Bailey & Christian Evans

SEPT. 19, 2020

PHOTOS BY CHRIS ROUTT • MRFOTO.COM

Our story began through stereotypical social media. We were both aware of each other while we were in high school, but it wasn’t until after college when we were able to reconnect. Christian reached out on Instagram via direct message.

At the time, Bailey was working at the Indiana Department of Education at the Indiana Statehouse and Christian was attending an event there during the Legislative Session in which he “claims” to have seen Bailey from a distance. Bailey is confident that who Christian said he saw wasn’t actually Bailey. Regardless he used it as an excuse to reach out and reconnect. After a few dates in Indianapolis, we made it official in early 2019. Bailey moved back home for a new job in late 2019, and Christian began his political and professional career in Scottsburg and New Albany.

While romantic and unexpected, our proposal story is not the most adventurous. As they say, “When you know, you know.” In late 2019, Christian asked his soon-to-be in-laws for Bailey’s hand in marriage. It was obvious how much family meant to Bailey, and he decided it was right to not only propose in front of Bailey’s family, but also propose on her favorite day of the year, Christmas Eve. After a long day of events, presents, and too much food, Bailey’s family was exchanging gifts to each other with one final gift to all the girls in the family. While they closed their eyes, little did Bailey know the final gift was exclusively for her. Since everyone was in on the act, her twin sister and soon-to-be sister-in-law removed themselves from the picture, leaving Bailey to open her eyes only to see Christian down on one knee asking to spend the rest of their lives together. Obviously, she said yes.

We hosted our wedding ceremony and reception at Cornerstone Hall in Salem. Bailey is from there, and Christian’s grandparents live shortly down the road from the venue, which made it a perfect location for the time and weather. With a beautiful outdoor pergola and fantastic 75-degree weather, the ceremony was ideal. Our officiant was Indiana State Senator Chris Garten, who is a close personal friend to Christian and Bailey. Being ordained in his position in the Indiana State Senate, it made the perfect memorable combination as close lifelong family friend and officiant.

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it made wedding planning extremely tricky. Our ceremony and reception were quite a bit different than the traditional nuptials. We had tremendous success with our method. We decided our ceremony would only be hosted alongside our close family and friends, ones in which we had seen during the pandemic. However, our reception was open-house style in which it was open to our larger family and friends. The normal reception style dance floor, cake/food, and gifts stayed the same. This worked out great due to the fact that people could come and go as they please at their own time and convenience. We were able to social distance ourselves while still seeing all of our loved ones, and keep everyone safe throughout the night. Our wedding was nothing short of magical, or, as Bailey likes to say: “whimsical elegant.”

One thing we bonded over when we first started dating was our extreme love for Disney. We both had always dreamed of having our wedding at Disney and since taking all of our family to Florida during a global pandemic was not the best idea, we decided to bring Disney to Salem. We added in plenty of touches of Disney in our music, decor, and even our flowers and cake. The ambiance of hundreds of candles, globe lights, and flowers were the perfect touches to the beginning of our Happily Ever After.

WEDDING VENDORS
Photographer: Mr. Foto
Venue: Cornerstone Hall in Salem
Videographer: Strother Media
DJ: Sound Sational DJ Services
Floral and Décor: Fashions in Flowers
Chairs and Farm Tables: Southern Classic Rentals
Unity Cross: Eleven Dreams
Cake and Cupcakes: Crumbles
Dress, Veil, & Suits: B.loved
Hair: Kaitlinn Weaver