Each wedding I shoot is a unique blessing, not because of the decorations, food, or dancing, but because of the wonderful people I come to call my friends by the time the wedding day is over! Katie and Zack are two very special souls, truly brought together by God’s grace, and of course the pure compassion they share for helping others, which is the entire reason the two met (see the link to Katie and Zack’s touching story on their engagement session post)! Their special day has left quite an impression on me, and I’m thrilled to be sharing these images of their awesome October 2011 wedding!
Many grooms hesitate to get into “superstar” mode for the day, mostly because of nerves, and sometimes because they’re camera-shy, but Zack was extremely enthusiastic, and WOW did he have that picture-perfect smile! “I had a blast being the center of attention for a day, and it helped having so many close friends around me to share the experience,” he said.
Katie and Zack’s theme was vintage! They both like things that have a history, which made the Farmer’s Market a fitting venue, as it opened 84 years ago in 1928. They took on many DIY projects and bought a lot of décor from Etsy and the flea market in Canton, TX, which Katie deemed “the BEST flea market ever. Canton is wedding heaven for those who love vintage items”.
Katie and her mother did most of the wedding planning and the Farmers Market provided their day-of coordinator, Heather. “Heather was a big help!” said Katie. “We also had a lot of help from our bridesmaids and groomsmen setting up the day of the wedding.”
In addition to each reception centerpiece being one-of-a-kind, “most of our wedding décor now adorns ours and my parents’ home,” said Katie.
Jett, the couple’s handsome ring bearer, and Presley, one of Katie’s adorable Jr. bridesmaids, are the children of Katie’s high school cheer coach. Katie’s other equally adorable Jr. Bridesmaid, Jordan, is her cousin! Their flower girl, Maggie, is the daughter of one of Zack’s good friends, Elizabeth, who happened to be a Chi Omega at OSU just like Katie, only graduating a few years before Katie became a Cowboy. Zack and Katie were lucky to have such adorable children in their wedding party!
For each other’s gifts before the ceremony, Katie and Zack went above and beyond! Their gifts to each other were enough to get me watery-eyed behind the lens! Besides getting each other traditional gifts, a watch for him and a ring for her, they each secretly planned keepsake books.
“My sentimental gift was a journal of letters to Zack. I started writing in the journal to my future husband when I was 18. I started it with the intention that I’d give it to my husband one day as a gift. The thing I most looked forward to on our wedding day was giving this gift to Zack. I wanted to make sure he knew how long I’d loved him right before I walked down the aisle…” –Katie
“Zack’s gift to me was a scrapbook of our relationship. I knew he’d always collected every receipt from our dates together, starting with the first one. On some he made notes like “first kiss, parking lot at her car, 1492. So nervous. Amazing” and “7-9-11 engaged one year. She looked stunning”. He kept ticket stubs from dates, post-its that I wrote fast food orders on, and he even kept a rose petal from a friend’s wedding we attended together. It meant the world to me to know these things meant so much to him.” –Katie
Katie had both a matron of honor and a maid of honor. Her matron of honor, Abby, is one of Katie’s best friends, a sorority sister, and college roommate! Katie met her maid of honor, Amy, in 2nd grade. The two are also best friends, sorority sisters, and roommates!
Zack and his best man, Tyler Wood, have been friends since 2nd grade! They attended different colleges and have moved to separate cities since high school, but Zack says, “we have remained friends through constant communication and an unbreakable lifetime bond.”
Katie’s dad was so proud of his little girl and told stories about her childhood all day. How sweet is that!? “I think I have found a partner very similar to my dad. I couldn’t be happier about that. Zack and my dad get along great…they love to talk about golf!” –Katie
One of Katie’s favorite memories from her wedding day was seeing Zack for the first time as she walked down the aisle. She was glowing and he was beaming! Katie said, “I could see tears rolling from his eyes. I wouldn’t trade that moment for anything.” Once again, I am in awe of the life-changing moments I am privileged to capture.
“Randy is incredibly talented and nice and having Meggan Petty be his second shooter was icing on the cake since we were sorority sisters.” –Katie
“Randy is sincere and really interested in who you are as a couple, your taste, visions for your wedding day, etc.” –Katie
Katie and Zack’s first dance was to the song “To Make You Feel My Love” by Adele. The two love Adele’s music and are glad she made a song that WASN’T about heartache.
Katie and Zack’s friends were a blast and everyone really knew how to bring a party to life!
“My Chi Omega sisters sang our traditional song ‘Shades’, which is very special to all our sisters.” –Katie
“Me and my close friends from Fort Worth formed the “Juice Harp Gang” in high school and one of our traditions somehow became to sing seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ in an arm-locked circle at all our high school dances. As we all started to get married, we always made sure that “Kiss From A Rose” was played at the reception and when it did, we got together and sang every word at the top of our lungs.” –Zack
And boy, did they! There is no doubt in my mind that Katie will never, ever forget that moment. Afterward she said, “If Zack and I surround ourselves with people like this the rest of our lives, we’re going to have a fun life together!”
Katie’s childhood friend Callie caught the bouquet and she serious about getting it! According to the couple, she is a serial bouquet catcher and has been on a winning streak for quite awhile!
Justin, Katie’s friend from college, caught the garter. It was all-too-fitting that this guy was the one to get it because “he inquired multiple times about the single ladies attending our wedding,” said Katie! What a hoot!
“We heard guests, family members and our wedding party all compliment Randy and Meggan. Randy has ability on the wedding day to be assertive and likeable all at the same time.” –Katie
Katie telling her parents goodbye at the end of the reception was such an important milestone for Katie. “They made the night possible,” she said. “I’m very close to both of them so it was so special!”
The story of Katie and Zack doesn’t stop here! Almost a month after their wedding, The new Mr. and Mrs. Robinson came back for a day-after shoot. No, there was not a dress-trashing (how could anyone harm a masterpiece like Katie’s gown?!), but there was a lot of love, as always, and some more much-needed shots of just the two of them. Stay posted and BE BLESSED!
by Randy Coleman
Katie Robinson - Randy – seeing this truly made my day
Thank you for capturing our day beautifully. We wouldn’t have had it any other way. Thanks for making us feel so special!