the mixture to illustrate our growing and eternal love.
But ultimately, saying “I do” to my perfect groom, Dalton, was my favorite part of the day. I will never forget my feelings in that particular moment. Happiness, nerves, love, anticipation, so many overwhelming emotions (in the best way).
SI: Were there any funny moments or things that didn't go according to plan?
KG: With our crew, there is hardly a dull moment. One that sticks out to me was that we all had to enter the reception together, on the second floor, by an elevator. We had 16 people all on one small elevator and were trying to time our entrance with a song. We entered dancing and yelling and everything was so perfectly chaotic.
However, you can never plan enough for unforeseen circumstances. Of course things went wrong, but we chose not to let it ruin our mood. We had musical difficulties, ran out of food, and plenty of other things that I’m sure I wasn’t made aware of. But of course, we improvised, the caterer brought more food, and it was still the best day ever.
SI: How did you find the perfect wedding dress?
KG: Every girl makes those wedding Pinterest plans and dreams of their wedding dress for years. For me, it was exactly the same way. I wanted a classic dress with small details. I wanted to wear the dress, not have the dress wear me. I wanted something that didn’t need too much alterations or additions. The first dress I tried on was THE one, but I tried on many more just to play dress up! There’s only one time in your life you get to try on gowns like these and I took full advantage.
SI: Do you have any advice for future brides?
KG: All of your favorite people are in one room at one time. Take a moment and look around at how many people are there to love and support you; it’s quite overwhelming.