A Unique, Pattern-Filled Wedding in Nebraska

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bride and groom smiling outside for wedding portrait — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Though Alicia and Austin grew up in the same town in Nebraska, they attended different schools, so it wasn't until Alicia's high school basketball team made it to state that the two finally met and began dating on May 22, 2017. After Austin proposed on the beach in Florida in 2019, the pair began planning a wedding for June of 2020; by March, they realized they would need to postpone to the following year due to the pandemic. "We did not really have a date in mind for the wedding in 2021," says Alicia, "and the first day that worked with all of our vendors was May 22. We said yes right away—without realizing that was the day we first started dating."

So, exactly four years after they became a couple, Alicia and Austin exchanged vows at his family church, Our Savior Lutheran, followed by a reception for 275 at the Norfolk Country Club in Norfolk, Nebraska. "We wanted to have the wedding in our hometown to make sure all of our loved ones would be able to come—I wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable," says Alicia. "We wanted to have family and friends involved as much as possible."

The couple enlisted Lovestruck Events to help coordinate the details of their "modern, organic, elegant" day: a color palette of pale pink, citron, rust, and blue; timeless letterpress invitations with a custom monogram; a dramatic fringed ceiling installation over the dance floor; subtle nods to Alicia's Native American background. They even made sure their youngest guests were well-taken care of with a kids' tent, where movies, a balloon artist, and a magician kept the little ones entertained. "Try to enjoy the entire process of planning all the way to the wedding day as it truly does fly by once the day comes," says Alicia. "At the end of the day your opinions are the only ones that matter."

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Leaves and Lines

geometric themed wedding invitation suite — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Lovestruck Events designed a custom monogram for the couple's three-piece invitation suite, which was enclosed in a geometrically printed folder and wrapped with leather cording strung through a wood veneer tag. A vine-printed envelope liner complemented the crisp lines and angles on the enclosure.

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Try—and Try Again

bride wearing sleeveless long lace train wedding dress — Mike Cassimatis Photography

After Alicia tried on her ivory Enzoani lace wedding dress while shopping with a group, she couldn't get it off her mind. "I knew it was the one because it was the only gown that I wanted to try on twice," she says. "I started to tear up the second time I tried it on and knew it was the one."

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Blushing Beauties

bride with bridesmaids wearing pink dresses — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Alicia's bridesmaids wore gowns in a matching shade of blush, but chose different silhouettes. "I wanted all of the girls to pick a dress they could be comfortable in the whole day," says Alicia. They also wore drop earrings that matched Alicia's Native American beaded pair.

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Three of a Kind

bride smiling with three flower girls wearing flower crowns — Mike Cassimatis Photography

She gave her flower girls their pick of gowns, but the winner was obvious: "I had five different dress options for them to all choose," she says, "and all three chose the most fluffy dress." The girls also donned earrings to coordinate with the bride's and delicate flower crowns.

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Navy Tux

Austin paired his navy Michael Kors tuxedo with a bow tie and black dress shoes, putting a contemporary twist on a timeless look. His groomsmen wore the same tuxedo, and all the men were given small white boutonnières tied with leather cord.

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Pretty Blooms

various white and pink floral wedding bouquet — Mike Cassimatis Photography

The bride's whimsical bouquet was arranged organically and featured a variety of roses, daisies, and greens.

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So in Love

bride and groom hug during first look outside — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Emotions were high as the bride and groom met for their first look before the ceremony: Alicia was "happy and excited to finally see Austin after a crazy morning of getting ready," while Austin's best man kept offering him a glass of water to calm his nerves.

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Pretty Programs

white and gray wedding programs — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Ceremony programs were printed on papers to match the invitations, and tucked into a pocket with scripted text reading "To Have and to Hold" on the front. A blue leather pull helped guests slip the card out of its holder to follow along during the ceremony.

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Big Energy

flower girl wearing flower crown walking processional — Mike Cassimatis Photography

A flower girl made a high-energy entrance at the start of the service.

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A Location with History

father of the bride escorting bride down processional aisle — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Alicia's father walked her down the aisle of Our Savior Lutheran Church, where Austin grew up. "Our Savior has been Austin's family church for years," says Alicia. "The church had just moved to a new location a few years ago, and the size worked perfectly for us."

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The New Mr. and Mrs.

bride and groom hold hands smiling during recessional — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Holding a traditional religious ceremony was important to the bride and groom, so they asked Pastor Lee Weander, who had baptized both Alicia and Austin, to officiate the wedding. After saying "I do," the couple recessed to Barnett's "Best Day of My Life."

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Holding Pattern

pendleton pattern seating chart sign — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Each guest's name and seating assignment were etched on a blue leather triangle; the individual triangles were then mounted on an oversized wooden board in a traditional Pendleton pattern, and accented with climbing floral arrangements along the bottom.

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Setting the Bar

custom built wedding bar — Mike Cassimatis Photography

A custom bar was built with laser-cut front panels that matched the geometric design on the invitation, and backed by white birch walls, gold shelving, and foliage accents.

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Take a Sip

gold rimmed cocktail filled glasses on serving tray — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Ice water was presented artfully in blush pink glassware and served on patterned trays with leather handles.

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Light Bites

server holding small wooden tray with wedding appetizers — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Cucumber rounds, Italian meatballs, and chicken skewers were offered to attendees post-ceremony.

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Live Music

wedding musician holding guitar — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Rascal Martinez handled the music during the interlude—and got the party started once the reception began.

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Flower Power

reception table with blue tapper candles — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Luxurious draping throughout the space created an intimate atmosphere, while a nearly-seven-foot wide floral installation hung over the head table. Gentle wave shapes on wooden chairbacks tied into the rounded floral design on the linens.

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View from Above

floral table runner topped wedding reception table — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Scalloped rattan chargers and pale blue Heath Ceramics plates set off the tables' striking florals from Ashley Fox Designs, with pink, while, yellow, and peach blooms highlighted against a variety of greenery and foliage accents.

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Nuanced Settings

floral print table linen covered reception table — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Glass and rattan-wrapped candle holders added texture to the tabletop, as did ice blue tapers.

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Bead It

wedding menu on two gray plates — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Blush-colored wine glasses and gold and silver flatware complemented the colors and pattern on the linens, while letterpress menus—each wrapped with a loom-beaded band—displayed the details of the three-course meal.

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Cool Blue

woven placemats and pink wine glasses on gray table linens — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Guest tables were draped in cool-blue linens and accented with wildflower compotes.

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Wrapped in Love

bride and groom wrapped in native american navy star quilt — Mike Cassimatis Photography

After the meal, Alicia's mother presented the couple with a special gift: a star quilt, which was wrapped around the newlyweds as a Native American prayer song was played. "We wanted to showcase Alicia's Native American heritage, and incorporated that in everything we did," says the duo.

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On the Dance Floor

bride and groom share first dance under white fringe covered tent ceiling — Mike Cassimatis Photography

Alicia and Austin chose Dan and Shay's "Speechless" for their first dance, since the music and lyrics felt like "a perfect fit for their wedding day." They opened the dance floor—built underneath a massive installation of white fringe—to friends and family after their solo moment, and, they say, "dancing and having live music was our favorite part of the night."

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Just Desserts

tall four tier white frosted wedding cake — Mike Cassimatis Photography

A four-tier confection from Clever Cakes included two flavors—strawberry cake with vanilla buttercream, and white butter cake with vanilla buttercream—and was "adorned with torn strips of wafer paper arranged asymmetrically to depict texture and movement," says the bride.