Real Weddings: Caitlyn & Ciara

October 21, 2017 | 1 of 13 Photography

Tell us about your wedding!

I wanted our special day to represent us as a couple and what was important to us to celebrate our union. The farm in itself held special meaning to us because the cows and donkey who now live there were originally mine. The gracious couple who own the farm, Tom and Kaia Mates, who are now family friends bought the original 3 cows and donkey from me and now have grown it to a herd of 25+. Ciara and myself both being huge animal lovers couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else than on this beautiful farm, which was so close to my heart!

Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception?

Everything was DIY! Literally everything was made by myself or loving family members, except for our gorgeous flower bouquets. Everything was DIY from the table numbers, name cards, and center pieces to the floral archway over the alter, my flower crown and all the handwritten chalkboards. I love crafting so it was so much fun to collect all the silk flowers to make the floral decorations and make our vision come to life. Both our moms and Meme helped to bring to life all the items we made and helped customize our wedding.

What were the florals like in your wedding?

A friend of ours, Judy of Surf City Florist, did an amazing job on Ciara and my bridal bouquets as well as our bridesmaid’s bouquets. We chose our colors of Marsala wine, blush and eucalyptus green very early on and that really inspired the decor and flower choices.

Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)?

I think one of our favorite parts of the day was getting to marry each other and the ceremony! Two of our really good friends, Noel and Laura Dawn, who are also married and got ordained just to marry us performed the ceremony. They really captured our love for each other and the meaning of our relationship in words for the ceremony service. We also really love dancing and so does the rest of our family and friends.

Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look?

Well what’s better then one wedding dress? Two wedding dresses! My wife and I both wore dresses that fit our style and personality. Ciaras was a low back, form fitting silhouette dress that was lacey and covered in crystals. Mine was a raw silk ball gown with crystal beaded straps that I added myself for a little extra bling! What was also special was that we didn’t see each other’s dresses until we walked down the isle on our wedding day! The suspense and surprise of the dresses reveal was totally worth the wait!

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal. We were lucky enough to have been one of those couples that met online, but had a few mutual friends who helped usher the process along. Having two brides meant two amazing proposals, each one surprising the other in their own way. I asked Ciara first to marry me surrounded by her favorite animal, a large colony of Africa Penguins at the Pittsburgh Aviary where all our friends and family could watch live on the penguin cam. Ciara surprised me a few months later and proposed to me on our trip to New Orleans. We were walking through Audubon Park and she got down on one knee under a huge live oak and got my turn to say YES!

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

We were lucky enough to have a good friend of ours, Lia Capito, be our day of wedding planner and we could NOT have done it without her. She helped set up, make sure events flowed throughout the day and seriously helped the big picture come together! Our advice would be to make sure your marrying your best friend because the stress and organization that comes into planning your own wedding is all worth it when you finally get to say ‘I Do’!

Photographer: 1 of 13 photography | Caterer: Funky Fresh Food Truck