It took two years for Wesley Davis to realize she had feelings for Keller Reese, and another three before he finally asked her out. “Keller asked me out in front of my fifth grade locker,” Wesley admits. “In the fifth grade, all that really meant was that we sat together at lunch, held hands when no one was looking, and tried to sit together on bus rides for field trips.” The childhood sweethearts beat the odds and continued dating all the way through college. It was not hard to see that they were meant to be forever. “Due to the fact that we had been shopping for rings together, I had to be clever about how I was going to pull off the proposal without her knowing,” divulges the groom. Since the couple has many happy memories at Wesley’s family property near a lake, Keller knew that was the spot. He scattered rose petals along a trail to an overlook and suspended pictures in trees of the two of them together over the years ­dating back to the second grade. With a close friend hidden in the bushes to capture the moment, Keller asked Wesley “if she would give me the privilege of loving her and marrying her. She said yes,” he reminisces.

Despite the help of their parents and a wedding planner, the happy couple still faced some unavoidable tribulations when putting together their big day. “Texas experienced record torrential flooding in the months leading up to [the wedding],” explains the bride. Wesley and Keller were planning a tent wedding on the same lake property where the groom proposed, but 15 days before the wedding, the land had eight inches of standing water with no end to the rain in sight. They would have to look for a new location. “We had to find some place that could accommodate over 700 people, and that would give us access for at least 10 days to build and tear down the reception tent and décor,” remembers Wesley. It was the groom’s father who saved the day with a call to a friend. They were able to use land from Keller and Wesley’s old school that was due for development over the summer. In the face of hail, 70 mph winds, and torrential rain, the tent contractor and creative team were able to get everything set up just in time for the reception. The bride and groom were able to celebrate with friends and family at the K-12 school where they met as children and fell in love as teenagers.

“The idea of both the ceremony and reception was to bring the green elements of an outdoor venue to an indoor ceremony and tented reception,” the bride reveals. “Therefore, we had a lot of green succulents, vertical gardens, suspended floral arrangements and ­– specifically at the church – had actual trees brought in.” The effect was stunning, giving the traditional church wedding the appearance of a forest ceremony. With over 700 guests, the standard tent reception would not cut it, so Wesley and her planner came up with a unique solution. Instead of contracting one caterer, the bride and groom booked four different restaurants to have separate food stations, each decorated in a distinct and modern way. This design perfectly fit with the bride’s sensibilities. “I have a passion for taking something that people routinely do, and creating a way to make it weird and different,” she shares.

Although the bride was heavily involved in the planning process, the groom managed to sneak in quite the surprise. Keller and Wesley had practiced a Viennese Waltz for their first dance to “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz. While performing their dance at the reception, cannons shot confetti into the air around the newlyweds at the climax of the song. “It was a magical moment for me,” reminisces the bride.

Many couples may have bemoaned the weather mishaps changing their planned wedding location, but this bride and groom rolled with the punches and still wouldn’t change a thing. “All the complications we endured led to a very special and memorable evening!”