One Labor Day weekend, Kari Berdelle and Peyton Harris ended up in the same small group at a church retreat. “I knew pretty quickly that this was the man God wanted me to marry—a man I had prayed for, for years,” Kari says.

After over a year of dating, Kari knew the proposal was coming, but Peyton tried to catch her off guard. Kari thought they were picking up a cake for a Christmas party, but once they got there, the couple was led into a private room. A video of pictures with meaningful music played on the television from when they were at the retreat to moments they had spent just weeks ago, “which is when I knew exactly what was going on,” Kari says. Once the video ended, Peyton got down on one knee and asked Kari to marry him. They celebrated with a 10-layer carrot cake and champagne. They headed to Kari’s favorite restaurant, Saint Ann, where their closest friends and family were waiting to join in on the celebration.

With dreams of having an outdoor wedding, the beautiful setting of the Nasher Sculpture Center was perfect for the couple. “I wanted the venue’s aesthetic to speak for itself, and I didn’t want to take away from its beauty,” Kari says. The vision for the venue was a timeless scheme with modern details. They kept the palette neutral with whites, grays, and elements of wood, metals, and marble. Groomsmen wore navy suits and bridesmaids wore light gray haltered gowns.

On August 26, 2017, the couple wed in the garden surrounded by twinkling lights. Before the ceremony, the bride’s mother helped keep her nerves at bay by sharing funny stories about her own wedding day. The couple’s mutual friend from their church, Jermaine, officiated the wedding. “It was so special to us to have someone who knew both of us and was there from the beginning of our relationship marry us,” Kari says. She walked down the aisle to “You’re Beautiful” by Phil Wickham before she said, “I do.”

Before joining the reception, the couple shared a private moment overlooking all their loved ones celebrating the joyous occasion. The couple broke in the dance floor with a first dance to “Head Over Boots,” which was one of the songs that Peyton used in the video he made when he proposed to Kari. But the music wasn’t all sentimental—Peyton let loose and rapped “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” with the band. “It was completely unplanned, but it really livened up the dance floor,” Kari says.

“I wanted the venue's aesthetic to speak for itself, and I didn't want to take away from its beauty,” Kari says.