Theresa + Chris

Real weddings

Chris and Theresa first met at the Tulip festival in Pella through friends of friends. They bonded over a love of Anchorman, and Chris’s first line on Theresa was actually a quote from the movie. She thought it was pretty bold! They started going on road trips and mini-adventures around central Iowa and started dating soon after. They were on their seven-year anniversary date to Reiman Gardens having, what Theresa thought was a relaxing day trip, when Chris pulled this beautiful ring out of his pocket and got down on one knee. “He actually never got to technically ask me to marry him,” Theresa tells us, “I said yes before he could!”

Planning their wedding for July 27th, their 10 year anniversary, the couple wanted to keep it simple, and envisioned something fun and whimsical. Living History Farms was the perfect fit and they ended up dubbing their style “Rustic Whimsy”. Their main colors were teal and brown with highlights of purples, greens, blues, and gold. With the help of Theresa’s mom and sister-in-law, they decorated with handmade paper flowers, pennant flag banners, birchwood and fairy light vases, a wedding arch, and lots of burlap. Theresa’s dad and a friend even chipped in making beautifully polished wooden slabs for the mini-cupcakes, and a little stump for the wedding cake. Finally, Theresa worked with Eventfully Yours on the ‘big stuff’ like chairs, table runners, and some ambient décor.

The wedding party was very small and intimate and on the day of the wedding, they had a blast visiting the Des Moines Art Festival and Mayhem Comics and Collectibles, before chowing down at Wendy’s in full wedding garb! The most important thing for Chris and Theresa was that it was a celebration. They wanted people to be there having fun, and even welcomed a few wedding crashers with open arms. Theresa’s biggest piece of advice to newly engaged couples is, “Accept all the help you can get. People are going to offer to help you with your wedding, because they’re excited for you and want to be apart of this huge milestone in your life!”