Watch Sparks Fly in This Lake of the Ozarks Celebration: The Real Wedding of Darby and Kirk Comstock

"It was love at first swipe! We met on the dating app Hinge although Kirk’s favorite response to this question is to tell people we met on Craigslist," Darby jokes. After spending their first date huddled around a heater on an uncharacteristically cold Texas night, Kirk and Darby couldn't get enough of each other. To propose, Kirk said he was out of town and sent Darby and her best friend on an Amazing Race type scavenger hunt that led her to a bridge overlooking Dallas where Kirk, Darby's parents, and 15 of their out of town friends were waiting!
 

When Darby went dress shopping, she did have one idea in mind. "On Instagram, I saw a lot of people were doing either two dresses or some kind of transformation dress. I really liked the idea of two different looks for the reception and ceremony, so I went into dress shopping with that idea," Darby shares. She was able to find a show-stopping belted train that could be removed for the reception and chose a simple off-the-shoulder dress to complement the train. With a few alterations, the dress perfectly matched Darby's vision!
 

The theme for their wedding was very simple once they realized Lake of the Ozarks was the perfect halfway point for their families. "We couldn’t get married at the lake without being on the lake!" Darby explains. "Our guests had a blast and so did we." With the wedding idea planned, they really wanted the reception to be the best party for their guests. They even asked a friend to perform "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC like he does at their annual float trip, and he went all out with money shooters and sparklers!
 

 

What We Love

The bride and groom went back and forth for a while on whether to have their vows be read in front of their friends and family during the ceremony or to keep them to themselves. Darby gushes, "We decided to do them during our first look, which is something I do not regret. It was such a special, loving moment to do alone!" They also decided to incorporate beer boys instead of a flower girl, and their guests got a kick out of having 20-something year old men coming down the aisle before Darby.
 

 

Advice for the Couple

Darby and Kirk advise, "This is a tad cliché, but I wholeheartedly believe in it—make sure that you end up doing what YOU and your partner want because at the end of the day its your wedding! My favorite parts of our wedding were the things we did that aren’t 'typical' like having Kirk’s frat brother perform a song. So, don’t be afraid to step outside of what’s 'expected' at a wedding if that really speaks to you and your relationship! After all, your wedding should be a reflection of who you are as individuals and a couple."
 

 

 

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