One year later I am finally blogging Chloe and Nicole’s wedding at Boulevard Rec Deck in Kansas City! This has to be one of my most favorite venues. Weddings with dance floors are great but only if the guests and the couple are excited to dance. Not every wedding needs a dance floor. Enter: Boulevard Rec Deck.

Chloe and Nicole were very intentional with their wedding planning. They wanted to make the day comfortable and true to who they were. So they both get ready at Chloe’s sister’s home. Nicole got ready in the owner’s suite and Chloe got ready in the basement. Getting ready in a familiar space like a family home makes the start of your day more relaxed and allows for more connection with the people getting ready with you. Being invited in to document these moments for them was very special for me.

Keeping in theme with a comfortable day, the two had their ceremony on the family’s land behind the house. They kept the ceremony small and only invited their closest friends and family. Which made it even better when Chloe and Nicole’s niece got the wiggles and just couldn’t sit in her chair through the ceremony. Chloe and Nicole had two really fun details I loved during their ceremony. The first one was their rainbow-colored glasses for the mimosa bar. Nicole spent months thrifting to find all the glasses.

My second favorite detail during their ceremony was the coin flip. Chloe and Nicole wanted random chance to choose the last name they would use! Their officiant, a dear friend of theirs, flipped the coin just before the first kiss. They learned their married name along with the rest of their guests when the officiant announced them as married. Mrs & Mrs Friesema!

On the way to Boulevard, the newlyweds wanted to stop at the brewery they went to for their first date. They even sat at the same table they sat at all those years ago. In a more “traditional” wedding day timeline, this time at the brewery would have been used for couples portraits. Personally, I am a huge fan of stepping away from the kind of photos expected on a wedding day and getting to do something fun together instead.

We got to Boulevard a little earlier than the guests, so we spent about 10 minutes outside to get a few more couples photos.

Arguably the best part of a wedding at Boulevard Rec Deck in Kansas City: the Rec Deck sign.

A wedding at Boulevard Rec Deck in Kansas City was a huge hit with the kiddos. Both Nicole and Chloe value time with the little ones in their families. Having an activity to do that wasn’t dancing gave the atmosphere a very casual and comfortable feel for the guests.

If you’re also planning a wedding that doesn’t follow “traditional” ideas of what a wedding should be, let’s talk!