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Real Texas Wedding: RaeAnna + Kris
We fell in love with the "deer" portrait in the top left as soon as the images came in from Barry at Captivated Images, and how could we not? We love a couple with a sense of humor! (Check out the "jest married" sign at the end, too!) RaeAnna + Kris's ranch branding details, light hunting touches, and bright colored bridesmaid dresses sealed the deal for us. Kudos to RaeAnna's grandmother, who handled all of the flowers!
How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met in the fall of 2008; I had just started in the ER and Kris was one of the charge nurses. Life’s circumstances had us on different paths, and we did not even really converse much until I found out he was my “secret Santa” for the unit’s gift exchange. Following the Christmas party in January 2009, we started spending some time together, and once we began dating in February, it was only weeks until we knew we had found the one God had for each of us.
Describe the proposal: Kris set up a scavenger hunt to lead me to his intended proposal site. He called and told me to get ready for the day, and to call him when I was ready. When I did, he told me to go to the first place we met, which was at a nurses’ station at work. Beginning there, each place I arrived at had roses, framed pictures of us, and a note hinting where to go next. After visiting the first place we met, first place we ate together, and the first place we danced, he told me to drive toward the lake outside of town. I passed him on the highway and he had me pull over, blindfolded me, and then drove me to a beautiful little place near a pond and an old church. After leading me to the intended site, he let me take off the handkerchief. I removed it to find him down on his knee, on a blanket scattered with red rose petals, shaking as he began to read a letter he wrote me. At the end, he pulled out a little wooden box, opened it exposing the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen, and asked me to be his wife.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Joyful, enchanted, and perfect
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We were married outdoors at a beautiful lake house in West Texas. Kris wore his elephant hide cowboy boots with his tux. Our rod iron arch with Texas stars faced the lake and marked the altar. The landscaping was very suiting for a Southern wedding and included iron roadrunners and cactus, old cow skulls, wagon wheels, horse spurs, and even more “Texas stars”. Barbecue brisket was the entrée of choice, and of course we had to have sweet tea to wash down the meal.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: The first day of dress hunting with my mother, sisters, and stepdaughters-to-be over was unsuccessful. Since I had never done this before, I was not aware that we had to make appointments before venturing out. We were not even able to browse in some stores, and it was rather disheartening. I found the perfect dress on my second outing with friends; it was elegant but still practical for the potentially scorching West Texas heat.
Describe your wedding flowers: One of my grandmothers worked in a floral shop for years, and did all the flower arrangements for us. My bouquet was made of white calla lilies, yellow carnations, and coral roses, and Kris wore a single calla lily. The bridesmaids carried three white calla lilies, the groomsmen’s boutonnières boasted orange and yellow mini-roses, and the centerpieces were bold arrangements with various flowers of coral, orange, and yellow to match our colors.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? After speeches were made and we were toasted to, our toasting flutes disappeared. I saw them again later when Kris opened the door to our wedding suite at the bed and breakfast we stayed at that night. He had friends of ours bring the flutes to the room, chill the champagne, and sprinkle the floor with rose petals. It meant so much to me that he had taken the time on such a hectic day to do something so special for me.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now we are just enjoying life as newlyweds. We are blessed by Kris’ three children, Dillan, Miranda, and Destiny, and are thankful to have them in our home. They keep us busy, make us laugh everyday, and they look forward to having another brother/sister in the future. Kris and I are eager to have more vacations and make more memories like ones from our honeymoon getaway. As a family, we are working on getting horses and cattle on the family’s ranch.
Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 08:00AM
Reader Comments (3)
Love her antlers - what a fun wedding!
I love this! I bet it was the most FUN wedding! I love it when you can walk up to a wedding and say..."That is SO [insert bride and/or groom's name here]. My wedding was full of diamonds and feathers... totally me, lol.
The first picture with the antlers made me laugh so hard. My fiance is a hunter so I can completely understand. We are actually going to the baker to figure out the wedding cake and groom's cake. It was nice that you incorporated the Browning logo for his cake. Often times, the groom gets no say in wedding, but y'all pulled off a great compromise and the result was beautiful and unique. Congrats!