Cheers to spring weddings in Kansas! And also to my first wedding of 2018! It was a little chilly for group photos, but the bridal parties and families powered through and it was well worth it. The ceremony was held at none other than my very own church (College Church of the Nazarene in Olathe, KS) and the reception was at the Lenexa Community Center. Holding the wedding there was particularly special for Eric and Amber since they met at a Life Group/bible study through the church. Our pastor officiated and two other friends in our Young Adult group did the music: Betsy Robison on piano and Katie Rose Weissend (our worship director) on vocals! Shameless plug: Betsy is a piano teacher if you know of anyone looking for some in the area and Katie Rose + her husband are available for hire for weddings (katierose@collegechurch.com). 

Eric describes Amber as lovely, caring and funny while she describes him as gentle, kind and outgoing. It has been so fun to be around them for the very beginning of their journey into a long life together and I’m so excited to see all that the future holds for these two wonderful people! 

Amber described their engagement story in a nutshell: “We took a trip out to Vegas and while we were there we went to the Grand Canyon. We were on a tour that had three different stops. And on the last stop you got to see more of the Canyon. We were walking up to kind of an overlook spot where you could see a lot more and once we got to the top there was this random stranger up there and Eric gave this man my phone and asked if he could video record us. So after this happened I pretty much knew what was about to happen (that and the strange box shaped outline in his pocket). Then Eric got down on one knee and said a bunch of nice things and asked if I would marry him. Of course I said yes.”

She says that one of her favorite things about Eric is how patient and easy-going he is with her and others. One of Eric’s favorite things about Amber is her self-sacrificial love for others. All they wanted for their wedding was for it to go as smoothly as possible and just to be able to celebrate their commitment to God and to each other with their family and friends, the people they care about most. From start to finish, I would say it was a wild success!! p.s. they went to Thailand for their honeymoon – super jealous! 

Shoutout to all the vendors who helped make it all happen!

• Wedding Coordinator – Kristen Oyer Howell
• Cake(s) – Beth Meerdink
• Officiant – Pastor Dave Sharpes, College Church of the Nazarene
• Bridal Dress – JJ’s House
• Bridesmaid’s Dresses – Etsy
• Tux Rental – Men’s Wearhouse
• Hair Stylist – Tammy Motti
• DJ – Four Star Entertainment