A Couple That Met on OKCupid Had a Romantic, Literary Wedding at the Aldredge

By Ryan Conner

When Seattle transplants Sara Killough and Josh Dempster met on dating site OKCupid, they couldn’t have imagined what the digital winged deity had in store for them.

“We planned to have a very short date—as you usually do with someone you meet online,” Sara laughs. “But we ended up really hitting it off.”

The date lasted for eight hours. At the end of the evening, Josh made plans with Sara for a second outing. And at the end of the second date, he arranged a third. Sara loved how straightforward and confident he was. And when, on their third date, Sara met Josh’s brother, sister-in-law, and their children and saw how great Josh was with them, she was smitten. “I just fell in love with him right away,” she remembers.

Three months later, grad school would take Josh to Chicago. After a year-and-a-half of long-distance dating, Sara transferred to the Windy City. They were engaged within three months.

With her parents in Seattle, his in New Hampshire, and them in Chicago, the first step in planning a wedding was to pick a location. They decided on Dallas because of the amount of extended family Sara has in the area. They found the perfect venue in The Aldredge House, which offered the intimate feel they were seeking.

On trips to Dallas over the course of their engagement, Sara and Josh spent long days meeting with vendors. They decided on an earthy-meets-glam vibe, mixing natural materials and metallics, and hired Wendy Kay of Birds of a Feather Events to help them execute their vision. “Wendy was a godsend,” Sara says. When it came time to find a gown, Sara had spied a Lazaro stunner on an episode of Say Yes to the Dress that she couldn’t get out of her mind. When she tried it on for her mother and maid of honor, they agreed it was the one. “There was no question,” she says.

On April 11, the most important people in Josh and Sara’s lives made the trip to Dallas, including their priest, whom they flew in to officiate. With the forecast predicting rain, a tent was erected behind the venue to shield guests from a downpour. Not a drop of rain fell, but the tent proved a gorgeous setting for the reception regardless. “It looked incredible,” Sara says. “I wanted it to have the feel of a big family meal.”

Sara, who works as a librarian, and Josh incorporated their mutual love for reading by weaving literary touches into the event. Wooden coasters bearing a quote from science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein served as favors. “May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live,” they read. And during the reception, which lasted until 6 p.m., poet Dylan Laine crafted personalized stanzas for guests on a typewriter. So busy enjoying the day with 118 of their nearest and dearest, the newlyweds ran out of time to have one written for themselves. No matter; they already had their happy ending.