Real Arkansas Wedding: Kaley Seaber & Jonathan Spears in Mulberry

Kaley Seaber & Jonathan Spears
June 4, 2017 • Mulberry
Kindred Barn

When it came time to propose, Jonathan Spears took Kaley Seaber on a date to the botanical gardens. While she was in the bathroom, he left to beat her to the proposal spot. She came out of the bathroom to find her sister waiting in the parking lot. “I will always remember her saying, ‘Get in loser, it’s the day you’ve been waiting for your whole life,’” Kaley says.

The Inspiration

From day one, Kaley wanted to stay true to herself with all aspects of the day. Her plan was for guests to come to the couple’s wedding and leave saying, “that was wholeheartedly Kaley and Jon.”

If the day had to be boiled down to one theme, Kaley says it would be bohemian. “I hesitate to say that we had a bohemian vibe because of how often that word is thrown around, but when you look at the meaning of the word as an unconventional quality, I think that really does describe the feel of our day,” she says. “We paid little attention to the details that most brides and grooms care about, and focused on the aspects that meant the most to us.”

How They Customized

Coming from a family of doers, Kaley didn’t shy away from DIY projects for her wedding day. Kaley’s mom is an interior designer, her dad is a master woodworker, her sister is a photographer, her sister-in-law previously worked for a wedding planning company in Dallas, and her own craft skills made for some one-of-a-kind elements.

It was all hands on deck to cut, fold and glue all of the mini tissue boxes that were handed out at the ceremony. They read “Happy Tears for the Spears,” which matched the couple’s wedding hashtag. “We may have bitten off more than we could chew but these ended up being one of the most talked about parts of the night,” Kaley says.

Kaley’s dad built a custom donut wall for the reception to hold Jonathan and Kaley’s favorite dessert. Kaley finished it off with painted lettering that read, “All you need is love and donuts.” Her dad also designed a photo backdrop out of copper piping for guests to snap photos in front of. Kaley’s mom and sister-in-law tore and stamped 200 dainty cloth napkins for dinner and dessert.

All of the banners, signage and macramé were Kaley’s “way of destressing” before the big day. She taught herself to macramé by watching YouTube and Instagram videos. Kaley’s creations, along with unique rugs gathered by her mom, decorated the ceremony space beautifully.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The day of the wedding, it was a constant downpour until just minutes before the ceremony began. While Kaley remained calm getting ready, her whole family was running around in ponchos, buying plastic and hay to cover the seats and soak up mud on the ground. Her dad and brothers, soaked in rain, quickly threw on their clothes and cleaned up for their first look, and then changed back into their boots to finish getting everything ready.

“I’m not kidding when I say that 30 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start, the sun peeked through the clouds,” Kaley says. “It was truly the most magical moment walking down the aisle with my dad.”

Video

The Details

See this Real Wedding as it appeared in our print edition
Discover more inspiration in our Real Weddings section.