Madison Moore & Jake Bollinger
Married
Sep 2, 2023
Kansas City ,
Missouri
Style Guide
Color Palette
Style
Formal
Season
Fall
The Proposal
On a Saturday in September, Jake picked Madison up from her clothing boutique with roses in hand and asked her to go for a picnic. He had even lined up a worker to cover the store. Madison knew this was suspicious and when she got to the car Jake handed her a venti latte from Starbucks which she didn’t take a sip of in fear of becoming even more anxious. Jake remained cool, calm, and collected which threw Madison off. They parked and headed up to The Liberty Memorial, a beautiful historical landmark in Kansas City. It was there that Jake got down on one knee, just the two of them, not even a photographer, just as Madison had always wanted. Jake popped the question and let out a sigh of relief when she said yes before quickly taking her back to the car, to head to the next spot. At this point Madison realized there would be no picnic.
The next stop was an event venue downtown where the newly engaged couple walked into a room filled with both of their families. They soaked in that day with their siblings and parents, celebrating with Bollinger champagne of course, as that was to become her new last name. A few weeks later they had a backyard engagement party with all of their closest friends and even their dog Mila. They hired Spritz Co to bartend and curate signature cocktails, feeling all of the love around them as their engagement season officially began.
In Preparation
Both a creative and a planner, Madison took on wedding planning sans planner. Her mother and her navigated the to do list over champagne at The Classic Cup and got right to it. The following week after getting engaged, Madison toured her dream venue and even nailed down her dress. Not even 7 days after he popped the question, his bride was getting to work. Which came as no surprise to Jake, who commented “I knew you’d be good at this” on Madison’s Instagram photo detailing the plans. Madison and Jake had always dreamt of a September wedding, and as a couple who enjoys traveling “just the two of them” they thought a future anniversary on Labor Day weekend would be perfect for them. Although Madison didn’t have an official planner, she credits one of her best friends Kylie Norton (Horsch) for helping her along the way. The sorority sisters and previous roommates both were set to marry their college sweethearts the same month. At first this created whispers among their acquaintances, but the girls credit a lot of their sanity to planning their big days side by side. Madison had actually texted Kylie a year before she was proposed to, hoping to get married September 2, 2023.
Once Madison was engaged and officially toured the venue her and Jake had dreamed of, they learned the only available date that year was in December. They considered pushing the wedding into the following year when Madison received an email, stating that one day had opened up: September 2nd. Madison had chills. It was meant to be all along. Not only was the couple keen over a LDW wedding, but the 2nd was a special day to them as their dating anniversary fell on the 2nd of June and Madison’s birthday the 2nd of October. The couple also liked that this day was in between their parents wedding anniversaries. Fun fact: The mother of the groom hosted the rehearsal dinner at the same place Madison’s parents got married at.
The Big Day
Madison woke up with her sisters and was surprised with a limo, filled with her bridesmaids, to head to the mansion. Madison describes the day as a fairytale. She is a girly girl to her core and, as the middle of 3 girls, she loved listening to love songs, sipping mimosas, and getting ready in feather pajamas with her girlfriends. Both Madison and Jake felt at ease all day and had a relaxed and present day leading up to the ceremony. They both wrote letters to one another to read that morning and exchanged gifts. Jake gifted Madison pearl and diamond earrings from Ring Concierge and Madison gifted a Fossil watch that had “our love is timeless” engraved on the back. The couple did a first look and exchanged private vows that were nothing short of heartfelt. Jake assured Madison that he would literally take a bullet for her and Madison vowed to Jake that he would never have to go through anything alone. A tear-filled and sweet, private moment shared between the two of them that they will never forget. From there, Madison had a private first look with her father and gifted him an engraved watch that said “Out of all of our walks, this one will be my favorite” which is an ode to the tradition Madison and her dad have for meeting up for walks at the park. Soon after, the couple headed back upstairs to prepare for the ceremony.
The ceremony was by the fountain on the mansion lawn and Madison walked down the aisle while violins played. The two sealed their marriage with a kiss and headed into the house to celebrate. They danced the night away and ended with a last dance surrounded by their friends and family while “Sparks” by Coldplay played. After the sparkler exit, they headed to their after party at “NightHawk” inside Hotel Kansas City in a party bus with their bridal party. It was a magical evening they will never forget. The couple says it best: “it went by so fast!”, and their advice is to stay present and soak in every moment.
The Retreat
The next morning the couple was en route to Italy. The expert travelers jumped around from Rome, to Venice, Lake Como, Cinque Terre, and Tuscany over the course of two weeks. They truly felt as if they were living in a fairytale. Madison was actually the first to say I love you, just 2 weeks after dating, in the airport before she headed to Milan for the Summer. Because of this, they always hoped they could go back and experience Italy together one day and it was that much more special as a married couple. When they returned home their mothers had brought their gifts in, deep cleaned their house, and even stocked their fridge. They felt so loved and will never forget that feeling. Back to reality wasn’t so bad as a Bollinger! They were excited to return home and officially start their lives together with their dog Mila.
