Backyard Grandeur | Ashley + Klint

The Aegean Sea was so blue that day they ate and drank their way through beautiful Santorini. Ashley and Klint had been dating a little over two years when they took an incredible trip to Turkey and Greece. “My favorite things about Ashley are her confidence, passion, and honesty, on top of being stunningly beautiful. She is so sincere and straight forward,” Klint says. “My favorite thing about Klint is his ability to read me and know what I need. I’ve never met a man who is so emotionally intelligent,” Ashley says. The couple sailed through the picturesque Greek islands and arrived in Santorini to explore the stunning scenery of the ancient city. After a day of sightseeing, Klint rented a car to drive them to one of the most romantic restaurants on the island. He’d made a reservation before the restaurant actually opened for the evening, so they had the place to themselves. It was the perfect opportunity for Klint to pull the sparkling halo diamond engagement ring out of his pocket and ask the love of his life to marry him. “I was just so excited to ask her, and when the moment came that night, it was a moment of pure joy for me! [It was the] happiest day of my life to that point,” Klint says. With an enthusiastic “yes!” Ashley took the ring she had been wearing on her left ring finger before the proposal and threw it into the ocean. She replaced it with the gorgeous ring she’d been hoping for.

The couple didn’t meet in their 20s. They actually met many years before in Elk City. Klint was from the western Oklahoma town, and Ashley moved there when she was in fifth grade. After she left the small town, the couple didn’t have any contact until 2012, when Klint reached out to her on Facebook. She remembered him but didn’t immediately agree to a date because she was writing her thesis for her master’s degree. With the schoolwork done, she eventually went to watch the OU bowl game with Klint and a group of friends. Right away, they clicked. Was it possible these childhood friends were meant to be soul mates?

The venue was the couple’s top priority when it came to wedding planning. After looking at a few different options, Ashley’s mother offered to host the wedding at her home in Gaillardia. The couple knew the backyard on the water would be the perfect setting for their June 2015 nuptials. They hired wedding planner Robyn Martin with the Wedding Belle to coordinate the details of the big day. Ashley wanted everything to be classic and elegant.
Nothing was more elegant than Ashley’s beautiful wedding gown. “I didn’t go into wedding dress shopping knowing what I wanted at all! So I think my favorite part was just trying on all the different styles and seeing what worked for me,” Ashley says. She chose a gorgeous beaded gown from Meg Guess, the first store she went to after browsing a couple other places.

June 6, 2015 arrived quickly, and what a beautiful day it was. Ashley and her bridesmaids slept in and watched the movie “Bridesmaids” as they took their time getting ready. They had lunch together and indulged in a spa day at Ashley’s aunt’s house. Klint played golf with his family and groomsmen at the Gaillardia Country Club. That evening at half past seven, nearly 300 people gathered at Ashley’s mother’s home for the wedding. Creamy flowers popped against the lush green landscape. White orchids, wooden branches, and lights filled the covered reception area. Inside the home, the bride and groom did not do a “first look,” but they did get exchange gifts before the ceremony. They peaked from (Klint) around a staircase and (Ashley) around a staircase to hold hands and greet each other. Ashley gave Klint a watch, and he gave her the show-stopping bouquet she carried down the aisle along with a necklace with a “K” for her new last name. He also gave her a bracelet with the geographical coordinates of the location in Santorini where they got engaged. It was another touching moment after an intimate gathering the night before where loved ones shared their memories of the happy couple inside a private dining area of Paseo Grill in Oklahoma City.

Escorted down the aisle by her dad, the bride wore a strapless, ivory beaded gown with a sweetheart neckline, full tulle skirt and a jeweled silver belt at the waist. She wore her long brown hair in loose curls under her dreamy tulle veil. Seeing his beautiful bride walk down the aisle was Klint’s favorite part of the wedding. “She looked so incredibly beautiful,” he remembers. The couple exchanged vows and rings out on a quaint dock on the water. They’d later hear from wedding guests that a fish jumped out of the water and two geese flew by when they kissed!

The reception was filled with dancing, exquisite food, and great conversation. The glass dance floor over the pool was so stunning as guests mingled and sashayed over the water. The bride and groom danced to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” followed by the dances with their parents. Klint danced to “Love is a Verb” by John Mayer with his mom, and Ashley danced to “These are the Days” by Van Morrison with her dad. Everyone was treated to a decadent sit-down dinner catered by Cheever’s in Oklahoma City. “My favorite part was when I was done with all the ‘to-dos.’ It was just lovely… to have a cocktail and talk with family and friends,” Ashley remembers.

The wedding night didn’t just ended after the beautiful couple drove away in a vintage car through a sea of sparklers. They came back, changed into swimsuits and continued their celebration in the backyard pool. For Klint and Ashley, the night wasn’t just about them. It was about celebrating the friends and family who shaped them and influenced them to be the strong man and woman they were for each other. Before they headed off to a romantic honeymoon in Antigua, they visited with their guests and cherished every moment after their wedding, remembering that dreams come true, especially for lifelong friends.