On a crisp November day, surrounded by the fiery red, orange and yellow trees that line the hills of Boonville, Missouri, Sara Samson and Aaron Pace celebrated their love with a stunning wedding at Fox Hollow Weddings + Events. Their farmhouse-inspired celebration, wrapped in monochromatic blues, whites, and sage greenery, was a perfect reflection of their down-to-earth style and rich family roots.
Sara and Aaron's story began on November 9, 2018—the day they first met on a family farm. With shared passions for farming, gardening, and a competitive game night or two, their bond quickly blossomed. Their proposal, filled with rustic charm and heartfelt simplicity, was a quiet moment under the stars on their farm, marking the start of their forever.
Read on to hear their love story, as told by Sara:
Life is a funny thing. There are two farms – 8.5 miles away from each other, to be exact – one in Akinsville and one in Versailles. In Akinsville (otherwise known as Fortuna), Aaron grew up spending his days learning to bake and garden with his grandma and riding the back roads with his grandpa. In Versailles, Sara lived on her family farm and spent her days helping her mom, tagging along as her dad farmed, and running to keep up with her older siblings.
For 24 years, they traveled the same roads without ever crossing paths. That all changed when a high school classmate of Sara’s and a longtime friend of Aaron's introduced them. Conversations began with exchanges of late-night texts while they both worked evening/night shifts until their schedules aligned. On November 9, 2018, they finally met in person for the first time at that farm in Akinsville. From that moment on, where one went, so did the other.
As the years went on, they discovered shared interests and made lots of memories. You may find them out in the field checking cattle, Sara reading her book at the shop while Aaron works on his never-ending collections of vehicles or billiards game. They grow a massive garden, have finessed their canning skills, expanded the farm with their pet cow, Ethel, and never shied away from a friendly disagreement about the proper way to mow and weed eat the yard.
When they’re not at the farm or in the garden you can find Sara enjoying a delicious meal made by Aaron, taking adventures with friends, hosting competitive game nights, or visiting their favorite coffee and ice cream spots. Their lives have already been full of love, laughter and sarcasm. This is the beginning of the next chapter of their story.
From the very first consultation, Sara's vision was clear: she wanted a wedding that honored their country roots while exuding timeless elegance.
Throughout the planning process we worked as a team to design each and every detail, from floor plans to floral details, from the small nods to Ethel - their favorite cow, to the chic blue custom signage that pulled inspiration from their florals and table runners, every aspect highlighted their wedding vision and the love story they've created together.
The 41-page Wedding Weekend Playbook we created for Sara + Aaron's wedding during their year long planning journey served as a visual guide that allowed Sara to follow along as our team realized their day, and allowed our team and their team of trusted vendors to bring their wedding dreams into reality with ease.
This guide is created by our planning team for each and every Partial Planning + Full Planning Client, and it includes real images of their decor, and all of the visual details of their wedding design, including their 2D and 3D floor plans. We mockup all of their decor items as we plan alongside our couple - ensuring that every corner of the venue and every aspect of their wedding was curated to perfection before their day even began.
Sara knew a lot about what she was wanting to create for her big day when she first booked with us. What she didn't know, was that she would change venues and we'd be starting over from scratch. After a site visit at her original venue space, and discovering Fox Hollow's gorgeous and relatively new venue in Boonville, she took the leap and booked the new location, falling in love with it's outdoor ceremony site, adorable farmhouse, and crisp, clean, white reception hall.
After we'd sorted out her venue, we got into wedding party attire and which colors will fit best, eventually narrowing down her choices to tan and shades of blue.
At the same time, we also curated their wedding moodboard by narrowing down Sara's Pinterest board, pulling inspiration when necessary, and taking notes as we planned.
Of course one of the main things that we create for every wedding is a well designed floor plan. Sara's was tricky since we were maxing out the number of guests in the space, and we also potentially needed to plan for their ceremony being indoors due to cold weather (which is exactly where we ended up).
We worked closely alongside local fav vendor Courtney of Pretty Little Things Vintage Rentals to curate the perfect signage and specialty decor pieces for their day.
After looking through possibilities on the website, Sara and I scheduled a trip out to Boonville to view the PLT warehouse full of vintage pretties! Courtney is amazing and took Sara and I on a tour, picking out items that we'd mentioned we were interested in renting, before finally narrowing down items.
Then, we got into the discussion of custom signage. Courtney carefully designed these custom signs for our couple to match their color palette, and we absolutely loved the pattern and font pairings that she picked out for us!
Just look at how beautiful they came out in real life!
Photos compliments of: @fivesparrowsphotography
The day before their wedding, our team arrived bright and early to meet florist Carley and her team to transform Fox Hollow into a timeless floral farmhouse masterpiece.
The biggest thing Carley's team needed to start on right away was the 30ft floral-adorned greenery wall installation. This grand statement would serve as a backdrop for both Sara + Aaron's ceremony alter, and later their reception head table.
While Carley and her team tackled this installation, our team got to work steaming ALL of the white linens we would be using for their reception tables.
I met Courtney onsite to load in all of her vintage rentals and custom created signage, while the rest of our team got to work setting out all of the little details that would make their day unique to them as a couple - game table, tiny cows figurines, a photo of Sara with Ethel their beloved cow), oh so many candlesticks, runners, and everything in between. Everything came together just as planned and it was clear that our couple was overjoyed with the results.
Photos compliments of: @fivesparrowsphotography
One of the biggest tasks our team would undertake on their wedding day was the room flip between their ceremony and reception floor plans. Since the weather was too cold for an outdoor ceremony, this had to be done while guests were indoors enjoying cocktail hour, and therefore it had to be done both quickly and efficiently. So, we scheduled a few extra hands for this time period, and our florist sent a team member as well, so that we could move florals, tables, chairs, and then reset the long tables that close family and friends would be sitting at for dinner - all to be done in under a a half hour since photos also needed to happen indoors.
A NOTE FROM THE PROS: This, among many MANY other reasons friends, is why you absolutely NEED a professional day-of wedding team. Room flips can be absolute chaos even with the best laid plans, and you'll need a team that knows how to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible to keep guests happy and things moving as smoothly as possible.
The day began with the ladies and their beauty team in the adorable farmhouse across the parking lot from the reception hall at Fox Hollow. Our team spent the morning split between steaming dresses and suits, and tending to the needs of the wedding party as they prepped for their big day, and in the main hall setting out the finishing touches before the guests arrival later that afternoon.
Sara's crew enjoyed an assortment of sweet treats, brunch items, and homemade chicken dumpling soup as they prepped hair and make-up. The mood was light and the ladies seemed to enjoy their time relaxing in the comfortable seating areas spread out throughout the old house.
Soon after, Aaron and the rest of the gents arrived onsite to get ready for first looks and photos with the entire wedding party out front in among the beautiful Fall foliage.
Gifts were exchanged, boutonnières were pinned on, and when our team discovered we were an entire bouquet short (despite Sara, the floral team, and our own team counting these) I called Carley and quickly got to work strategically pulling florals and greenery to craft the perfect makeshift bouquet for her last bridesmaid to carry during photos.
With a little help and a lot of luck (OK I'll give myself credit and call it skill - largely thanks to that one MIZZOU Floral Arranging class I took my last semester of college) I managed to craft another bouquet just in time for photos! (Of course it's not as good as Carley's ... I had to pull from the bottom sides of the entryway arbor, greenery wall, and a few floor pieces ... but Sara and everyone agreed that it looked great, and I think it blended in quite nicely.)
Their ceremony, held indoors beneath glimmering chandeliers, and framed by the dreamy, floral-adorned greenery wall, was a warm and intimate moment. Sara, escorted by her parents, walked down the aisle to the soft notes of Taylor Swift’s "Lover" (Wedding Version). Their vows, rich with personal promises, had the room in tears.
Their reception decor blended rustic charm and refined elegance. The tables glowed with pillar candles in shades of blue and blue and white florals, creating a cozy ambiance.
DJ Denny led guests through the evening's events, beginning with cocktail hour and bar service by Vertigo Event Services (their signature drink - a classic Gin Ricky), dinner service from Mallard’s Smokin’ Bar-B-Que, and desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes and Hanmade Desserts.
Photo compliments of: @fivesparrowsphotography
The day was filled with heartfelt surprises—from their first looks, to first dances, to the end of night T-shirt toss, and playful light-up cowboy hats on the dance floor.
One of the most cherished moments was their combined parent dance to Chris Stapleton's "I Hope You Dance," inviting every parent and child to share in their joy halfway through the song.
Photo compliments of: @fivesparrowsphotography
Sara shared these heartfelt words about working with our team:
Take a glimpse into Sara and Aaron's unforgettable day, beautifully captured by Five Sparrows Photography. From tearful first looks to golden hour portraits, every detail shines through their lens.
It was a joy and an honor to bring Sara and Aaron’s dream wedding to life. Their love story, rooted in family, tradition, and laughter, will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Wishing the new Mr. & Mrs. Pace a lifetime of love and happiness.
Ready to design your dream wedding?
Contact Blue Diamond Events team of wedding specialists today, and let’s bring your wedding vision to life with creativity, care, and a touch of magic.
Venue | @foxhollow_weddingsevents
Full Planning + Coordination | @bluediamondeventsweddings
Photography | @fivesparrowsphotography
Florist | @carleyjeansfloral
Rentals | @pretty.lil.things
DJ/MC | @denny.perdue
Catering | @mallardsbbq
Desserts | @nothingbundtcakes + @han.madedesserts
Bar & Beverage | @vertigoeventservices
Hair Stylists | @regenerationsalonspa + @hairportinc.salon
Make-Up Artists | @regenerationsalonspa
Bridal Gown | @randyfenoli
Favors / Printing | @wrightprinting