Real Brides: Jessica

Photo by Emmaline Pheriby Photography

Matt and I new each other through mutual friends since high school, but we never really hung out or got to know each other until 5 years ago. I was a divorced mom of three amazing little boys and he was a bachelor living his best life. Fast forward to Christmas 2016 and my grandparents surprised my sister and I with tickets to see Lee Brice. I was fully committed to being a single mom and had asked one of my best friends to go with me. About two weeks before the concert she had a family matter happen where she couldn’t go and my sister jokingly said she was going to sign me up for a dating website if I didn’t find a date soon. Matt and I had spoke a few times through social media and I knew he was a gentleman so I took the initiative to ask him to be my date for the concert, to which he replied with “don’t tempt me with a good time.” About a month after the concert he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. Not long after that he took me for a tour of his families farm and I fell in LOVE with this massive Oak Tree and I jokingly said “when you marry me one day it will be under that Oak Tree.” Fast forward to Christmas 2020 and he asked me to marry him and asked my sons if he could be their bonus dad. On October 23, 2021, my late grandmothers birthday, we tied the knot under that huge oak tree surrounded my family and friends. 

I chose my wedding dress because it just felt like me. I new going to my appointment I didn’t want a solid white dress, I wanted something a little bit different. This dress was actually the first one I pulled off the rack and the last one I chose to try on because I just knew it was the one when I saw it the first time. It wasn’t heavy nor so snug that I couldn’t breathe in it. It had just the right amount of elegance mixed with sex appeal that I wanted and it just fit our outdoor theme. The lace overlay with the Ivory color underneath was the perfect color that I was looking for. I walked out to show my bridesmaids and my family and I began to cry before I even saw their reactions. It was literally love at first site.

Bride Jessica wore a Simply Val Stefani style.