The Wedding Story of... Hilary & Mike Riley

I moved to Fort Wayne following graduation from Goshen College. I started my career and moved in with a family. I had only been living in Fort Wayne a couple weeks when I was approached by my best friend to go downtown on a blind date. Despite hesitation on both of our parts, Mikey and I agreed. There was an instant connection. We met on June 6th and three days later I knew I loved him and was going to marry him. We dated for eight months until Mikey proposed to me on January 8th, on an ice skating rink, in downtown Fort Wayne. The proposal was perfect and a smile was frozen on my face, both figuratively and literally.  

 

 

 

 

I am a thrift store junkie. I like to take something used and give it life again, so naturally I wanted my wedding decorations to be as unique as possible. I had a very small budget, which to some people might be stressful, but for me I saw a chance to be creative. Due to my lack of enthusiasm for the traditional, we tried to create an atmosphere that was the perfect representation of us - “country-chic, love bird” theme. Instead of having guests sign a book, my dad created a “guest plaque.” He painted a tree and Mikey and I used thumbprints as leaves. Our guest signed the trunk of the tree, representing the foundation of people supporting us in our marriage. We placed a combination of recycled Ball jars,  lentils and split peas, tea-lite candles and fresh Hydrangeas on the ends of the pews. We then wrapped wool yarn around the jars, giving them the country chic look. During the ceremony, I wanted to be able to sit and enjoy the entertainment with the guests. My mom found a white wrought iron bench for Mikey and me to sit on during the special music and scripture reading. The printed programs – a gift from one of the bridesmaids - were very untraditional.

 

 

 

 

My flower girl was two-years old and precious. I wanted her to feel pretty without purchasing an expensive dress, so I found a family friend who was able to make her a yellow tutu. Also, because she is two and I wanted her to have fun, she carried yellow balloons rather than flowers.  

 

My ring bearer was also two and he is the second love of my life. He wore a blue-collared shirt with khaki pants and I found a homemade bow tie from esty.com for him to wear. I didn’t want to worry about him throwing a pillow, so I made him a nest and tied two fake rings into the nest, which was tied to his wrist.  (He needed a nap the day of the wedding and, needless to say, didn’t perform to the best of his abilities on the big day). He still was adorable.

 

 

 

 

Our reception was at Salomon Farm Park on the north side of Fort Wayne. Immediately after seeing the barn, I knew it was the perfect place. I even changed the date of the wedding because I just had to have my wedding there. It was very inexpensive and had enough character that we didn’t need tons of decorations. I spent countless hours searching antique stores, thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets looking for centerpieces. We decorated birdcages and antique ceramic water pitchers getting the floral supplies from craft and dollar stores. My wonderful mother-in-law created burlap runners under the centerpieces on each table. Every table had a unique look, which for us meant it didn’t matter if a decoration made it to the reception because you couldn’t tell the difference. The head table was my favorite part to decorate. I found these great antique white window panes to hang from the rafters. I found a wreath at a thrift store and bought mossy ribbon to cover the wreath, and then my mother-in-law and I added the décor. My dad, the production manufacturer of all my crazy ideas, was able to create beautiful simple-looking love birds. We placed them in the birdcages and he made our cake topper with the two birds.  

 

 

 

 

Being on a tight budget, I wanted to do a two-in-one gift, so I bought the bridesmaids clutch purses as their gift and they walked down the aisle with those rather than flowers.

 

 

 

 

My dress was on clearance and I thought my maid of honor was crazy when she handed it to me to try on. But then, I didn’t want to take it off, which was a good sign. I made the birdcage veil from craft-store materials and added a flower I found on a headband from a jewelry shop.  

 

 

 

 

Overall, the day was the best representation of Mikey and me possible. We wanted our wedding to be a fun, energetic, Christ-centered, day and because of the wonderful people we have in our lives, that dream became reality. Even though we had a tight budget, we were able to utilize the resources we had and still come up with a day that celebrated our two lives becoming one.