Karlynn and Luke: Mom Knows Best

Written by: Clare Spencer

Photography by: Ben and Mindy of Studio 6.23

http://studio6-23.com/

When you move in with new roommates the last thing on your mind is, “Oh I’m definitely going to marry one of these strangers someday.” No one thinks that, but when Karlynn moved in with her friend Jenna and three other roommates, her mother had a feeling that Karlynn would marry one of them. It turned out to be her roommate Luke, who, like her, majored in Sales and Marketing at Western Michigan University and they both shared a mutual friend, Jenna. They ended up working together and after basically seeing each other every day, later on a Valentine’s Day Luke asked Karlynn to be his girlfriend ‘officially’.

“I guess Moms really do know best!”

One of the first times Karlynn and Luke went away together for a weekend was to Karlynn’s favorite city, Chicago. While there they happened to stop by the Chicago Theater to take a photo together to remember the trip. It was a perfect shot, capturing the theater and the river. Three years later the couple found themselves back in Chicago on a trip for work. It was nearly -10oF outside the first morning but they decided to go about the city anyway. It was early morning so the streets were practically empty of people (probably on account of the weather). As they made their way past the Chicago Theater Luke said he had a question for Karlynn. Confused, Karlynn watched as her seven-foot-tall boyfriend crouched down on one knee right there on sidewalk of Chicago. He started rifling through his pockets, eventually locating the ring, and asked her to marry him.

“Man of my dreams, favorite city, beautiful ring…You know I said yes!”

Karlynn’s wedding gown had to be something special. She had been to so many shops in Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids and even Kleinfelds in New York City, that she was starting to believe her perfect dress wasn’t out there. When she saw what would become her dress hanging there in Mimi’s she knew it had that special quality she was looking for.

“I knew the fabric was something I needed to try on.”

With the dress on, she finally felt like everything she was looking for was combined in this one dress. It was ‘Joni’ by Augusta Jones, a modern gown with a vintage feel. This gown features a high scoop neckline, edged with beads and crystals, fully beaded scalloped fabric, in a slightly fitted silhouette that gradually flared out.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Belmont, Michigan was the church Karlynn attended growing up and ended up being their wedding ceremony space. Their reception venue was The Cheney Place in Grand Rapids.

“We love the industrial feel of the venue and the options they had to glam it up. The older elements of the space mixed with the renovations they had done to it make for the perfect venue.”

“At the end of the day, the people you share your big day with are what makes it so special. […] I honestly couldn’t imagine a better day.”

To all couples in the depths of wedding planning, here is some ‘after the wedding’ advice from Karlynn:

“Go on your honeymoon right away if at all possible. [..] Soak up all of the wedded bliss as much and as long as you can before going back to the real world.”

#bridal #weddings