Written By: Alexandra Sferra
During such uncertain times, this Blush Bride was certain about one thing: marrying Jared. On October 3rd, Becky and Jared Cates got married in a beautiful pine forest, under twinkling lights, and with their favorite people. Jared and Becky met at The Dayton School of Medical Massage (I know, how romantic?!) in 2011 and became really close friends through the entire length of school. They got lunch together every single day and became insanely close. They went their separate ways after school ended, but stayed in touch with each other for years. On May 7th, 2016, Jared randomly asked Becky to go to the Star Wars Reds game with him (he’s a big Star Wars fan) and she said yes, and they became completely inseparable from that day forward. They officially started dating on June 15th of that year and now, their yearly tradition is to go to the Star Wars Reds game to celebrate their love and their first date.
Jared got down on one knee on May 31st, 2019! He romantically proposed at the Star Wars Reds game during the fireworks at the end of the game, and of course, the reds won too! It could not have been a more perfect night than it was, and Becky was absolutely head over heels! He even had his mom and sister surprise them at the end of the game and took some pictures and congratulated them! It is always so special to incorporate family somehow, and he did just that!
Becky started planning her wedding immediately! She ended up losing a whopping 22 pounds for her big day! She went to MVP Dancefit and did the SWERK class which totally jumpstarted her weight-loss, plus had a ton of fun. Not only did she throw herself into a class, but she also did a boot camp, ran her butt off and developed a completely healthy lifestyle! Becky told us how hard it was to plan a wedding during Covid-19, and the struggles they faced moving forward with their wedding, but it made them realize what was most important! People were encouraging the every-lasting thought that it will be over soon, and that it won’t interfere with their wedding day but sure enough, it did. By the time her wedding day rolled around, they already invested so much money and time; they just couldn’t swing changing the date. Not only that, but they also grew an attachment to their date. Becky is insanely obsessed with pine trees, so they made a little fun inside joke with the date 10-3-2020 to being 10-tree-2020! We loved this, and it just shows how fun of a couple they are! They can make anything as simple as a day of the year to have a fun meaning!
Jared and Becky ended up having it on their original date, following the CDC guidelines and hope for the best! At the end of the day, she got to marry her best friend, plus she realized how great it turned out to be since it was much more intimate and was absolutely perfect! She has always wanted to get married in a forest of pines, and sure enough they found the perfect venue that she always had visioned! They got married at the Thompson’s Tree Farm and Pine Lodge in Washington Court House, Ohio. She told us how the owners were so lovely to work with, and how they made every little thing so easy (which is like, super important because planning a wedding can be STRESSFUL!). She had the entire week to decorate and plan, which made literally everything a breeze. The venue was originally a Christmas tree nursery, and then one day they decided to let the trees keep growing! Now, it is the perfect patch of pine forest for a wedding venue! The lodge that was there was wonderful too she said, and super open for everything!
She explained how it was everything that she had ever wanted in her wedding day when it came down to every detail. It was very important for her to incorporate both of their personalities and details in their wedding, so they had a geode and Star Wars theme (geode/Star Wars but make it classy of course!). She explained that Jared has always been so obsessed with Star Wars and since it is a part of their love story, it only felt appropriate to include it! For the Star Wars theme, they had two light sabers for their grand entrance and even made it a feature in their wedding video. They also had a huge R2S2 cooler, Star Wars wedding favors, and Star Wars themed drinks with rock candy in them incorporating both themes! They played the Star Wars opening song when they were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Cates at the reception, and Jared had his groomsmen wear Star Wars shirts. As for the geode theme, they cracked open a geode during the ceremony to show that their two halves make a whole, which is now on display in their home! How cute?! They had a geode wedding cake, geode agate slices for the table numbers, a Mr. and Mrs. Geode sign, and she even had rose quartz nails! Everything in the wedding that was décor at all was all DIY and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. This wedding was intimate, and personal, and it spoke volumes on each other individually and together as a whole! The wedding came together perfectly, without a mistake in sight!
Becky and Jared took off to Hilton Head, South Carolina for their honeymoon! Originally, it was Hawaii but COVID, of course, ruined that plan but she explained how they had a blast in Hilton head in a cute little Airbnb right next to the beach!
We asked Becky how her experience at Blush Bridal was, and the moment that she picked out her dream gown. “My experience at Blush Bridal was wonderful!!! They really made me feel like I was another gal pal and we've known each other for years! They were so welcoming, sweet, and helpful! They really made the experience FUN!! I tried on over 100 dresses and when I saw the Madi Lane Elora gown, I knew it was the one for me!” That dress literally looked like it was custom made for her, and it fit perfectly on their beautiful wedding day. Becky had the wedding of her dreams, and we couldn’t be happier for her. We look forward to following her journey with Jared, and the rest of her happily ever after.
-Brittany Carol Photography- She did an amazing job!! She is so sweet!
-Anderson Cinema - Videographer, Joseph Anderson - if you're on the fence about getting a videographer... DO IT! Joe did an amazing job and we are so glad we have our videos now! 100% worth it.
-Shear Hotness - Betty Beal did my bridal makeup (never looked better!!! She did an amazing job! We also had them do my bridesmaids makeup!
-Haley Garber – She did my bridal hair!!! She did an amazing job, and really made my hair dreams come true. I had been following her on Instagram for years, and as soon as I saw her work I said - That's who will do my hair for my wedding day (before I was even engaged!).
-Mia Andrews - @Naildbydrewsie at Anna Nail Spa did my rose quartz nails to help tie into my geode theme and honestly they were my dream nails too! I was obsessed!
-LMR Catering - Little Miami River Catering - They did an amazing job with the food! Everyone loved it and they were affordable. I had lots of people tell me those were the best green beans they've ever had!
-Frosted - They made my geode cake!! It tasted amazing!
-Amy Cakes – They did our cupcakes! They were delicious as well!
-Travis Tegtmeyer – He was our DJ!
-Prime Time – Our event rental for the linens.
-Flowerman – They did our flowers and we did the DIY option!
-Classic Brands - For our beer truck! People were able to get their own beer! It was really cute and fun! Everyone loved it!
-Thompson's Tree Farm and Pine Lodge was our venue! They were really affordable, and made everything so easy! They provided the tables and chairs, and let us utilize the WHOLE week to set up! They were so sweet and more than accommodating.
