Austen and Maria's Wedding in Oldenburg, Indiana

The story of our wedding

We met in college and dated for around five years before getting engaged on a hike at a local state park. It was a 90-plus degree day in September and my now-husband insisted on going on a hike - now I know why!

Wedding planning went quickly with a large number of the "big" items checked off within the first week. Between my parents and I, many elements were DIY, so our 13-month long engagement was perfect to get project completed. Our personally made items such as the wooden lantern centerpieces and wood flower bouquets are now treasured pieces in our home.

Our ceremony was held in a quanit German town in Southeastern Indiana - Oldenburg - which has a population of approximately 650 people. Despite the small-town size, there were three weddings in town that day! They were all church weddings, but the weather was absolutely incredible, averaging at about 78 degrees with the slightest breeze to give my cathedral length veil a flutter and not a cloud in sight.

We had a religious Catholic ceremony with around 275 guests in attendance. Our ceremony featured beautiful music by family members, many tears during our vows, and hugs all around. We stopped by a German bar across the street for a drink with our bridal party before heading to the reception and it was so much fun getting to celebrate with our closest friends and family first.