The Wedding Story of Mekayla & Chris Eppers

Photos ByAnderson Photography

Written By

Kathy Jonas

Date

August 10, 2016

hooray for hollywood:

An Elegant Film Noir Wedding at The Lerner

A recent graduate of Albion College in Michigan, Mekayla Fawn Diehl was working her fifth season at the Elcona Country Club at the July 4 Bash and Buffet when Chris Eppers and his parents and four brothers sat down in her section. When Chris’s mom asked her about her knee brace, Mekayla explained that she was in rehab after four years of college volleyball. After dinner, Chris invited her to play on his sand volleyball team. When the team turned out to be full, he called her and asked her out to dinner.

THE PROPOSAL

October 2014 was a busy month for the two: she was reigning Miss Indiana USA and he was traveling for business as president of Augusta RV in Bristol. Because both of them love Halloween, Chris said he wanted to spend the entire weekend doing all things fall-ish and Halloween-ish. After running a corn maze and eating caramel apples, the two went home to carve their traditional green and orange pumpkins. He sent her to the dumpster to get rid of the insides and when she came back he got on one knee and asked her to light the pumpkin. She found a green box inside. “I opened the top and was instantly upset because I thought he broke my pumpkin!” He asked her to marry him.

THE Dress

Being well versed in gowns from the pageant industry, the bride wanted something different – no lace or rhinestones please! She stumbled across Hayley Paige’s Instagram page and fell in love with her designs. She went to a trunk show in Chicago and was able to work hand in hand with the designer to find the perfect dress.

THE Flowers

Jenifer Rupnow of Matzke Florist says they designed the bride’s bouquet for an elegant look with white roses, white calla lilies, and stock, while the bridesmaids carried bouquets of red roses. The tiered centerpieces of three different heights incorporated hydrangeas, Dendrobium Orchids, carnations and stock (to name just a few).

THE Colors

Because the Lerner is so beautiful, the bride didn’t want to contrast with the colors already in the room and decided on the classic red, ivory and black.

THE reception

Guests didn’t sit around at this reception! The couple planned it to be very interactive with quizzes, games, photo booth complete with items from the traditional Native American ceremony on display, and guests dressing up in red-carpet attire from different movie genres. Special guests: Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber and Mary Poppins.

THE Cake

Sweet-Em’s Cake Shoppe in Goshen created the art deco cake with marble flavor and raspberry filling.

The DÉCOR/Theme

Mekayla wanted the theme of her October wedding to be “Old Hollywood Glam.” She credits Jen from Matzke Florist; The Crystal Ballroom at The Lerner Theater, and Anderson Photography for having the expertise to carry out the couple’s vision. “I found that giving my experts and vendors the creative power allowed them to think outside the traditional wedding box.” Movie posters recreating some of their favorite romantic comedies were placed in various spots at the reception.

Funniest Moment

Mekayla loved seeing her guests letting loose on the dance floor, although most couldn’t compete with Harry and Lloyd in their blue and orange suits.

FAVORITE MEMORY

“The entire day. And I made sure I was the first and last person on the dance floor.”

What We Love

Because the bride’s mother lives on a Native American reservation in Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada, the couple visited there the August before the wedding and had a traditional ceremony with her family and ancestors. During the October ceremony, her mother Skyped from the reservation while her dad walked her down the aisle.

Advice from the Bride

“Trust your vendors. While controlling every single detail might seem like something you want to do, it’s just added stress. Guide them to do their job and let go of the reins.”