Deidra & Jon | Wedding Highlights
Surprisingly, it's not often that my personal and professional lives intersect, but it's always so exciting when they do!
I met Deidra and Jon in June 2017 during my first summer working at Camp Walden in upstate New York. Immediately I knew they were both such warm and welcoming people (as is the camp spirit). When they got engaged that December, I practically begged them to let me film their wedding - I mean, HELLO, have you SEEN these two beautiful humans?
Jon and Deidra also met each other for the first time at Camp Walden, almost eight years ago. They shared their first kiss on the tennis courts under the stars (and, trust me, those stars are like nothing else, nestled in the darkness of the Adirondacks). After spending one moment with these two, you just know they were meant to cross paths.
I asked them when they realized this was The One:
"I knew when I came close to losing him in my life. He was always the man I wanted to tell everything to and it wasnât until we were hundred of miles apart that I realized that a life without him wasnât a fulfilling life," Deidra told me. "It was then when I knew I had to be with him forever. No one else would ever compare."
Jon doesn't have a specific moment that sticks out, but "it was solidified when Deidra came back to camp for the summer before our engagement," he says. "We got to spend a lot of time together as summers were our only time where we werenât doing distance. It was then I knew I couldnât see my life without her in it."
Their wedding was a testament to who they are as people. Every family member, friend, or other vendor I met was so kind and welcoming. Maybe it's a Midwest thing - and if so, I want to go back, stat! But I truly believe Deidra and Jon attract pure and generous souls, just like them.
When it came to the proposal, "I was not expecting at all," Deidra recalls. "Jon had moved to Minneapolis not even a month prior and he had just come off student teaching so I just figured it would take some time to 'save up' for the ring. Little did I know he got a side job on top of student teaching for the sole reason of getting me a ring I could only dream of. We had a few other vacations planned at the time so I really assumed it would happen a few months later on one of those trips. I was completely caught off guard, and it was evident by the extreme amount of tears and the fact that my teeth were chattering so hard I actually bit Jonâs lip when I went in for a kiss after the 'yes.' It must have been pretty hard too cause it wouldnât stop bleeding."
"I wasnât nervous about her saying yes, I knew she would!" Jon remembers. "I was, however, nervous about losing the ring on the ski slopes - which almost happened! Deidra pointed out that my bag had split open and I started to freak out. I led her to believe my frantic search through the bag was because I was worried I could have lost my GoPro."
And what was the best part of this dream wedding?
"All of it!!" Jon said. "Every part was perfect and surreal and it all felt like it was meant to be. Our friends and family were all there to celebrate and it really was a dream come true."
"Everything was perfect but if I had to pick a favorite part, it would be the last song of the night," Deidra decided. "Donât Stop Believing played and the dance floor was still packed! Everyone was jumping and shouting the lyrics and at that point, I looked around and saw the so many of my favorite people surrounding us, having fun, and celebrating our marriage. It was truly an unreal moment."
Check out their wedding video below! Be sure to watch in HD.
A special shoutout to these largely Minnesota-based wedding extraordinaires:
đĽ: Abidoodle Productions Videography đ¸: Cait n' her Camera Photography đ: Kristen Benson âŞď¸: Saint James Lutheran Church đ: 300 Clifton, The Blaisdell đ: The Cutting Garden
đ: Che Bella Boutique đđźââď¸đ: Salon Oriana đˇ: Bluewater Kings Band đ´: Marna's Catering LLC đť: Liquidmotion đ°: The Thirsty Whale đ: DJ Party Bus Services LLC
