Although Hannah Spaniel and Seth Zhanel had known each other through high school, it wasn’t until college that they finally became a couple. They dated for the next six years and planned to wait until they had graduated before making any big steps toward marriage. But Seth couldn’t wait that long. During her family’s annual beach trip to Destin in 2017, they went down to the beach to take what Hannah thought were annual family photos. Much to her surprise, Seth and her family hired a photographer to capture the moment he proposed to her.

With a fall date in mind, Hannah and Seth worked with Wendy Kay of Birds of a Feather Events to plan their perfect September wedding. “Flowers were a big deal for me. I had an idea of what I wanted to begin with, and Wendy suggested maple leaves which turned out to be the perfect fall touch,” Hannah says.

Finding the dress of her dreams took longer than expected, with Hannah and her mom visiting 10 bridal salons to no avail. She finally found her dream gown at Stanley Korshak Bridal, and later discovered that it was the exact dress she had saved as inspiration years earlier.

The couple toasted with champagne flutes from the bride’s parents’ own wedding, and had their first dance to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran on September 28, 2018. The dance floor, lined with lush florals and wicker lanterns, featured the same design as their hand-painted invitations by Mackenzie Graham of Gypset Creative. Guests gave the newlyweds a sparkler sendoff as they drove toward their New Zealand getaway in a ’63 Rolls Royce.

The Details

Guests: 280

Catering: Pecan Lodge – “We’re both from a small Czech town, so BBQ is a really big part of our culture. We wanted to incorporate that into our wedding, and Pecan Lodge went above and beyond.”

Venue: BRIK – “Seth’s only request was that the wedding be local to accommodate his dad, who is paralyzed from the waist down. That was the most important thing for us.”

Stationery: Gypset Creative & Southern Fried Paper – “A family friend designed and hand-sketched our save the dates. They incorporated parts of Fort Worth, like Joe T. Garcia’s, and a hand-drawn photo of Seth and I.”