Marmaros Productions

Mar 25, 20216 min read

Leah & Henley

Updated: Feb 22, 2023

12.22.2019 | Howe Farms

How We Met

At one of our October Weddings, we were approached by a catering employee asking for our card and if we were available in December because she needed a coordinator for her wedding at Howe Farms. Marmaros had been following Howe Farms for a while and we had fallen in love with their chapel & reception spaces. Megan is a big fan of December weddings, so she was over the moon to give the employee our card. Turns out that the employee was Leah! We were so excited to help in any way we could leading up to her day!

Love Story

We love hearing the details that make up our couple’s story. We asked Leah to send us her and Henley’s love story!

“My junior year I was a student athletic trainer which basically meant I got to help tape ankles and wrist before football games (but really was a glorified water girl). Henley was a freshman that year, he and his other friend would always come up and mess with me during the games. Henley said the first thing he ever said to me was that I had beautiful eyes but I rolled my eyes and went back to what I was doing.... during wrestling season that same year, my best friend had a cousin that also wrestled so we would always go to matches and tournaments and if you know anything about wrestling you know it’s a long day with a lot of moving around depending on how many mats they have. Henley also wrestled so we would always see each other in passing and hardly ever talked. Fast forward to my senior year, I had just broken up with my boyfriend and it was about a month and a half before prom. I was at a baseball game with one of my friends and she dared me to Snapchat henley and ask him to go to prom with me. I kind of said it jokingly when I asked him because I was afraid of being rejected... even though he was a sophomore. Before he would give me an answer he asked me if I thought I saw a future with him, I was kind of thrown off and didn’t know what to say because if I said no I didn’t want to be without a prom date and I didn’t know if I did or not since I was going off to college and he would still be in high school. I said yes and I found out he asked that because he had to break up with his girlfriend (that I didn’t know he had) to go to prom with me... oops! They had literally just started dating so I guess that makes it a little better! I ended up going to my local community college after I graduated so I could stay close to him and it was the best decision I ever made. We had been dating for a year and a half when I found out I was pregnant with our son. It was terrifying because he was still in school. We hid it from everyone until I was over halfway through the pregnancy. Three months after I had our son we went to take family photos at a Christmas tree farm Dand Henley ended up proposing at the very end and when I say the very end, I mean the photographer was leaving because she didn’t know he was going to propose! During our relationship, we both lost two of our very best friends and we also lost a child, because we leaned so heavily on each other to get through the dark times it really made our relationship stronger. I am so thankful I get to grow up with my forever best friend.”

Down to Business

Since Leah had most of the planning done before she found us, we talked on the phone to make sure we knew her vision for her day and how she wanted it to run. We arrived at rehearsal the day before to help with the beginning stages of setting up before we ran rehearsal!

The Big Day

When Saturday came, we pulled up to a rainy Apple Barn at Howe Farms that had a sign hanging with Leah & Henley’s name on it! The sign was such a cute and personalized touch, but also was super helpful for the guests to know where they are going! Once we were inside and unloaded, we finished setting the tables with plates, utensils, and cups along with making the beautiful centerpieces that Leah dreamed up to look like snow! Hair and makeup began while Shelby, the photographer, arrived to do detail shots - Christmas themed of course! The guys were hanging out and playing games in the Groom’s Suite and the Bowtie Bar! Then it was time to get ready for photos for everyone - including Leah & Henley’s adorable son Emmett! Leah & Henley exchanged letters and gifts before Henley’s mom blindfolded him and took him up to meet Leah for their First Look.

We think that rain on your wedding day is so romantic especially if you embrace the rain and enjoy your time together which is exactly what Leah & Henley did! They went up to Ceremony Hill to take pictures with the Chapel complete with a clear bubble umbrella! Next, they came back to the Apple Barn to continue to take photos together and with Emmett as a family. After they wrapped up photos as a family of three, we came inside to get bridal party photos before guests began to arrive!

For the ceremony, we opened the barn doors which allowed the sound of rain to give the ceremony a romantic feel. Once the Grandparents, Parents, and Bridal Party made it down the aisle, Pastor Mickey made an analogy of the guests waiting for the bride like the church waits for Jesus before Leah came down the stairs with her father - which was such a powerful way to envision the moment we were about to witness. The ceremony was so touching & reflected their love in such a perfect way. Their First Kiss photo was taken from the Pastor’s point of view which is such fun - they will always remember who all was sitting there as witnesses to them becoming husband and wife! After the ceremony, we let the guests find their seats at their tables while we took away all the ceremony chairs to create a dance floor! Once everyone was comfortable, we introduced the wedding party and went straight into the first dance.

After a fabulous dinner, we did the final two dances with the parents before opening the dance floor! We took a break from dancing to cut the cakes - the bunt cake and the adorable groom’s cake (complete with a fondant sculpture of Leah, Henley, & Emmett) before guests could invite themselves to any of the yummy desserts while we did toasts. Let’s not forget about the Hot Chocolate Bar with all sorts of fun and yummy treats! After desserts were devoured, everyone headed back to the dance floor for some more dancing before garter and bouquet toss and a perfect sparkler send off!

Something Spectacular

There was a special mirror brought in to the bridal suite for Leah that had a frame attached and some signatures on it. We asked Leah what the significance of it was and the story will break your heart and also give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Read the story in Leah’s words:

“In June of 2017, I lost one of my best friends in a car accident and when I got engaged I spent the next 9 months trying to figure out how I could honor her at my wedding. I knew I wanted to put her picture and bouquet on the memorial table but I just felt like it wasn’t enough. A few months before my wedding I posed for some pictures for Maranda’s older sister Emma, their mom, Sherry, was also there. Sherry told me she had something she wanted me to see at my wedding but never told me what it was until after the pictures. I found out that Sherry and Maranda’s Aunt Jess had gone into a local store where another one of Maranda’s good friend’s works and Sherry told Jess “Jess there’s something about you and this mirror you should get it it has your name written all over it!” Sherry said Jess almost burst into tears and said: “No, that mirror has Maranda’s name written on it.” Sherry didn’t realize that Jess was already trying to find ways that Maranda could stand by her friend’s sides at their wedding and that is how the mirror came to be. They’ve now had five brides sign it and Maranda’s niece, Addie Jaye, will get it on her wedding day.”

Happily Ever After

We are so happy Leah asked us for our card and that she and Henley trusted us with their day! We loved every minute of getting to know them. We know their future is so bright and that their love is so real! Congratulations on this new chapter of your life, Leah & Henley!