Discovering nature in wedding plans

How we theme our most memorable life events says a lot about what we truly value. A search of the words "nature themed wedding" in Pinterest proves nature is making its way into our most memorable life events. For Cape Girardeau bride-to-be Katie Long, incorporating nature into her wedding plans was the best way to showcase a way of life she shares with her soon-to-be groom, Kaleb Neece.

"Kaleb and I are outdoorsy people, it's who we are -- so of course we want our wedding to reflect what we love," Katie said.

Long is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University's (SEMO) Environmental Studies program and Neece holds a degree in wildlife biology from SEMO. The couple enjoys hiking, hunting and fishing together.

Long said she originally wanted an outdoor wedding, but with their August wedding date in the Southeast Missouri heat and humidity, they didn't want the wedding party to endure the heat of the season throughout the ceremony. So, the couple has opted to bring the outdoors in, using wildflowers and outdoor themed décor.

"Our cupcakes will be topped with native Missouri primrose flowers," Long said. "We just love the look of our native flowers and I'm so excited to showcase that on our wedding day."

The couple also chose a four-tiered cake decorated to look like a tree. The cake-topper is a pair of tiny black bears. They're also supporting the wood products industry by using a large tree cookie as a cake plate and placing rustic centerpieces on smaller tree cookies. A tree cookie is an unprocessed slice of a tree trunk with the bark still attached.

"We love this classy, rustic look that's coming together for our special day," Long said.

But it doesn't stop with decorations. The bride's mother, Pam Long, said she and her husband, along with other family members, will camp at a camp site the week of the wedding instead of racking up hotel bills.

"We have a block of rooms for our out of town guests, but we've always loved to camp. We're traveling in from hours away, so we're going to take the opportunity to enjoy a new camping location while we're down there," she said. "It's convenient, it saves us some money on lodging and we just love to camp."

From decorations to lodging, the economic, convenience and aesthetic value of a nature themed wedding can add up to a lifetime of memories with the one you love.

Congratulations, Katie and Kaleb! May you make many beautiful memories discovering nature together in Missouri! You're off to a great start.