Evan + Saryn Graham

01.12.19

Hello boho wedding dreaminess! A winter snowstorm, dried florals + a smoke show of a custom Casablanca Bridal gown all contribute to the day that Evan + Saryn became "the Graham’s” + boy was it good. I mean seriously, could they have gotten a more amazing snow storm? Wait until you see their first look, captured by Jill Caren Photo, it’s one of the most unique + beautiful ones we have seen! Scroll on down to take a look + help me in congratulating the Graham’s on tying the knot [ + for being total champs for outdoor photos ].

How did the two of you meet?

“We met during Freshman Enrollment Weekend at Manhattan Christian College. While our specific moment of introduction is a blur, we both agree that this weekend is where the spark began. Whether it was me, eating grass on my hands + knees in front of the entire school, the two of us laughing way too hard at each other at Mcdonald's, or Evan's super smooth Facebook message after the weekend was over, we developed a connection that was impossible to ignore. We texted one another every single day that summer until school began. When the school year started, we continued talking but were both hesitant to make any moves. Evan had made a prior commitment to not date his freshman year of college because “no one marries the person they date freshman year”. He continued texting me + taking me on dates but refused to make it official. It wasn’t until I asked him the big “what are you waiting for?” question that he realized what he could miss out on so he asked me to be his girlfriend that night. We have experienced college together from beginning to end, making memories to last a lifetime. Our relationship has been full of growth together as friends, significant others + followers of Christ + we are eager to continue in this growth as husband + wife.”

How did Evan pop the question?

“The concept of getting married is not a recent thing by any means for us. We both entered our relationship with the intentions of growing together towards the oneness that is marriage. We waited patiently to prepare financially, learn what it meant to be adults, work through some personal growth, learn one another, deepen our relationships with Jesus + focus on our studies before we would get married. As graduation approached for Evan, things became real. We designed + ordered my beautiful engagement ring together + we eagerly awaited its arrival. Although I had an idea of when it was supposed to arrive, I had the jeweler keep me in the dark regarding the exact arrival so that I would be surprised. We communicate too well at times + Evan would often express his frustration that the ring had not arrived yet. His subtle hints made me question whether or not he would be able to keep the proposal a secret. One day, I had mentioned how eager I was to be Evan’s wife + again he mentioned how frustrated he was that the ring had not arrived yet. After work that day, I went over to Evan’s to spend time with him before a game night with friends. Evan asked me if we could run to a new store he heard about to grab some things to bring to the party + I agreed. Since he had told me that day that the ring had not arrived, I had no reason to believe that he would propose that day. To my surprise, it arrived that day as I drove from work to his house + Evan had no desire to wait any longer! As we drove around attempting to find this “new store”, Evan proceeded to take me by several meaningful places of our relationship such as where we had our first date, first kiss, where he first said “I love you” + ultimately the dam overlooking the lake where Evan first told me “I will never leave you”. For me, hearing “I will never leave you” was something that I needed reassurance of throughout our relationship. Evan knew this + never failed to remind me of his constant, loving + faithful presence in my life. We walked down to the water to skip rocks + talk as we often did. Evan pulled me close, looked in my eyes + started saying “You may have noticed this is the place where I told you I would never leave you….” After that, it’s mostly a blur as I realized what was happening. Evan got down on one knee + asked the question that we had been anticipating for so long. I grabbed the ring + kissed + hugged Evan.”

The Everly Event Space Kansas City Missouri

Where did you draw your inspiration + ideas from?

“Lots of Pinterest + lots of thrifting. We were going for a boho, warm, minimal + affordable feel!”

How did you know your gown was “the one”?

“I knew it was the one when I put the gown on + I immediately felt eager for Evan to see me in it. I could already hear him telling me how beautiful I looked + I felt a contentment that I didn’t have in any of the other dresses.”

What made you decide to get married on January 12th?

“I'm a social work student at Kansas State so January 12th was a date that would work well with me moving to Kansas City after finishing my last semester of classes + before beginning my practicum. Although the risk of snow + ice was daunting, we decided to take the risk because we couldn't stand to wait any longer!”

What was one of your favorite moments from your day?

“My favorite moment was probably washing my husbands feet. This image of how Jesus calls us to humbly love + serve one another was an intimate + beautiful foundation for our marriage. To look up at him and see him weeping, overwhelmed me with gratitude + contentment that this is the man I get to love + care for for the rest of my life.”

What advice would you give to other brides in regards to dress shopping?

“Coming from one the pickiest people you will ever meet - trust your stylist. I picked out SO MANY GOWNS that I was sure I would love + she listened to me the whole time, picking up on things I liked + didn’t like + ultimately she selected the dress that I chose. I never ever ever would have thought that I could trust someone else to capture my vision but she did it perfectly + I am so grateful that I gave her selections a chance.”