Tori and Jon’s Farm at Dover fall wedding was such a fun and celebratory day! The rain threatened to put a (literal) damper on the day, but it did not succeed. The rain let up at the perfect time for a beautiful outdoor ceremony… AND the beer burro! (Tori made us laugh repeatedly because she was like, “I don’t care about the rain… I just want my BEER BURRO!”)

One of our favorite things about being wedding photographers is seeing how each of our couples is uniquely themselves. And (pro tip!) the best way to enjoy your wedding day is to fill it with the stuff you love. Tori and Jon did just that! They included their four fur babies, good cocktails and great whiskey, the beer burro (!!), an epic dance party, and a late-night stuffed tater tot truck!

The Proposal – Jon’s Perspective:

I wanted to do something special for Tori’s Master’s graduation and birthday. I was bugging her for over a week about what she wanted or where she wanted to go to celebrate. She couldn’t think of anything and in a fit of frustration said Hawaii, thinking it would never happen. At that moment I hatched the plan to not only take her there but to propose.

For months I went back and forth about how to do it. On the beach? Na too lame for this lady. What about “finding” the ring on a diving trip? Nope, she refuses to scuba. How about at the top of a Volcano? I don’t think she would like all those people around. Then I got it, how about a private horse riding tour on a cliffside estate! With the plan set the only thing left was getting us and the ring there.

As the date got closer I started worrying about how to get the ring there without her knowing. My plan was to sneak it into my carry-on bag, wrapped in some old socks, with a note taped on it just in case I got searched. I don’t think I have been so nervous as when I went through Airport security. I got through security and our trip was going great – Tori had no clue what was coming.

At one point she even admitted she thought I was going to propose on the trip but clearly, I wasn’t since she would have seen the ring or security would have searched me, so I better propose as soon as we get home. What a fool.

The big day finally came! Months of planning, ring shopping, and several mini-heart attacks, all coming to an end. The cover story for the day was that we were going horseback riding, having some Hawaii pictures taken (because if there were no pictures did it really happen?), seeing Surfing Goats, and then having a fancy dinner.

Tori is a perpetually late person. As our riding time got near I warned Tori we couldn’t be late and to look nice since these would be our trip pictures. She was almost half an hour late and wore a goat t-shirt and a sun hat…

After speeding to the ranch I found out that I left one critical thing out of my considerations. How do you hide a ring box in jeans? So I left it in the car right until we were about to ride. Then I signaled Dawn (our guide) to keep Tori busy while I went and “locked the car”. Well, he didn’t do a great job at that. When I came back Tori was right there staring at me. I had to put the ring in my back pocket and only let her see the front of me. It was a grueling fifteen minutes of constantly distracting Tori (“Wow, look at this bench! Wow, look it’s a horse! Those waves look insane,” etc.) and awkwardly positioning myself to only show my front.

The time finally came and we mounted up. All that’s left is making the short ride down to the pastures by the cliff. Arkansas Two Guns (my horse) had other plans. He refused to go more than five miles an hour and stopped every 10 steps. After what seemed like forever and various bribes to Arkansas Two Guns, we finally made it to the cliff. We dismounted and headed over to take our pictures.

The Proposal – Tori’s Perspective:

It was about the middle of our Hawaii trip and we had a fun day planned of going on a horse trail ride and visiting a dairy goat farm. I used to ride horses and I absolutely love goats so I was very excited about this day. Jon told me I should look nice because, during the trail ride, we were probably going to take pictures. I did my hair in a couple of cute braids and had my fun sun hat and I wore a shirt with an outline of a goat on it because, of course, we were seeing goats that day. Jon was very questioning of my outfit choice which annoyed me and made me want to wear it more.

When we got to the stable we had to wait because Jon paid for a private trail ride which I found a little weird but I just went with it. Halfway through the trail ride, we got to a beautiful photo-op place on the edge of a cliff overseeing the ocean. We got off the horses to “give them a break” so we could take pictures (which I also found weird since we weren’t riding for that long but again I was just going with it enjoying the day).

Our trail ride guide offered to take Jon’s phone to take pictures of us with the water in the background. When I went to pull Jon in to stand next to him, he was holding me back at a distance and I asked him “What are you doing?”

He then got down on one knee. I proceeded to have just a terrible reaction because I don’t do well being surprised. The first thing out of my mouth was “Shut the ** up. You’re the worst.” He continued with the proposal and said after all these years, the house, 4 dogs, and the cat, and then he paused I then proceeded to interject “What about the koi fish?” (we have a koi pond in our backyard… and again I just don’t do well being surprised). He just rolled his eyes at me and said, “Yes the koi too.” And then popped the question.

Even after my terrible reaction he still held firm and wanted to marry me! I guess that is true love and I couldn’t be happier!

If that doesn’t perfectly capture Tori and Jon’s love, these photos sure will! It was the perfect day celebrating who they are as individuals coming together as husband and wife. And yes, nothing – not even the rain – was going to hinder their joy.

Vendor team: Venue – The Farm at Dover | Planner – Carly with Ever After Events | Floral – Gia Bella Flowers | Desserts – Blackbird Bakery, Elsie Mae’s Canning & Pies, and Jerry Smith Pumpkin Farms | DJ and live music – Jack Boatman Music Services | Hair Artist – Andrea with Lexi Lee Hair | Makeup Artist – Blush by Brittany | Bridal Boutique – Bon Bon Belle | Designer – Essence of Australia | Men’s Wear – Mike Bjorn’s | Bridesmaid Dresses – Azazie | Late Night Snacks – Tots on the Street | Catering – All Occasions | Beer Burro – Steve Pulera

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