Mary + Billy
How did Billy propose? Billy proposed while we were on vacation in Sanibel Island. My family takes a trip to the west coast of Florida every summer and it had been years since I was able to go, because I was living in California. He knew how important my family was to me and decided to propose while we were on that trip. The night my sister and her kids arrived was supposed to be the night he proposed; he had planned to do it while we were all hanging on the beach at sunset. He had the ring in his pocket and was ready to go, but it started to rain so he decided to wait. The next night he proposed at sunset on the beach in front of my family, and it was perfect!
What inspired your vision for your wedding day? My vision of what I wanted changed as we were planning; we were engaged for 15 months, so I had a lot of time to think. I think my dress played a huge part in my vision for the day; once I found that everything started to fall into place. I ultimately decided to go for two different looks at my wedding, one for the ceremony, and another for the reception. I thought it was sort of a fun, unique concept to change up the decorations and transition from one part of the wedding to the other. For our ceremony, I wanted a really ethereal, angelic, all white everything. We had white roses, a white runner, and an arch covered in white roses and draped with white fabric. For the reception, I wanted a really romantic, classic, formal look. We had bouquets of red roses with gold accents and amber up lights. Also, candles everywhere! I wanted so many candles!
What was your most memorable moment of your wedding day? It’s hard to pick just one! The most memorable moment of my wedding day was during the ceremony. It was such an inexplicable experience, and it felt so surreal, but I will never forget the way Billy looked at me, and to be in front of all of our family and friends was just amazing. (Also we wrote our own vows, and my husband killed it!)
Tell us the story about your wedding gown? My wedding dress was by Rosa Clara and I bought it at The White Dress in Corona Del Mar, California. My mom had flown out to help me find a wedding dress and after looking at several stores, the second I tried on my dress I just knew! It had that very ethereal look and it was so sparkly, delicate form fitting, and romantic. It had every element I wanted in a dress and it looked so different from every dress I had tried on. It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever worn! My husband and I decided to move back to the east coast 2 months before the wedding, so I flew with my dog, my wedding dress, and six bags.That dress has traveled from Orange County to Los Angeles, to South Florida. My dress has been all over the place!
What advice would you give other couples planning their wedding? My biggest advice to anyone planning their wedding is to not worry and stress on your actual wedding day. Prepare as much as you can before, and then enjoy every second and every minute. People kept telling me that things would go wrong, and they do, and you just have to go with it. I worked SO hard and scrutinized every detail beforehand, and when I woke up on our wedding day I had to just let it go. A few things went wrong, and I could have easily gotten stressed, but I chose to be in the moment because it goes SO fast. After all, that planning and work, soak in every second of your wedding day and trust your vendors. It was the best day of our lives!
Ceremony/Reception: The Addison – Getting ready: The WaterStone – Hair + Makeup: Hair and Makeup IDO – Florist: Dalsimer Atlas – D.J: Mike Sipe Entertainment – Video: Diego Stuart – Offician: Pastor Dennis Glick – Transportation: Molly’s Trolleys
