Dar’Asia & John Wedding
Dar’Asia & John - September 18, 2025
Venue: Appalachian View
Coordination: Wooded Wilds Events
Photography (friends of the Bride & Groom): Kaila Ketelson & Megan Moffett
Entertainment: All the Right Groves
Catering: The Smoke Pit
Bartending: Peabody’s / homemade wine from the couple
Florals: Sola Wood Florals (dyed and arranged by the Bride)
Wedding Favors: Carringer Farms
Rentals: Charmed Settings & Co.
Caricature Artist: Brian Vasalik
Cake: Layers of Love
My favorite type of couple to work with…
The couples that stand out to me the most, the ones that I have the MOST fun with…are the ones who prioritize the fact that they are about to get married to their best friend. Dar’Asia and John were one of those couples.
Now don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean we don’t put an immense amount of effort and care into planning their wedding day, but it only means that they have their priorities straight. And that they are more likely to enjoy the wedding planning process! Sure, it can still bring feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and the feeling of being a big overwhelmed, especially in the weeks leading up to the big day.
But it also brings an immense amount of excitement, each day that approaches their wedding day is one day closer to getting to spend forever with the love of their life. Dar’Asia and John had that exact attitude and I truly love working with couples who are looking forward to their wedding for all the right reasons. To have the best day of their life celebrating beside their friends, family, and loved ones.
Dar’Asia and John are both active-duty military stationed out in North Dakota. I can tell from the first moment we met for coffee at Venture that they would make such an incredible team. Their love for each other seemed so natural, organic, and easy. Not only were they juggling their military duties, but they were also renovating a house together all while planning a wedding. I was so impressed with these two from the start.
In the months leading up to the big day, I started collecting their packages for their wedding since they would be traveling all the way from North Dakota. They didn’t exactly have all the space in the world to bring their wedding decorations with them, so I kept all their stuff safely in my wedding closet in the meantime.
And while they were stationed out in North Dakota, they were secretly taking dance lessons for their first dance as a married couple. They took these lessons VERY seriously, attending these lessons several times in the months leading up to their big day. They were going to dance to the song “Moondance” by Van Morrison.
On the day of their rehearsal, they practiced this song over and over again while I was setting up their tables and keeping watch, making sure no one saw what they were up to! This dance was so elaborate, and they knew it like the back of their hands. And they had so much fun with each other in the meantime, I loved to witness this sweet moment between them in the “quiet before the storm”.
Dar’Asia’s smile was absolutely contagious. Her laughter and energy literally light up a room. By the end of our time working together, I found myself looking up to her as such an inspiring strong woman with the kindest heart. And John compliments her perfectly with his quiet strength over overwhelming amount of love and respect towards her. These two really had something special and it was an honor to be a part of such an amazing union.
A lot of their wedding was DIY meaning that the bride and groom did a lot of homework in the months leading up to their big day. Dar’Asia hand dyed all the wood flowers and arranged her bouquet, boutineers, and accent pieces. John corked bottles and bottles of his homemade wine which they provided for their guests to enjoy at their wedding. They had a couple of friends who were very handy with a camera do all the photography. And they had friends and family volunteer to put together all the charcuterie cups for cocktail hour.
At the end of the day, the wedding itself couldn’t have gone any better. We had the most perfect weather, a beautiful ceremony that was SO authentically them, and we were blessed with a stunning sunset that everyone got outside to enjoy. It all came together seamlessly. I absolutely loved revisiting images of their big day and reminiscing on what it was like working with these two.
