Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?
A: My inspiration changed throughout the process, but overall, we wanted our wedding to be fun and memorable!I created a color palette of mauves, blushes, creams, whites, hints of dark plum and pinks with LOTS of greenery. I don't know that I stuck to a particular style but was thinking "romantic" as I planned. We had traditional (Methodist) vows and two scripture readings by family members. Our officiant was amazing and really crushed the Homily. We received many compliments on his behalf. He really made the ceremony so personal -- he sent many of our family members and best friends questionnaires -- Weston and I also got to know him (Phil) and it really showed through!We also incorporated some very non traditional aspects -- I had a Bridesman and Weston had a Best Woman. When people asked me if my Bridesman would carry a bouquet I said "of course!!" I loved having it our way and it wouldn't have been the same without them by our sides!
Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?
A: Our venue was beautiful without any decor, but I knew I wanted to dress it up in a big way for our day. Flowers and greenery were at the top of my priority list! I probably went to our florist (Javier at Floral Events) at least 3 times to get it all right (with many emails in between). We even planned to have florals hanging from the chandeliers but were told on the day of that it was against the rules (bummer!) so we ended up using a lot of that greenery elsewhere (on the balcony railing). For the ceremony, we rented a white carpet runner, dressed up an altar with florals and greenery, and had big flower arrangements / rose petals lining the aisle. For the reception, we focused on a really nice royal table setup. I also worked with Ali at the Perfect Touch to get all of our linens, royal table decorations, up lights, chair sashes and dance-floor table tops just right. Since I did a room flip instead of a church ceremony, we were able to repurpose almost everything. Chair sashes lining the ceremony aisle were moved to the royal table and outside seating; Bridesmaid bouquets helped accent the royal table; The altar was then our cake backdrop; the list goes on! I ended up buying napkins for outdoor / non royal table seating and some of the rosette linens for the balcony / foyer online. It was the same price as renting but not sure what I'm going to do with 300+ napkins now! (Does that count as DIY?!) Other than that, I typically hired someone and refrained from too much DIY. One true DIY was framing many family and friend photos for the foyer (in gold frames of course). I had my parents and in-laws help with this one, specifically asking them for framed pictures of other family members on their wedding day. I thought it was really special! I also had two (large) bridal portraits on easels. Another way we repurposed -- we had our florist pick up the beautiful flowers my in-laws did for the rehearsal dinner and used them for the cocktail hour. I wasn't there to see it but heard it worked perfectly!
Q: Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?
A: We personalized many things, but a big hit was our custom cocktail napkins with our pets on them (we have 1 cat and 1 dog) with cute sayings: "Raise the woof" "Guard your drink" "Purr me another" and "Hightail it to the dance floor" (created by me online at foryourparty.com)We had a band (Password band) that literally everyone complimented on and loved! My maid of honor, who is currently planning her wedding, even booked them during our reception. Needless to say, they were a big hit and a favorite part for us! Weston (groom) also played "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John on stage with the band to make it a bit personal (I awkwardly danced next to him during his performance). We did not set tables for everyone (sounded like a nightmare to plan) but I ordered custom name plates for the royal table (wedding party sat there). We were really excited about hiring the Live painter and still haven't gotten our painting back -- trying to be PATIENT on that one but so excited to see it. I personalized our wedding invitations, other inserts and wedding programs on Minted. I personalized many bridesmaid and family gifts on Etsy.We also decided to have a few extra events that don't typically happen over a wedding weekend. We planned a Post Toast (for after the rehearsal dinner) and a Happily Ever After Party (for after the reception). Neither one of us are from Houston, and we knew that we'd want to see our family and friends as much as possible -- especially since many were traveling to be there!We used stamps.com to make custom stamps to match our website!
Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.
A: I had really done my research before hand on what styles I liked (no telling how many hours were spent on Pinterest and Instagram). I never really researched designers, mainly just the "look" i was going for. It wasn't until I went dress shopping that I started to realize there was a pattern. I really loved all the floral accents (a bit trendy right now but oh well). I ended up buying a dress from the first store I went to. We loved our bridal consultant and she even helped me pair my veil.I showed a lot of my friends pictures of the dress and turns out that I picked the same designer (Martina Liana) as another friend of mine. I was obsessed with her dress and never even put the two pieces together. So i guess "anything Martina Liana" sums up my wedding dress style. (But seriously I'm obsessed with her)
Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A: We met at a mutual friends birthday party. My roommate at the time was going out of town and was like "don't forget to go to Elizabeth's party! You know all that everyone else will show up late!" Turns out she was actually right. I was one of the only people who showed up on time... until a huge group of guys (including Weston) show up about an hour and a half later. He definitely made it a point to talk to me that day, got my phone number, and then a lot of us from the birthday party went to dinner that night. After dinner, went to a dance club (called "the Secret Group") where I boldly went up to him and said "So are you going to dance with me, or what?" We went on our first real date about a week later. He took me to the Houston Rodeo Cook-off. We had an absolute blast and have been together ever since! Weston proposed in Brooklyn overlooking New York City, it was absolutely breathtaking. He did it on the last day of a trip to New York (we went to Montauk and then stayed in the City for a few days). I was 95% sure he was going to propose on this trip, but kept my thoughts completely to myself. He thought he totally surprised me with a "photoshoot" in Brooklyn where he got down on one knee and popped the question. Our pictures from that day will forever be something we cherish. I later told him I was pretty clued in and he told me he had no idea! [I put many "puzzle pieces" together to figure it all out --- phone calls from "Glenn" (the jewelry) who he awkwardly told me was his parents friend.... checking in to a hotel in Washington Square where a bottle of champagne and a note wrapped up in a ribbon were on the counter (that magically disappeared after I went to the bathroom); Weston not saying a word / holding a death grip on his jacket during the Uber to Brooklyn; randomly scheduling a photoshoot in NYC... you get the point]
Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
A: I was definitely nervous about the ceremony. I thought that I was going to bawl like a baby and not be able to get through saying our vows because of all the emotions. I ended up not even shedding one tear... and Weston was the one who got very emotional. I smiled the whole time and we were just so happy in that moment. Everyone has asked us what our favorite part about our wedding was, but truly the whole day was just the best day ever. No one specific moment stands out for us. All of it coming together the way I'd very thoughtfully planned was so awesome! And getting to marry my best friend and start this next chapter together felt absolutely amazing.
Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
A: Find a "wedding checklist" online and edit it to fit your timeline/needs. This really helped me stay on top of everything (especially since i only hired a planner for two months out -- yes, I'm a control freak). The guest list is the hardest part of planning in my opinion. Don't wait to get started on it. Stick to your guns on how many people you want and don't let family members add too many to your list. If neither you nor your groom have met them before, they probably shouldn't be on your guest list. Ask friends for help / suggestions on your registry. Or just look at other couples for inspo! Book primary vendors ASAP! (venue/caterer, band, photographer, rehearsal dinner venue [depending on where you want to do it] and hotel accommodations). I went venue shopping 18 months out, and only had my date (Nov. 2nd) and the week of Thanksgiving as options for Oct/November. I was shocked! Brace yourself for your floral quote... I didn't have a set budget and it was hard to come back down to reality after my first consultation. Use Postable to gather invitation info... (I didn't do this but wished I had.)Try to have fun with it all and remember that it's about your life together and not just this one day --- yes, much easier said than done!!! So many people have given us marriage advice. It's hard to stick to sometimes, but we try not to go to bed mad at each other; We love to spend quality time together; and we really want to make "date night" a forever part of our marriage; Communication is key! Also -- figure out what your partners love language is -- it's fun to read about together and also really helpful!
