Doria + adam

There is something magical about a Christmas engagement, and for Doria Esche, the holiday had always held a special place in her heart. Inspired by her grandparents, who eloped on Christmas Day decades earlier, Adam proposed during a snowy stroll through the lights of Falls Park, giving Doria the fairy tale moment she had dreamed about since she was young.

That frozen night marked the beginning of a love story that came full circle nearly two years later with a sentimental winter wedding in Sioux Falls. Doria and Adam first connected on Tinder when Adam was visiting a friend; their apps synced across state lines and sparked a conversation that quickly became something more. Their first date was lunch at Perkins, and nearly two years later, they returned to the same booth for breakfast on their wedding morning. As they stepped outside, gentle snow began to fall, exactly as Doria had hoped.

With Doria being the youngest of five and Adam an only child, they each brought different priorities to wedding planning. “He wanted the party. I wanted intimacy,” Doria laughs. Their compromise was a micro wedding with fifty guests focused on meaningful details. Since art and music were central to their relationship, they hired a live wedding painter and live musicians, creating a warm creative atmosphere that reflected their shared passions.

Because many guests traveled from out of state, the couple planned a full week of activities. Welcome bags included a postcard of their proposal spot, a breakfast scented candle, and a mini map of their favorite Sioux Falls places. The morning of the wedding was filled with cozy excitement. Adam and his groomsmen got ready at Hotel on Phillips with custom socks and curated gift sets. Doria and her bridal party sipped Caribou coffee at the Convolo bridal suite while opening embroidered sweatshirts, slippers, and totes. Light blue hoodies for her mom, mother in law, and grandmother became her “something blue.”

A heartfelt first look left them both in tears. Doria had a heart shaped patch sewn inside her gown and a bouquet wrap that read, “I have found the one my heart loves.” Lunch with the wedding party turned into a playful picnic with pizza, soda, and ponchos, which Doria describes as “perfectly messy and perfectly us.”

Their candlelit ceremony, written entirely by the couple, featured a touching group vow inviting guests to participate. After signing their license with engraved pens and sharing a quiet moment alone, Doria changed into embroidered Converse before heading to the reception.

The celebration at Convolo paired cozy elegance with personal touches, including live harp music, a live painter capturing their first kiss, a king’s table set with thrifted goblets and embroidered napkins, a dessert wall, a hot cocoa bar, and two guestbooks, one for photos and one for recorded messages. After a jingle bell send off, the couple changed outfits and continued the festivities on a lively post wedding bar hop through downtown Sioux Falls.

There is something magical about a Christmas engagement, and for Doria Esche, the holiday had always held a special place in her heart. Inspired by her grandparents, who eloped on Christmas Day decades earlier, Adam proposed during a snowy stroll through the lights of Falls Park, giving Doria the fairy tale moment she had dreamed about since she was young.

That frozen night marked the beginning of a love story that came full circle nearly two years later with a sentimental winter wedding in Sioux Falls. Doria and Adam first connected on Tinder when Adam was visiting a friend; their apps synced across state lines and sparked a conversation that quickly became something more. Their first date was lunch at Perkins, and nearly two years later, they returned to the same booth for breakfast on their wedding morning. As they stepped outside, gentle snow began to fall, exactly as Doria had hoped.

With Doria being the youngest of five and Adam an only child, they each brought different priorities to wedding planning. “He wanted the party. I wanted intimacy,” Doria laughs. Their compromise was a micro wedding with fifty guests focused on meaningful details. Since art and music were central to their relationship, they hired a live wedding painter and live musicians, creating a warm creative atmosphere that reflected their shared passions.

Because many guests traveled from out of state, the couple planned a full week of activities. Welcome bags included a postcard of their proposal spot, a breakfast scented candle, and a mini map of their favorite Sioux Falls places. The morning of the wedding was filled with cozy excitement. Adam and his groomsmen got ready at Hotel on Phillips with custom socks and curated gift sets. Doria and her bridal party sipped Caribou coffee at the Convolo bridal suite while opening embroidered sweatshirts, slippers, and totes. Light blue hoodies for her mom, mother in law, and grandmother became her “something blue.”

A heartfelt first look left them both in tears. Doria had a heart shaped patch sewn inside her gown and a bouquet wrap that read, “I have found the one my heart loves.” Lunch with the wedding party turned into a playful picnic with pizza, soda, and ponchos, which Doria describes as “perfectly messy and perfectly us.”

Their candlelit ceremony, written entirely by the couple, featured a touching group vow inviting guests to participate. After signing their license with engraved pens and sharing a quiet moment alone, Doria changed into embroidered Converse before heading to the reception.

The celebration at Convolo paired cozy elegance with personal touches, including live harp music, a live painter capturing their first kiss, a king’s table set with thrifted goblets and embroidered napkins, a dessert wall, a hot cocoa bar, and two guestbooks, one for photos and one for recorded messages. After a jingle bell send off, the couple changed outfits and continued the festivities on a lively post wedding bar hop through downtown Sioux Falls.