Down the Aisle: Stacie + Matt

If you were to ask me, "Khara.... what's the best way to have a truly fantastic wedding?" I'd have a few answers for you. Among my many recommendations would be the following: 1) Find the right person to marry (duh!)

2) Invite your loved ones and a great group of friends

3) And if you really like to party..... Book a killer live band and bring along some Bathtub Dogs (read more for info!)

One of the groomsmen at Matt & Stacie's wedding asked me what word I would use to describe them and the wedding as a whole. My answer? "Fantastic." And I meant it. It's inspiring to see the results that come from a lifetime spent cultivating meaningful relationships with great people and then bringing them all together to celebrate something as special as the beginning of a new family... a wedding. This is Matt & Stacie's story. :)

Wedding location: Saint Joseph's Church Flowers: Hy-Vee Floral Reception: Embassy Suites Band: D*Funk

I gasped when I saw Stacie's dress..... classic. Beautiful. Perfect!

Part of the fun of getting ready with the girls is all the commotion that goes along with it... I love to see curling irons strewn about, piles and piles of eye-shadow, bobby-pins and lip gloss. Of course, nothing beats the chorus of gasped breath when the bride slips into her dress and everyone see's her for the first time.

An artist with needle and thread, Matt's aunt Jane made this hand-stitched card for them and I happened to spot it before she sealed it in an envelope. :)

When you first walk in the door at St. Joe's, you can't help but notice the colorful collection of adorable sun-dresses hanging on the wall. They were made by parishioners for the young girls in their sister city in Haiti. Over the years, they have built a very extensive relationship with a church there... and in addition to the sundresses, the parish raised an impressive $98,000 to help the community deal with the aftermath of the recent earthquake. I like to think about the smiles these dresses will inspire when they arrive someday soon!

Here's the darling couple! You may remember their winter-wonder-land loveshoot session... hard to believe their wedding day was already here!

The boys kept themselves entertained before the ceremony with some paper football.

Love this shot from the ceremony...

Matt's dad and the cutie-pa-tootie flower girl, Ellie (a.k.a: Matt's niece).

Stacie rejoicing in the fact that it wasn't raining... She had been feverishly checking the weather reports... every. single. hour. for weeks. :)

Ok. So... the boys. What a great group of good natured fun, funny and downright entertaining guys! They kept me laughing all day long and had no trouble working it for the camera. Thanks for all the fun guys! (Wait 'til you see their dance moves!)

The girls were truly gorgeous! I was in awe of their incredible up-do's courtesy of Sweet Jane Salon.

What can I say? The camera loved these guys...

The Embassy looked fabulous... (your centerpiece shots are in the can Stacie... Good stuff!)

Matt hooked the guys up with white Keds for the reception. They totally owned the look....

While the girls took five in the ladies room...

Matt's toast was followed by a slide show, where at the end, he surprised everyone with a video where he introduced Stacie to.... THEIR NEW PUPPY! The crowd went wild as Stacie burst into tears of joy. Touché Matt!

The surprises continued as after the first dances, Matt and the groomsmen invited Stacie's mom onto the dance floor where they rocked out to "Stacy's Mom." You go Sue!

I love this shot of Andy owning the dance floor!

Here comes the par-ty! D Funk took the stage and erupted with a funk dance party explosion of epic proportions. If you've never seen them live... you are in for a treat! You can check their schedule and catch them at an upcoming gig. Lead singers Eddie Brown and Maria Lozoya are truly gifted entertainers. I can't wait to take Emir to a future show!

Of course, the night would not be complete without a performance by Matt and the crew from UNL's Bathtub Dogs. They took the stage and serenaded Stacie with not one, but two songs. Gold!