When and how did you meet?
Mike and I met while we were both living in Orlando attending UCF. He was working on his masters in Graphic Arts and I was working on my Bachelors in Nursing. We met at the Library....the Knight Library, that is, which was a college bar off campus! A group of my friends hit it off with a group of his friends while we were there. We all became friends and Mike and I started dating about 6 months later.
How long did you date before he popped the question?
We dated for 5.5 years before getting engaged!
How did he propose?
Mike proposed on the river in downtown Fort Lauderdale. We were there for what I thought was my soon-to-be brother-in-law's birthday dinner! We chose to eat outside because we had brought our dog, Belle. My family was running late, which was no big surprise since they were coming down from Boca, so Mike and I got a table on the river and sat by ourselves to wait. I knew he had been working on something to hold all of my headbands for me (I have an obscene collection that was overflowing their current bin). He asked if I wanted to see it while we waited, and I said sure. He walked to the car & came back holding a huge bag, I was confused when he pulled out an elaborate hand crafted wooden cabinet with a M for Melissa on the front. I had only asked for a piece of wood with nails on it to hang my headbands! When I opened it, he had set up all of my headbands inside and there were pictures of us all throughout. I was so impressed and shocked he went so out of the way! When I asked him why he went so over the top he just kept asking me if I liked it. I said of course I do! And then he asked me if I liked all of it, confused and thinking he was pulling some sort of a prank on me, I looked back inside until I saw the ring box in the corner. When I turned around and looked back at him, he was somehow on his knee with a ring in his hand. I basically blacked out at that point and forgot everything he said to me, I'm pretty sure he had to prompt me to answer! The feeling of surprise and excitement when he proposed is something I will never forget! Our families all later joined us for dinner, his sister even flew in from NY. I couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect and perfectly us proposal. (I have attached a couple of photos from the engagement as well)
Where were you married and how did you pick the place?
Our marriage and ceremony took place at our church, St. John the Evangelist. That decision was easy, but finding a venue for our reception was the tricky part! We did our due diligence on researching wedding venues and toured about 4 before visiting Parkland Golf and Country Club! As soon as we pulled up we knew it was the place for us! It's just so beautiful and private. It's Tuscan style architecture isn't something easily found in South Florida and it was everything we were looking for.
What theme and/or colors have you chosen for your wedding and why?
We stuck with a pretty traditional/classic theme. Our colors were different shades of purple and gray/silver.
Where did you go for your honeymoon?
We actually haven't gone yet! We are going on a 13 day Alaskan Cruise & Land Tour. We had to wait since season for an Alaskan cruise is in the summer. It was sort of nice to have this to look forward to after all of the excitement of the wedding. We leave May 28th and we are so excited! We wanted to do something a little different from the typical Caribbean Style honeymoon...I think we accomplished that with Alaska.
Why did you chose Wonderland Bridal for your dream dress?
I actually found Wonderland Bridal on Yelp! I had been to a few dress stores already and just didn't feel like I had found the one. From the second I walked into Wonderland, I had an experience unmatched by all of the other bridal boutiques and I truly couldn't be happier that I found my dream dress there!
Share your experience about your time with Wonderland Bridal.
Wonderland Bridal is like no other bridal store around! It was probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of planning our wedding! The experience brides get there is so personal and genuine. Alicyn & Patty make you feel just at home! While you are in their boutique, you are the most important thing to them- they only ever see one bride at a time! I didn't feel that special anywhere else! They have a no pressure sales approach, which was very refreshing, and they were so fun and sweet! I absolutely loved every second of working with them and couldn't be happier that I found them.
What was the best part of your wedding day?
The whole day was so wonderful and filled with so much love that it's hard to think of just one best part, but I'd say the best feeling was finally taking Mike's hand after walking down the aisle. We hadn't seen each other or talked since our rehearsal dinner, the night before, and after all of the suspense of preparing for that very moment everything just fell into place once we were together at the alter.
Any advice to future couples currently planning a wedding?
Try to remain as stress free as possible! That was important to us and I'm grateful that we didn't let the planning over-shadow the most important part of our wedding- us vowing to love one another forever and joining our hands and hearts in marriage in front of all of our loved ones! It's so easy to get caught up in all of the planning and little details and overlook the real reason for your wedding. It's only as stressful as you make it! You will come across bumps or hiccups in your planning, as did I, but try remember that at the end of the day, you will be marrying the love of your life and everything will be perfect regardless of all of the little details!
Photos by Focused on Forever
- Flowers: Creations by Blanca
- Cake: Robbie E. Custom Cakes
- Catering: Parkland Golf &Country Club
- Entertainment: The Debbie Taylor Band
- Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
- Wedding Planner: Love Promoted (Day of Coordinator)
- Hair: Ultimate Bridal Beauty
- Make Up: Ultimate Bridal Beauty
- Photographer: Focused on Forever
- Videographer: Focused on Forever
- Photo Booth: Eddie B. & Company
