Real Weddings: Long Distance Dedication

Kelly Knickerbocker and Devin Reynolds spent much of their courtship apart. Their modern-vintage wedding reflected their frequent-traveler status.

By by Allison Hatfield
D Weddings Spring-Summer 2011

The now-defunct Dallas-based band Kessler had a song titled “Love Is War.” But for band member Devin Reynolds and his girlfriend Kelly Knickerbocker, love was a parade of phone calls, e-mails, postcards, suitcases, and plane tickets. Their June wedding reflected that personal history.

The two met about four years ago when the band was playing shows in Deep Ellum. The first time Kelly saw the band, she ended up falling for Kessler—and eventually for the band’s guitar player. Kelly and Devin’s first date was at a coffee shop in Flower Mound, and within a few weeks they were a couple.

But not inseparable.


Six months into the relationship, Kessler was signed by an indie label in Los Angeles, where the band spent several months recording an album before hitting the road, playing 33 states in one year. “A big aspect of our relationship was staying strong through the long-distance thing,” Kelly says. “We figured if we could make it work, we could make it through anything.”

And so they did. When it came time to plan their wedding, they let their experience traveling be their guide. The theme took on additional meaning when Kelly was offered a public relations job in Seattle and the couple began making plans to relocate. The result was nothing short of modern-vintage perfection—and a story told with distinct Martha Stewart style.

Though Kelly and Devin provided the direction, the bride credits designer Jamie Laubhan-Oliver with bringing her vision into being. Jamie is an art director who works on D Home and D Weddings. The two met when Kelly was checking out Off the Grid (the historic Dallas Power and Light substation that has been converted into an event space) as a possible venue; Jamie was there working on a wedding for a friend. The designer doesn’t do a lot of weddings, but she fell in love with the funky-fresh bride and her musician groom and set out to give them the celebration of their dreams.

“Kelly and Devin are not a very traditional couple. They wanted their wedding to be slightly conceptual yet pertain to their lives,” Jamie says. “She started telling me about the long-distance aspect of their relationship and that they’d found out they were moving. Travel-themed weddings can be a little hokey, but we kept it simple and tailored.”

For a lot of weddings, the stationery is the jumping-off point, setting the tone of the event. Kelly and Devin’s invitation was a slight play on an airline ticket. From there, Jamie moved on to table settings. Place mats were made of paper so that they could be folded into airplanes for the sendoff (instead of birdseed or flower petals). Table decorations were vintage postcards and stamps to go along with the love-letter aspect of the theme. Globes, vintage suitcases, and pastel blooms in Mason jars accented the room. And the photo booth backdrop was a 10-by-20-foot sheet of maps that Jamie sewed together by hand. In fact, most of the wedding decor was hand-crafted, creating a charming DIY atmosphere and providing a detailed, cohesive look to the festivities that is more difficult to obtain with manufactured items.

Fittingly, favors were postcard snapshots of the couple during their years together. And now that Kelly and Devin are living in Seattle, those cards are helping family and friends stay in touch.

Ceremony/Reception Site:Off the Grid
Photographer: Nine Photography
Bridal Gown Designer/Retailer: Unique Vintage
Hair & makeup: Sabrina McFaul, Tangerine Salon; Lori Davis
Groom’s Attire: Target
Bridesmaid Dresses: Unique Vintage
Flowers:Bows and Arrows
Cake:Elena’s Cakes
Caterer:Bread Winners Cafe and Bakery
Wedding Rentals: Significant Events of Texas; TLC Event Rentals
Wedding Designer: Jamie Laubhan-Oliver
Day-of Coordinator: Meredith Commender, Significant Events of Texas