How did you meet?
We met about 10 years ago! He actually asked me out when I was in college and I said NO! I was not in the place for a serious relationship and knew that saying yes to one date would never just be one date. We continued to hangout through friends and went country dancing as a group often – James has some serious moves!
Fast forward three years and I mentioned that if he asked again my answer would be different. Right before our first date we ended up going on an accidental date (our other friends bailed) to the Diamondbacks game and let’s just say it was a HIT (pun intended).
What is your proposal story?
We were traveling during the summer of 2018 in Australia. I briefly thought that he may propose during the trip but decided against it due to logistics. About a week in we flew from Sydney to Cairns for the remainder of our travels. We had begun the day having coffee at a plantation then explored the Chillagoe Caves – splunking style. On our way back to town James asked our tour guide to let us out by the water so we could have a scenic walk back. As soon as the sun started to set James set up his camera to take some pictures by the water. However, when we were supposed to smile he dropped down to one knee. James ended up putting his phone on video and got the entire proposal on camera.
It was a picture-perfect moment that was secluded and perfectly intimate. After saying YES! I pleaded with James to get us back closer to the boardwalk – keep in mind that we had been on a crocodile adventure the day before and we learned to never have your back to the water.
Tell us about your wedding vision.
We wanted a fun honky think wedding! We love country two-stepping and James has some serious dance moves so we wanted lots of dancing! We also wanted there to be fun and unique touches like a mechanical bull. Our desert barn was the perfect setting for our dream wedding!
Tell us about your attire choices.
I fell in love with Show Me Your Mumu “bouquet toss” dresses years ago so those definitely had to be incorporated. Azazie vintage rose and vintage mauve dresses matched perfectly with it as well. Our groomsmen were outfitted in navy suits and mauve ties to match. My own dress felt classic and fun with a gorgeous train and even better veil that was my cousin’s.
What was most important to you two? Was there anything you chose to splurge on or skip?
We wanted great food (We are big BBQ people) and live music. Those were our non-negotiables!
What were your favorite parts of the day?
We loved our first look and James is still trying to get me back for “icing” him during it. It was the perfect moment to have with just us and slow down for a bit. The whole night we were on cloud nine and loved having everyone we love in the same room.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
I could go on and on about my GORGEOUS flowers! My bouquet was a stunner and was huge/heavy (over 80 stems). We got all of our flowers and greenery from Sams Club and Phoenix Flower Market. Luckily my cousin spent many years in the wedding industry and made my bouquet, boutonnieres, and all centerpieces. It was definitely a labor of love from her. The florals turned out better than I could have imagined and she saved me so much money.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
We got married on pi-day (3/14) and I am not a big cake person so it was pie for us! We had a special pie for us to cut into and the rest of our personal sized pies were from Walmart (only $.50 and delicious). James’ brother has a laser machine so he burned our initials into each pie to customize them!
What did you do for favors?
We loved to play games so we gave out custom card decks that said “lucky in love”. We are also obsessed with our dogs so we had dog treats for everyone to take home from our furbabies Wrangler and Paisley.
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
James is handy so he made our dessert stand and our wedding arch. Our guests burned their names into our arch which we will keep forever and display in our garden at home. I also customized our centerpieces with my Cricut and filled them myself.
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
I wore my Grandma’s wedding ring and pearl earrings and James wore his Grandpa’s cuff links. My brother married us and read a scripture from my grandma’s wedding bible – it was so special. Finally to top it off we had a table with pictures of those who couldn’t be with us. It was very sentimental and special to both of us.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
- Include those unique and sentimental items.
- Have someone you know marry you.
- Save money on florals from Sams Club and Costco.
- Use the traditions you love and throw the ones you hate out the window.
