Sadie and Dakota found love in a time when dating and meeting new people were a near impossibility for most: 2020. The couple matched on Hinge in January, met a week later and knew instantly they were meant to be.
The pandemic helped their relationship flourish more quickly than it might have—they moved in with each other in March, for the safety of each other and their families.
When they got engaged two years later, Sadie and Dakota had one place in mind for the ceremony: Sadie’s grandparent’s horse farm in Eden.
“We confessed our love to each other under the willow tree that I used to play under growing up, with both our families surrounding us,” she says. “Everyone was buzzing with love.”
When deciding where to take wedding pictures, there was no question that they would make a stop at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.
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“We are diehard Buffalo Bills fans,” Sadie says. “We both got Bills tattoos, and our season tickets were the first big purchase we made together as a couple. The stadium is a place that we love.”
Day-of details
One way Sadie and Dakota made their wedding feel even more special was by assembling a team of people they know personally.
“We wanted our wedding to be as close-knit and intimate as possible, and our entire team made that happen,” Sadie says.
A spell of rowdy Western New York weather added some unasked-for excitement to their big day. As it approached, there was a 90% chance of rain forecasted—exactly what you don’t want to see for an outdoor wedding with no backup venue.
A deluge greeted them when they awoke that day, and panic started to set in. “I received a phone call from my grandfather that our shade tents were starting to break from the heavy rain,” Sadie says. “Our wedding day was turning from our dream into a nightmare right in front of our eyes.”
However, Dakota and other family members rushed out to remedy the situation, and by 1 p.m. sunshine peeked through the clouds. The rain finally stopped just in time for the festivities to begin.
The couple’s favorite part of the wedding day was the anticipation leading up to the ceremony. Sadie was overcome with emotion as she watched Dakota and his groomsmen walk down the aisle, while Dakota says the highlight was seeing Sadie in her wedding dress for the first time.
“The feeling that we had made it and that everything was going to be OK washed over him,” she says.
