Bright Fall Wedding at the Zoo | Jason & Melissa
If you’ve been following me for a while, you might remember the wedding of Megan & Phil, where I talked about my time in Kansas. The only reason it was remotely bearable was because of the friends I made there, and today’s groom in this bright fall wedding at the zoo was one of them! Jason & Melissa didn’t end up meeting until I had already moved back to Michigan, but she fit in easily in the group chat. We bonded over being cat ladies and the drudges of working at CPA firms, so when Jason told Megan and I he was planning to propose, it was a no-brainer! I immediately hopped in to help, even pulling double-duty as photographer AND groomsmaid! Scroll through to check it out!
Melissa is a farm girl through and through, so the boots were a must. And her florist did an incredible job of incorporating Melissa’s favorite color, yellow!
Melissa chose to wear her mom’s wedding dress, something I see trending lately! It’s so sweet!
Meanwhile Jason and the guys got ready, and I made Jason act like an otter for a second 😹 (He freaking loves shrimp.)
Ok story time! It’s an inside joke, but Jason can do an EXCELLENT “Tim Allen grunt”, and would often torture us at work with it. A few months before the wedding, Megan & Phil were visiting and we went to an antique store, where we came across this Home Improvement tie. We joked that we needed to get it for Jason. And then we realized the BEST PART. We were going to the Motor City Comic Con the next day, and Richard Karn – none other than Al Borland himself – was going to be there! We told him we were going to try to convince Jason to wear it on the wedding day, so to sign it on the back. He said “heck no, I’ll sign it front and center.” Megan and I were both very tickled that it took zero convincing for Jason to wear it all day!
Since their wedding was at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, KS, there were animals abound, including this turtle (tortoise? I don’t know 😅) that wandered around while the guys got ready.
We were worried it was going to be chilly, but the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day!
(Honestly my favorite part of this photo is Megan hugging me 😹)
If I got the story correctly, Melissa’s family owns a trucking company, and Jason always wanted a hat, so Melissa’s dad gave him one just before handing his daughter off.
For their unity ceremony, they went with mixing a mead!
After the ceremony, we wandered around the zoo for some portraits!
In another nod to all of the animals, each table was named after one of the zoo’s exhibits, with facts about that animal, and a paw or nose print canvas that guests could purchase!
There was even a duck for the guests to interact with!
Not sure of what dessert to have? You can NEVER go wrong with a Nothing Bundt Cake!
Two of my most favorite people in the whole world 💜
Melissa and her dad went NUTS for their first dance! He swung her around the entire floor!
There may have been a little tug of war between two of Melissa’s bridesmaids for the bouquet… 😹😹😹
I also brought down my photo/gif booth for the reception! It’s a great way to entertain your guests!
…and the props always make their way on to the dance floor for great photos 😹
Thanks for checking out Jason & Melissa’s bright fall wedding at the zoo! If you’ve got a wild idea for your day, let me know! Then follow Jessie Silva on Facebook and Instagram to get inspired!
Have fun!
Vendors
Venue: Sunset Zoo; Hair and Makeup: Studio Rollers by Cynthia Naughton; Florist: Kistner’s Flowers; Silk Flowers: Bloom & Co.; DJ: Fernando Productions; Suits: Vintage Luxury Rentals
