Vanessa Garrison Weds John Trowbridge | Vintage-Inspired Garden Wedding from Josh McCullock Photography

Vanessa and John’s special day is everything we could want in a vintage-inspired garden wedding! The classic Oklahoma City wedding venue Coles Garden helped bring the bride’s dream to life, and Josh McCullock Photography perfectly captured every detail from the vintage dresser filled with memorial photos to the couple’s show-stopping dance. Enjoy browsing through all the lovely details!

Photos // Josh McCullock Photography

How the Couple Met:

“I’ve worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 12 years and for the same manager a majority of that time, so he knew me very well. He also knew that I was very single and hadn’t yet come close to meeting ‘the one.’ He had been telling me for several months about this new, young, single air traffic manager named John who had started at the Oklahoma City facility who he thought I would probably find attractive, but I mostly just laughed it off and told him I wasn’t at all interested. I kind of just assumed it was a waste of time.

A few weeks later, my manager came into my office and said there was a classroom of air traffic managers there for training, and he needed me to be ready in five minutes to give them a quick briefing over our hiring process. Just as he was about to close the door, he yelled, ‘Oh, by the way, the OKC air traffic manager is in there,’ and then he ran off.

Of course I freaked! I checked my hair and makeup and tried to calm my nerves before following him into the classroom. I went into the classroom and gave the briefing, but to this date, I don’t remember what I said because I was so focused on impressing John.

After the briefing, my manager introduced us one-on-one, and I immediately felt my heart melting into a puddle on the floor. I ran back to my office and told everyone, ‘I just met the love of my life!’

And crazy as it seems, I was right! The next few days John and I talked on and off at work, and I found out that he was not only a smart, educated and  respected FAA employee and air traffic manager, but he was also a professional boxer. I invited myself to his boxing match that weekend, and after that, he kept planning our next dates before the current ones had even ended. Now he is my forever date and truly the love of my life.”

Favorite Wedding Day Memory: 

“John and I spent months practicing for our choreographed first dance. We took dance lessons at Dance Makers to prepare. The day of the wedding we were so excited to show off our new moves, and it was by far the best part of the reception. Austin Smith used sparklers in the background and cued them perfectly when John threw me in the air for a lift/spin. It was like something from a movie and something we still talk about all the time.

My two best friends wrote a poem for me as their ‘bridesmaid/MOH speech’ and read it aloud at the reception. My videographer incorporated it into our wedding video as the voiceover. It turned out so good and made the video. I absolutely loved having so many of our friends and family there with us. The fellowship and happiness we felt during that time is hard to even describe. I didn’t let my emotions get the best of me, I didn’t get upset over trivial things, and was not in any way a bridezilla. I stayed present and enjoyed every single moment. I replay the day in my mind all the time, and I can’t think of anything I would’ve changed if I could do it all over again.”

Favorite/Most Helpful Wedding Vendor:

“That’s a tough one! They were all so awesome! Josh McCullock is always going to be a top favorite, because he captured the most important day of my life more than perfectly. He is so talented and captured moments and memories as they happened, it was very organic and not staged, which I wanted.”