C&K | Lawrence Kansas Winter Wedding | Oread Hotel | University of Kansas

March 19, 2018

Photos from Chris and Kailey’s winter wedding in Lawrence Kansas at the Oread Hotel by Kansas City wedding photographer Jerry Wang Photography.

Title | Our Story

Tell us how you first met? Who what when where why? Give us the dirty details.

Chris: I first met Kailey at the dog park in Lawrence in late summer of 2012. I guess we both have our dogs to thank for putting us in a position to meet! Kailey was sitting on a park bench wearing shorts (which I remember because I was definitely checking out her nice legs J). There was an open spot on the opposite side of the bench so I decided to sit down and say hello. Being a person who talks a lot, I’m sure I proceeded to say much more.

Kailey: It was the beginning of my junior year at KU, about 4 or 5 months after I adopted my black lab mix, Chloe. Since Lawrence has a great dog park, we started frequenting it. One day, Chloe and I were there when I noticed somebody with nice arms folded in front of his chest. He was laughing at something the dogs were doing. He came over and sat down next to me. We started chatting and he slipped his age into the conversation, which may have clouded my brain for most of the remainder of the conversation, beause I don’t remember much else. After all, he was 31 and I was just 20. Still, the chemistry was there and we exchanged numbers. The rest is history.

When did you know he / she was the one? Was there something he / she did?

Chris: It wasn’t necessarily something she did, but more so the way she made me feel. The more we talked and spent time together, the more I felt that we would become amazing friends. And it sure didn’t hurt that I was extremely attracted to her!

Kailey: I didn’t know until sometime after he told me he loved me for the first time. There wasn’t really an ah-ha moment, but the more time I spent with him the more it was obvious that it was right.

What is the most memorable date you’ve ever had?

Chris: We have had many incredible dates over the years, and I have so many great memories to look back on. One of my favorites was from my birthday this year. Kailey took me out for a delicious steak dinner and Bulls game in Chicago! Food and basketball are two of my favorite things and she knows this very well!

Kailey: While living in Lawrence, one day we decided to drive to KC to go to an indoor shooting range. I remember that he was driving and claimed he could follow directions and get us to where we were going, especially since he had been there before. He took a couple wrong turns. This was the first of many, many instances to come where Chris attempts to follow the GPS and still manages to makes wrong turns. This was one of the first times he taught me to shoot and I did a little better than I thought I would! It was something totally new for me, but a lot of fun (once we got to where we were going). He also took me to Arthur Bryant’s to have KC BBQ for the very first time.

Tell us about the proposal (did you see it coming, how long was it in the planning? How did you feel? Nervous, excited, freaking out?)

Chris: I had been planning my marriage proposal for a couple of months, so by the time it actually happened I was very nervous but also excited!

Kailey: I knew it was coming since the ring design had been picked out, and he started asking me what kind of metal I wanted. I made sure to keep up with keeping my nails done and looking nice. Luckily, I happened to get them done the day before the proposal. He said we were going to go out to dinner with his mom in Topeka to celebrate him passing his board exam (even though that was 2 weeks prior and had been celebrated already). We got to his mom’s house and she gave him an overly excited hug, which I definitely noticed. It had started to drizzle on the way there, but Brent suggested we go walk the “new trail” he created in the back yard. We did, even though it was starting to get dark and rain a little bit and all was normal until I could see the end of the woods of the trail and make out a bon fire and a trail of luminaries. It was then that I knew, and we both kind of stopped talking, probably both stuck in our own heads. We made our way to the full size tee-pee (yes, a legit tee-pee like Native American’s used) where the fire was blazing. Chris said some jumble of words that I don’t remember and then he got down on one knee and proposed!

Tell us the one thing you love most about each other.

Chris: I love how she doe little things every day to make me feel special, like cooking one of my favorite dinners and having it warm and ready as soon as I get home from work.

Kailey: I know he always has my back no matter what. He puts up with my girl-mood-swings. He is incredibly caring to everyone around him.

If you feel comfortable, share with us something silly or quirky the other person does.

Chris: I think it’s cute that after almost 5 years of being together, Kailey still has this sort of shyness about her that comes out in certain situations. It makes me smile.

Kailey: This man can sleep more than anyone else in the entire world. He’ll go to bed at a semi-normal time and I’ll get home after working 12 hours and go to sleep at 8am, and sometimes I still wake up before he does. However, if you ever need him to wake up, all you need to do is start talking about cars or basketball and he’ll almost always immediately perk up.

Describe the theme or décor for your wedding.

Chris: ‘Winter theme and colors: navy blue, white, gray/silver

Kailey: Classy, elegant, with a winter vibe

Photography | Jerry Wang Photography

Video | Tower Studios Videography

Hair | Hello Lovely

Makeup | Ag Artistry

Transportation | Busrental.com

Ring | CY Fredrics

Florist | Jennifer’s Flowers and Events

Ceremony Venue | The Oread Hotel

Reception Venue | The Oread Hotel