A Starlit Michigan Wedding: The Real Wedding of Valerie and Christopher Degenhardt

Photos ByDan Cox Photography

Written By

Chrysa Keenon

Date

September 25, 2019

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Who knew that mutual love of football would give Valerie and Christopher the perfect chance to hit it off? Valerie and Chris met on the night when Michigan State won the Big Ten Championship to advance to the Rose Bowl, and the two were out at a bar with mutual friends celebrating the big win. They met, and the rest is history. What a touchdown!

For the proposal, Chris utilized the furriest member of their family by putting the engagement ring on their dog’s collar. Valerie explains, “She is a Goldendoodle–when she ran to the door to greet me when I got home, I couldn’t even tell she had anything on because her hair was so fluffy and curly. Chris had to take her collar off and hold it up so I could see the ring while he got down on one knee.” This pooch sure looks happy to be included in such a big moment!

We love the romantic lacework and layers of Valerie’s dress. She says, “I knew I wanted an A-line type dress that had a full skirt. My mom and sister made me try on a couple of different dress styles but I still didn’t love them all.” It was a match made in heaven!

The couple immediately started looking for venues because they wanted a short engagement. However, a short engagement stretched into a long one due to the couple wanting warmer weather—but this wedding was worth the wait! Valerie says when looking for a venue, she didn’t want a traditional hall. “I loved the industrial, modern and romantic type look so tried to combine them all,” she explains. They choose the Holly Vault because neither of them had been to it before and they were excited to make new memories there.

A lot of Valerie's ideas came from Pinterest and by thumbing through bridal magazines. She also listened a lot to recommendations of friends and family when it came to choosing vendors. “I had a photographer friend recommend Dan as our photographer,” she explains. “Our family suggested the caterer after using them at past events, a coworker used the florist and enjoyed them, our D.J. was a family friend and Chris’s brother was our officiant.” We love that this couple utilized their friends and family’s opinions to get everyone involved in their special day!

What we love

We’re always here for a four-legged companion being part of the wedding! Valerie says, “We had our Goldendoodle, Luna, walk down the aisle. She’s a big part of our life and obviously was key in the engagement so we were happy she could be a part of our day.” This pup is central to the couple’s love story! Valerie also explains that her and her sister created the signs and place cards all on their own. We love any D.I.Y. touches to a wedding!

Advice from the couple

When in doubt, go with your gut! Valerie says, “Don’t overthink all your decisions! I spent so much time thinking about what I wanted the table numbers to look like and then finally it was the last minute and I just said these will have to do! Make a decision on the things you can early and just stick with it!”