Shelby and Chris got married at 1890 Event Space on the only Saturday in November I had a wedding in 2022, and the day did a little bit of everything. It started with a hint of snow, warmed up just enough for an outdoor ceremony, ended with the best sunset of my whole season, and then KC Wolf showed up to the reception. Chris did not know that last part was coming.
1890 Event Space, Just Outside Weston
1890 Event Space sits on the Highway 92 Spur in Platte City, a short drive from Weston and about twenty minutes north of downtown Kansas City. The name comes from the white Victorian house at the front of the property, built in 1872 and remodeled in 1890, and that house is reason enough to book this venue for getting ready. It has a turret with a crystal chandelier hanging in the bay window, a wraparound porch, and tiger oak woodwork in nearly every room: double doorways, a carved mantel with an oval mirror, a green glass tile fireplace. If a venue has bones like that, I’m going to use every one of them.
The ceremony was out on the lawn in front of the house, and the reception was in the main hall, which has dark vaulted beams, tiered crystal chandeliers and a row of windows up near the ceiling.
Getting Ready in the 1890 House
Shelby and Chris have an eye for detail, and you could see it before anyone was dressed. Their rings sat in a teal velvet box inside a little brass and glass case, on a filigree mirror tray with pearl hair pins, gold S&C wax seals and a brass Victorian shoe. Her gown hung from that turret chandelier with the leaf lace train running down the stairs.
Chris got dressed in a cobalt three piece suit with a mustard paisley tie, then went downstairs to shoot pool in his vest. Upstairs, Shelby’s bridesmaids threw confetti on the bed and then lost it completely when she came out in the dress. Two of them screamed, one gasped, and one put both fists in the air. Her mom, in bronze, did up the buttons in front of the oak mantel.
A First Look on the Stairs
They did their first look on the turret landing at the top of the oak staircase. Chris grinned through the whole thing, then bowed to kiss her hand in front of the bay windows. After that Shelby turned around for her dad and her brother. Her dad smiled. Her brother just started laughing.
Rust, Emerald and Gold Hoops
The wedding party matched the season without matching each other. The bridesmaids wore rust satin, rust velvet and emerald velvet, and instead of bouquets they carried gold hoops wrapped in flowers by Botanical Floral Design: orange roses, burgundy ranunculus, dried banksia, eucalyptus and long strands of amaranth. The guys wore cobalt suits with rust ties. When Shelby and Chris kissed out front, the whole party threw their arms up.
For one frame the two of them stood perfectly still on the front steps while everyone else walked past. It’s a slow shutter trick, and it’s one of the few ways to get a whole wedding party in a photo without anybody standing in a line. Shelby’s gown also had a detachable leaf lace overskirt with a long train, and the second the wind caught it on the lawn, it flew straight out to the side.
An Outdoor Ceremony in November
Outdoor ceremonies around Kansas City in mid November are a gamble, and the guests came ready: winter coats, hoods, gloves, and plaid blankets draped over the white chairs. The arbor was wrapped in white fabric with dried amaranth hanging from the top and floral columns on both sides, and Fountain City String Quartet played. The flower girl, in a long emerald velvet dress, handed out yellow mums to guests one at a time on her way down the aisle. Shelby’s dad walked her in with one hand pressed over his heart.
For their unity ritual they each poured soil from a glass vessel into a copper pot holding a young magnolia, then kissed right beside it. I like a ritual that leaves you with something that keeps growing after the wedding. After the pronouncement Shelby threw both arms up with the bouquet, and the recessional turned into a confetti storm. Chris covered his mouth like he couldn’t quite believe it.
The Sunset Everyone Talked About
When I first wrote about this wedding in 2022, I said you had to see their sunset portraits to understand. Still true. The clouds that sat over the property all day finally broke right at the end, and the light came in low and gold over the white rail fence and the hills. We stayed on the paved drive and the field next to it and mostly let it happen: her veil blowing across the frame, Shelby hugging Chris from behind while he smirked at me, a twirl under a sky that went peach and pink. By the time we walked back to the house it was dusk, and they went up to the balcony for one more.
Emerald, Gold and Candlelight
The reception kept the same palette going. The sweetheart table was a carved Victorian settee over emerald velvet, ringed by about eighteen gold lanterns with pillar candles, under a floral hoop and a white neon C&S heart above the fireplace. The cake was three emerald tiers with torn gold leaf and a cascade of orange roses on an amber glass stand. They made their grand entrance through cold sparks with Shelby holding the bouquet over her head, and the first dance was under those vaulted beams with every chandelier lit.
The Brisk Toast and a KC Wolf Surprise
The toasts had the best prop of the night. During one of the bridesmaids’ toasts, Shelby held up a two liter bottle of pink Brisk, and it stayed parked next to the settee for Chris’s toast too. Her dad got his dance, cheek to cheek under the beams.
Then came the part Shelby planned without telling Chris. She arranged for KC Wolf to crash the reception, and he came in wearing a Chiefs jersey and floral pants. Icon Events Group was on the music, and the dance floor did not calm down after that. Foam batons came out, one guest wore the gold leaf garland off a table as a necklace, and Wolf was still out there when Shelby was screaming with her bouquet in the air.
Shelby and Chris, thank you for the details, the dress, the Brisk and the best sunset of 2022. If you want another fall wedding from that year, Cassidy and Trey’s Oakwood Country Club wedding was a month earlier. Planning a wedding at 1890 Event Space, or anywhere else around Kansas City? Take a look at Kansas City wedding photography pricing, build your own quote in a couple of minutes, or get in touch.
