Caitlin and Grant’s elegant Friday wedding in Kansas City was rooted in intention, gratitude, and the simple joy of gathering their favorite people in one room. Set at The Guild, their celebration blended timeless design with heartfelt personalization — every detail thoughtfully curated so that each guest felt truly seen.
From the very beginning of planning, Caitlin’s priority was inclusion. Her wedding-day playbook included a simple but meaningful tip: schedule every kind of photo moment. Portraits with guests. Portraits with family. Multiple couples portraits throughout the day. It ensured that the day moved slowly enough to savor and that every relationship was honored in frame.
The celebration itself reflected their personalities beautifully — Grant’s calm steadiness balancing Caitlin’s thoughtful attention to detail. Garden-inspired florals, classic attire, and a warm reception space created an atmosphere that felt refined yet deeply welcoming. But it was the personal touches that defined the day most — especially their seating chart. Each guest received a handwritten letter and a photo of themselves with the couple, a gesture that transformed a simple escort display into one of the most meaningful elements of the evening.
As the night unfolded, laughter filled the room, and their choreographed first dance brought the kind of joy that lingers long after the music fades. It was a wedding built not on spectacle, but on love — steady, patient, and deeply intentional.
How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another?
Grant’s uncle was Caitlin’s next door neighbor growing up in Kansas City. Caitlin’s family and the Rittger family, Grant’s uncle’s family, became close friends, and Caitlin often babysat Grant’s younger cousin.
When Caitlin and Grant were sophomores in high school, the Rittgers invited Caitlin and her family to their lake house. That’s where Caitlin and Grant first met. Caitlin’s family continued visiting the Rittger lake house each summer, and over the years Caitlin and Grant grew closer.
Before their sophomore year of college, they began talking more, and by the end of that summer they started dating. They were nervous at first to take that step, both because their families were so close and because they would be long distance for three years while finishing college. But they decided it was worth it and gave it a try.
Caitlin admired Grant’s kind hearted, hardworking, family oriented nature. Grant admired Caitlin’s compassion for others, her dedication to everything she does, and her strong sense of family.
Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship!
On the way to our rehearsal at our wedding venue, Grant and I had rented a U-haul to transport the seating chart and other wedding day decor. We made a pit stop at the hotel where the girls would be getting ready to drop off my things before heading to the venue. While unloading the U-haul, I dropped my sunglasses and thought I picked them up, but when we got back into the U-haul I could not find them. I started having a mini panic and had Grant searching all around the U-haul, but they were nowhere to be found.
Eventually, we continued driving to the venue without the sunglasses. I was ranting to Grant that I had just bought these new sunglasses for my birthday after losing my previous pair. Grant kindly offered me his sunglasses, and I responded, “No, I just want my sunglasses.” He calmly said, “Okay.” About five minutes later, I said, “Okay, I am done being grumpy. Can I have your sunglasses?” Grant again kindly handed me his sunglasses and then said, “I thought this was a pretty good idea.”
Later, after the rehearsal dinner, I returned to the hotel room and my sunglasses were sitting on the counter. Needless to say, Grant is the most patient, laid back, calm presence and always helps keep my stress balanced.
Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning.
Grant and I had to endure 3-years of long distance as he went to Oklahoma State University and lived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and I went to the University of Arkansas and lived in Kansas City. One specific weekend in college, I had planned to go see Grant at Oklahoma State but was feeling overwhelmed with applying to grad school and keeping up with class work. I was not sure I wanted to make the drive and spend the weekend in Oklahoma.
I ended up making the drive to Oklahoma State. When I arrived, Grant had a bonfire set up for a quiet night, which was exactly what I needed. The next day, Grant took me to a coffee shop (even though he is not a coffee drinker) so I could study and work on my grad school applications. Afterward, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights.
The weekend I had been hesitant to go turned into one of the best weekends. Grant made me feel so seen, understood, and cared for. This was the weekend I knew he was the one.
Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day?
We did not have any younger kids in our family or close family friends, so we did not have a traditional flower girl or ring bearer. Instead, we chose to have both of our mothers be our ring bearers. They carried the rings down the aisle, and when it was time to exchange rings during the ceremony, our mothers brought the rings up to us and gave us each a hug.
Our officiant used this moment to acknowledge the role our parents played in raising us into the people we are today and to honor the joining of our two families.
What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you?
Grant and I were very excited and grateful to have all of our family and friends in one room to celebrate with us on our wedding day. For our seating chart, we decided to write individual letters to each of our guests, thanking them for being part of our lives, sharing favorite memories, and expressing our appreciation for them making the trip to celebrate with us. We also included a photo of us with each guest. We created individual envelopes for everyone with their name and table number, then placed their note and photo inside. This was so special to us and to our guests, and we wanted everyone to feel loved and appreciated.
Looking back at our wedding day, our favorite part was our first dance together. One of my bridesmaids and best childhood friends choreographed and taught us our first dance. We loved spending quality time together in our living room practicing in the weeks leading up to the wedding. On the wedding day, we felt confident performing our dance and completely surprised our guests. We will always remember everyone fully engaged, clapping and cheering throughout our first dance. When our guests gave us a standing ovation at the end, Grant said, “I feel like I just finished performing on Broadway.”
What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another?
Grant has a very calm, go with the flow personality, while I always like to have a plan and can be very high strung. Grant has taught me to slow down and live in the moment. He has helped me enjoy the small things in life, like grocery shopping, going for evening walks, and spending slow weekends at the lake with family and friends.
Caitlin lives a very active, healthy lifestyle. She has taught me how to prioritize working out — I now go to the gym 3 to 5 days a week. She also encourages me to eat clean, and I now pay attention to the nutrients I put into my body so I can feel good and live a long, healthy life.
What is your favorite thing about each other?
My favorite thing about Grant is his patience and constant selflessness. When I feel stressed, Grant is always looking for ways to take things off my plate. He is calm and level headed, while I can easily get overwhelmed and become short or emotional. He is always there to listen and be the steady presence I need.
My favorite thing about Caitlin is that she makes me a better person. She challenges me to set new goals that I might not have considered on my own. She encourages me to keep progressing toward those goals and holds me accountable along the way.
What was your favorite part about planning your wedding?
Our favorite part of wedding planning was learning and practicing our first dance. Caitlin’s bridesmaid and best childhood friend choreographed it for us and helped us practice. At least once a week, we would move all the furniture out of our living room to practice. We spent the evenings laughing, dancing, and enjoying the moment. On our wedding night, we loved surprising our friends and family with our choreographed dance, especially since we both usually have two left feet.
If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be?
Our biggest piece of advice for other couples during wedding planning would be to spend time personalizing your wedding to make it special to you. Our favorite parts of our wedding were the parts special to us that we spent the most time and effort putting together, like our seating chart with individual notes to each quest, our first dance, and the speeches given. Really sit down and think about what music you want played, pictures you want taken, and details you want captured.
What is the most honest thing you can say about love?
We truly believe in and live by the words of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
We believe that if you put your partner’s needs above your own and lead with kindness, you will build a strong, loving, and lasting relationship.
Planning & Coordinating: Simple Elegance / @simpleelegancekc
Florals: Love, Lilacs / @lovelilacs.kc
Bridal Store: Savvy Bridal / @savvybridal
Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / @menswearhouse
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie / @azaziebridal
Venue: The Guild / @theguildkc
Photography: Natalie H Collective / @natalie.h.collective
Videography: Baysinger Films / @baysingerfilms
Catering: Brancatos / @brancatoscatering
Cake: McLains / @mclainsbakerykc
DJ: Complete Weddings + Events / @completeweddingseventskc
Hair: Posh KC Dry Bar / @theposhkc
Makeup: Paradise Beauty / @paradisebeautykc
Transportation: Agenda USA / @agenda.usa
Publisher at The White Wren and Bajan Wed, Award Winning Photography + Videographer at Live View Studios, Dad, 80s music lover, crunchy health advocate
NO COMMENT