Real Wedding Wednesdays: Mariah Herrel and Josh Burchnell

Mariah and Josh Burchnell have a slightly NSFW saying that was born from their meet-cute: B*tches love puppies. Why, you ask?

“It’s a funny story,” Mariah says. “We were both on a dating site and he messaged me, but I didn’t reply. He saw that we were already friends on Instagram, so he sent me a picture of his friend’s puppy—nothing else.” When Mariah responded to say the pup was cute, Josh introduced himself. “I thought it was such a smooth move that I had to give him a chance,” Mariah explains.

Four years later, Josh conspired with Mariah’s family while on vacation in North Carolina’s Outer Banks to orchestrate his proposal. Under the guise of having professional family photos captured, he “forgot his wallet” at the beach house and sent Mariah to get it. When she returned, Josh was on bended knee, surrounded by family and his daughters, who were holding signs asking, “Will you marry our daddy?”

Their wedding day was filled with personal touches and memorable moments, but Mariah says a major highlight was “seeing my husband’s breath taken away when I started to walk down the aisle.”

The Details

Wedding date: June 1, 2019

Wedding colors: Navy, burgundy and gold

Attendants: Five bridesmaids, five groomsmen, four flower girls and a ring bearer

Bride wore: Stella York gown from Wendy’s Bridal, veil from David’s Bridal, shoe from Amazon, accessories from Etsy and her mother’s bracelet and rings

Hair and makeup: Always Elegant LLC

Groom wore: Suit rented from Men’s Wearhouse

Rings: Diamond Cellar

Bridesmaids wore: Gowns from David’s Bridal

Groomsmen wore: Suits rented from Men’s Wearhouse

Rehearsal dinner: Rusty Bucket

Ceremony: First Baptist Church of Gahanna

Reception: Jefferson Country Club

Caterer: In-house

Cupcakes: Cakes Creatively by Crystal

Florist: Oberer’s Flowers

Photographer: 614 Wedding Photography

Invitations: Levi Gibson / Get Creative

Reception tunes: Josh Staley Productions

First dance: “You Are the Reason” by Calcum Scott and Leona Lewis

Registries: Target, Wayfair and Bed Bath & Beyond

Honeymoon: Aruba