The best things in life come when you’re least expecting them. Sarah Beecherl bore witness to this phenomenon twice in her life. After getting engaged in October of 2017, Sarah had made plans with her mom, Kay Beecherl, and sisters to look for a wedding dress in November. Before her plan could come to fruition, Kay found out about a Liancarlo trunk show happening at Stanley Korshak Bridal from a friend. Sarah and Kay decided to stop by and stumbled into a haven of gowns.  

“I tried on almost every dress in their trunk show,” Sarah says. “Ultimately I fell in love with one that was a simple, strapless silhouette with beautiful Juliet lace detail that cascaded around the dress.”

The way Sarah found her dress mimicked her love story in the best way: effortless and organic. 

She met Zach Allman in the summer of 2013 when both of them were working in Austin. Sarah had just graduated from University of Texas, Austin, with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, and Zach, from Oklahoma University with a bachelor’s in energy management and finance. Their initial friendship gradually grew into a romantic relationship, and after three years of dating, work took their relationship long distance as Zach moved to Oklahoma City and Sarah to Dallas.

A year later, Zach proposed to Sarah the weekend of the Texas/OU game in Dallas. With both of their families in town for the big match-up they planned to have a happy hour at Sarah’s parents’ home before heading to dinner on Friday. Distracted by the chaos of coordinating everyone’s plans, Sarah didn’t realize it was happening, until she did. 

“We got to my parents’ house and Zach awkwardly tried to convince me that we needed to walk in through the side gate—something we never do—and I decided to humor him because he seemed adamant,” Sarah says. “We walked around to the gate and I saw lights glowing behind the gate. At this moment, I knew what was happening.”

Hundreds of candles, a table with two chairs, and champagne awaited the couple. After a speech, Zach knelt to the ground and asked for Sarah’s hand in marriage.  With a “yes,” their families let out cheers as they processed onto the balcony above them. 

As the third sister in her family to tie the knot, Sarah aimed to to take her own path. Her first sister threw a garden-party bash, while the other one used darker fall tones, and Sarah felt inspired to create a wedding of rich colors and greenery. With the date set for August 25, 2018, the pair didn’t want to do an outdoor wedding, so they just recreated the outdoors inside. 

“The floral ‘theme’ was raw and natural but balanced and precise,” Sarah says. “And the mostly gold decor accents were elegant without being overbearing.”

When the day came, Sarah and Zach made it official at the Church of the Incarnation, then celebrated their nuptials at The Hilton Anatole, which was decked out in light pink, fuschia, and white florals. Greenery was also used to methodically create an airy, outdoor-esque environment inside. 

Although bright and bold colors filled the space, the understated, intimate moments still mean the most to Sarah when reminiscing on the day. “[I had] a quiet moment with Zach while we walked around the ballroom during cocktail hour,” Sarah says. “Seeing our vision come to life was amazing.” 

Before you go, here are some ways to use Sarah and Zach’s story to take your own day to the next level:

• As you just read, one of Sarah’s favorite moments was when they had a quiet moment during cocktail hour. We hear repeatedly from brides that their favorite moment is when they have a quiet moment with their grooms. Be sure to take time for this. You will be so glad you did. 

• Another way to elicit yourself through your day is by being intentional with the selection of your first dance song. According to Sarah, another one of her favorite moments was their first dance, which was to “Coming Home” by Leon Bridges. “The song holds a special place in our hearts and brings us back to Austin, when we were just getting to know each other,” Sarah says. 

• With the help of Sarah and Zach, Lauren of Fancy Cakes by Lauren designed and executed a tiered cake inspired by the lace on Sarah’s dress and two of their wedding china patterns. A great way to set your day apart is by looking for ways to incorporate details that are personal, like the lace on your dress. 

• While scrolling and searching is a great way to find inspiration for your day, another way is to look inside. What do you love? “The ceiling decor above the dance floor was one design element I had in mind from the beginning of our wedding planning process,” Sarah says. “I was inspired by my love of willow trees as well as the lace detail on my wedding dress. I wanted it to look like the dance floor was set under a giant willow, extending it out to cover the entire dance floor.

• Although the attire for the evening was black tie, Sarah asked her house party to don brightly colored gowns. With her ladies leading the way, Sarah hoped word would spread and other guests would feel encouraged to wear warm colors.