Wedding in McKinney, TX | Zach + Sommer -

There’s just something special about a wedding in McKinney, TX… It’s such an intimate, private, and peaceful location. Zach + Sommer made a great choice getting married in McKinney… But an even better choice getting married at Tuscany Hill! Just look at their wedding photos to see why… M A J OR S W O O N.

I —a d o r e d— not only Zach + Sommer’s wedding photos, but their love story. Of course I interviewed Sommer, and all of the answers below are in her own words!

HOW DID YOU + ZACH MEET?

We were apartment neighbors our sophomore year on campus at UTD. He helped carry up my groceries the first week of school. I was very grateful because it was up three flights of stairs. Us and our roommates all hung out together the first semester, but then lost touch. He Facebook messaged me a year later, and we started hanging out solo. We went on lots of movie dates, and the rest was history! That was back in 2011.

wedding in McKinney, TX — Zach + Sommer their first month of dating.

HOW DID HE PROPOSE?

There is an annual game conference that Zach attends in California. He usually flies and is gone about a week. I’ve always wanted to go with him to just take a nice vacation, and in the summer of 2016 that finally occurred.

He let me know he wanted to road trip and I planned our drive along Route 66. We stayed two nights in Flagstaff, Arizona where we explored the city as well as the neighboring Grand Canyon. On June 11, he took me to the edge of one lookout point, away from all the tourists, set up the camera, and recorded the proposal! The sun was so bright I could hardly make out the box and couldn’t even see the ring, it was shimmering so much! Of course I said yes, and we embraced.

We had talked a few months prior about each of our ring preferences–he ended up going with a rose gold, bezel-set diamond floating in a halo with a side accent of diamonds. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and gives off a vintage feel.

Zach + Sommer planned their wedding for nine months (which Sommer said was absolutely doable), and got married on April 1, 2017.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE SPRINGS IN MCKINNEY, TUSCANY HILL, AS YOUR VENUE?

We first were looking for a rustic venue, and went to THE SPRINGS in McKinney to view Stone Hall. This was about our fourth venue to see, and we didn’t feel a connection with any. The venue manager at the time, Cheri Sutton, suggested that we check out the new venue on the property that was under construction. At this point in time the slab was laid and only the framing was up. Zach and I walked through, already amazed, and we both wanted to get married there. We could tell it was going to be an absolutely beautiful building. From learning about the company history, I knew that THE SPRINGS was an established business and that they would be professional. That knowledge combined with the feeling both he and I had when walking through Tuscany Hill, it was easy to decide on the venue.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BEST MEMORIES FROM YOUR WEDDING DAY?

Seeing my vision come into fruition was definitely something I enjoyed.

As for the actual events that took place, standing up at the altar with Zach during the ceremony…

Sitting during the reception seeing all our friends and family surround us…

And the entertainment: caricatures, espresso and gelato bar, and an acoustic musician playing covers of our favorite rap/hip hop songs was definitely unexpected and most enjoyed!

For our send-off, I had rosemary detached from its stems in paper lace cones, and added some puns–the sign on the table with them said “I’d rosemary you all over again!”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO FUTURE COUPLES PLANNING?

If only one of y’all have an opinion about something, it’s okay that the other one doesn’t! It doesn’t mean they don’t care, just go ahead and pick out the things that you like. There will be other things they will want to bring to the day that you haven’t thought about.

2. If I could do it over again, I would plan more time for photographs. Forty-five minutes for family and couple photos during the cocktail hour was not enough. We didn’t do bridals or a first look, and I would have liked to have made more time to capture memories of the groom and I.

3. When planning your day, don’t be constricted with “how it’s typically done” at that venue. If you want to have the ceremony somewhere else, or if you want to set up the reception a little bit differently to accommodate your desires–do that! Go with a venue that assists you with making your vision a reality.

4. Keep up with your expenses/vendor payments. It’s good to know how much you’re putting into something. Excel Spreadsheets are your friend.

Zach + Sommer’s wedding day was perfect, and we wish them nothing but happiness in all of the years to come! It was such a gorgeous way to start their life together–and I’m so grateful we were able to share it with all of you. Here’s to the Lowrances!