Real weddings are extremely inspiring! To get you in the mood to plan, we asked real brides to spill the facts from getting engaged to finding their wedding gowns to the special touches and surprising moments that made their celebrations completely one-of-a-kind. Delicate lace, homespun touches, and pops of greenery brought Tykeyah and Kyree’s rustic outdoor wedding in New Jersey alive. Read on for additional from their big day!

I met my now-husband attending college. We both visited Liberty University in Virginia. I was around the Taekwondo team and was at team sign-ups when I first saw him the very first time. I didn’t think anything of him the very first time we met. He thought I was cute. During this time around I was inside a leg brace dealing with knee surgery. We didn’t talk on that day, but as time continued, we'd talk during Taekwondo practice whenever we weren’t kicking one another around…literally! We would spend time on campus with these mutual friends and we became close.

One time I was sitting alone before practice and he sat by me. I was upset about something which had happened on that day and he was built with a listening ear. At that moment I could tell he not only cared about what helped me sad but genuinely cared about me like a person. I knew at that moment he was the main one. He was always there for me.

Kyree and I were eating dinner with my mate and her boyfriend, which was completely normal. Then we took a walk towards the boardwalk (we live on the Jersey Shore), we were holding hands, and he pulls out his phone. I’m thinking he’s just going for a picture. Then he hands the telephone to my mate. Cool! I guess he and I are going for a picture….I thought. He gets recorded on one knee and asks me to marry him. My first response was “Wait, is it for real!?” It felt wonderful!

We both love the rustic style therefore we knew immediately that people wanted that for the big day. I also love flowers so I wanted them everywhere.

To be truthful I wanted an feeltimes ivory mermaid dress or plus size wedding dresses and I was set on that. However, when I went towards David’s Bridal in Freehold, NJ, I started browsing. I saw some nice mermaid-style dresses but a particular dress caught my attention. It was an ivory champagne ball gown. Opposite from what I wanted. I decided to test it and I loved the way it looked on me. My girlfriends were beside me and one of them started crying. I knew that dress maybe it was, it had been stunning!