Lauren + Aaron

A Classic Fall Wedding at Thousand Acre Farm

Lauren and Aaron’s story is actually pretty funny. They attended the same high school since 9th grade, but it wasn’t until their junior prom that they “met” each other. Lauren’s best friend asked her to take a picture of her and Aaron and when Lauren saw him her heart stopped. He was gorgeous, and in that moment she knew he was something special. Her friend apparently also thought he was something special because they started dating that summer entering senior year. After enduring a very short relationship, it was Lauren’s turn to express her feelings (with the blessing of her best friend), and she asked Aaron to their Sadie Hawkins dance and he said yes! They had their first kiss, and Aaron’s first time kissing anyone (thankfully he never kissed her bff lol!!) and dated for a brief period, but in that time Lauren fell hard. As they approached the end of high school, they decided to no longer see each other since they’d be heading off to different colleges. They attended prom together as friends, but their feelings for each other never left because during their freshman year of college, they started dating again and have been together ever since! Oh and Lauren’s best friend from high school? Yeah they’re still best friends and she was Lauren’s matron of honor!!!

Their proposal is also a funny story. The day he proposed, they actually weren’t even together. He bought tickets for the Eagles game for his brother’s birthday, and she watched the game at a friend’s house. The Eagles ended up winning, and in the cab ride home, decided he would propose. He was all hyped up from the win, and because of what he’d be doing next, that he came walking in the front door, immediately ready to get down on one knee. Problem was that Lauren wasn’t in sight- She was actually upstairs using the bathroom and after taking her good ole time, she finally made her way downstairs, see Aaron sitting in the chair and say hi. As she made her way over to greet him, she popped a French fry into her mouth and Aaron begins to make his move. Startled and confused – she asked “why are you doing this?!” she just couldn’t believe it was finally happening! So she spit the french fry out and said YES.

Aaron’s a duck hunter and discovered Thousand Acre Farm years back when the venue was being built. He told Lauren what was being built, a wedding venue, and that they’d get married there. She shrugged him off, knowing he only wanted to get married there because of the ducks, but years later when they finally got engaged, they both were still so interested, and the venue had only gotten better. They only toured two venues, with Thousand Acre Farm selected being second. As soon as they pulled down the long driveway to Thousand Acre Farm, they 100% knew it would be the place they’d get married. As Lauren would say “It was just so us!”

Lauren likes simplicity and romance, so with the help of Pinterest and her Cricut, they were able to decorate to their taste and add their personal touches on the day – their initials, a few signs, and pictures- and then added candles and GORGEOUS greenery. They sadly had a close friend that passed away extremely unexpectedly in July 2019, so they honored him beautifully by displaying his picture, a memorial sign Lauren made and a bottle of his favorite whiskey, Wild Turkey.

The reception space was absolutely gorgeous, once Lauren saw the vines of greenery on the farm house tables, her breath was taken away. She jokingly admitted that she can be controlling at times, and that the flowers were one part that she was most concerned but thankfully her florist took their vision and made it 10x better. The bouquet was absolutely stunning! It was so full that it was actually tough for Lauren to carry with one hand lol but it was so beautiful. It was full of greenery, but also accents of burgundy, blue and light pink flowers. The bridesmaids bouquets were just a smaller version of Lauren’s. They really popped against the green dresses!

During the planning process, they agreed that while cake is great, donuts are better, and more “them”. Aaron made an awesome donut board to hold the donuts, and they used assorted cake stands to hold the donuts with filling. It was so cute and creative, everyone loved it!!

Lauren’s bridesmaids surprised her with a scrapbook titled “Best Day Ever,” and each page was personalized by a bridesmaid. They each wrote the sweetest notes, and included some of Lauren’s favorite pictures. 

The bridesmaids wore hunter green dresses, with gold jewelry and shoes. The groomsmen wore navy suits with matching green ties, and duck feather boutonnieres that Lauren made! They all wore the same green tie as Aaron, and he gifted each groomsmen with a gold tie clip. He also gifted each groomsmen and their dad’s with dress socks that had ducks flying on them. 

The two shared an intimate first look, and she could not stop crying as she walked up to Aaron. As she placed her shaking hand on Aaron’s shoulder, he thought it would be funny to point ahead and say “look I see a duck!” It WAS a great idea – Nick & I couldn’t stop laughing and neither could Lauren

I asked Lauren if she had any wedding planning or marriage advice that she’d like to share with other couples planning their day?A: I think my biggest piece of advice is so take every moment in. From planning to the day itself, it all goes so fast. So, definitely take the time to live in each every moment. Also, its cliche, but try not to stress about things you cannot control. Getting married at the end of November, we knew there was the potential for unfavorable weather. I’m definitely one to stress, worry and overthink. However, we did our best to take the approach of not stressing. We reminded ourselves that either way we’re getting married and everyone will still enjoy themselves. Aaron and I are both pretty simple when it comes to what makes us happy – good food, good people and a good time! This is exactly what our wedding was. Plus, everyone raved about the food!
The reception was just overall amazing! We danced so hard, drank so hard, and just had the best time ever!