Our story began as friends our whole freshman year of high school, we were always there for each other making jokes, hanging out with the same friends, and even helped each other through our own relationships lol... It wasn't until the summer of 2014 that we started to text more, hangout more, and even go to the movies! I had a crush; he had a crush, yet neither of us were brave enough to admit it LOL. It wasn't until September 3, 2014, that he had officially asked me to be his girlfriend, we were both Sophomores in High School and felt like we had such a special connection between the both of us.
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The moment I realized he was my person was the moment I learned his heart; I remember that we were sitting in front of what we called the "freshman breezeway". It was an area where the majority of the freshmen have their lockers. There was a bench in front of it and while we both waited after school for our ride home, we sat and talked for what felt like for a couple of hours. He was kind, caring, a great listener, so easy to talk to you and I knew then that I never wanted to stop talking to him.
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As most women, I have been dreaming about my wedding day ever since I was a little girl and ever since Pinterest was invented. Of course, things constantly changed as trends and time passed, but my vision was something romantic. I am very much a hopeless romantic and I wanted it to feel like something out of a movie, kind of like The Notebook. I know that I wanted color incorporated in there too, I have been a florist for 8 years, so I have seen your classic "white and green" palette all the time, and I hoped for flowers to feel like they came straight from the garden itself. As for the details, I consider myself to be an old soul at heart, I love antiques, Frank Sinatra, and anything that feels vintage.
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I always had an idea of what I might love in a wedding dress, but it wasn't until I browsed through our designers' collections and came across my dress; it was love at first sight. As most may know I am a Bridal Stylist here at Always Elegant Bridal, and I've spent time with so many brides helping find their own dress. I've tried on a few dresses before I was even engaged for our Instagram page, so I had a little bit more of an insight of what I loved but I didn't have my moment in either of them. The minute I put on my dress I knew that it was "The One", I stepped out onto the pedestal, my guests' reactions were priceless, and as I turned around to look for myself, I don't think I had ever felt more beautiful. In that moment I pictured everything; my eyes filled with tears, I felt like a Bride, I could see myself walking down the aisle and saying my "I do's".
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The emotions during our ceremony were high, our vows to each other just about had everyone crying in their seats, as we walked back down the aisle, and reached the end we both had a take a deep breath. We both thought "wow we really just did it". Our coordinator noticed us, and she sneaked us into the house for a moment just for ourselves. The 15-year-old version of ourselves were screaming with joy in that moment, we couldn't believe it. We were able to peak through the window and see all our guests laughing, smiling, and have a great time.
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Something that surprised me the most about wedding planning would be how you need to make a decision on each small detail and how lonely that can feel. As much as I have been involved in the wedding industry, it's not talked about enough about how hard it can be to make choices on your own and not knowing that there is a "Bridal Community" that you can rely on. In the bigger scheme of things, even though every bride's idea of what their wedding looks is different, we can all relate on what it feels like to be a bride. Most of us go through similar obstacles, have the same questions and in the end want to have the perfect day.
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I think if there is any advice I could give to a bride to be, it is to lead with the amazing intuition we have naturally as women! If you feel like you really love something, but it's not trending right now; that's okay!! You're wedding and each detail that comes with it is a self-expression of you two as a couple. A wedding planner of course is always helpful, to keep you on track but if you are a bride like me who decided to plan it yourself, take a deep breath and check one thing off at a time. I think especially in a world of "TikTok" it is so easy to consume yourself in others' opinions and videos about "what to do 5 months from your wedding" and most importantly don't forget to have fun in the process! |
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My HUSBAND and I have a been together for a little over a decade and I'm truly just excited to see what this next decade will bring for us. Maybe it will include building a home for future children, or maybe it will include endless adventures that become stories to share. No matter what it is, all I know is that we have been blessed to be able to grow up together and I am looking forward to being able to grow old together.
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We had the dream team for our wedding!
Wedding Coordinator & Florist: Kira Parks - Blooming Designs - IG: @bloomingflorist2019
Photographer: Kalissa - IG: @kalissalens
Day of Stylist: Bree Gianassi Little - Always Elegant Bridal & Tuxedo- IG: @aebridal
Dress: Always Elegant Bridal & Tuxedo- IG: @aebridal
Suits: Always Elegant Bridal & Tuxedo - IG: @aebridal
DJ: Juan Gonzalez - IG: dj_juangz
Cake: Made by Daiz - IG: madebydaiz
Hairstylist: Lori Corona - IG: loribridalstyles
Barber: IG: fadesandbladesbarber_co