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The Meeting & Proposal I have known my husband for 16 years and we have been together for just over five. We were friends with very different situations in life, but eventually "the stars aligned" and we ended up together. Given our history, when we fell in love we knew it was a forever kind of thing right away. Within the first year of dating I moved into his apartment with him. Shortly after that, we bought our first house. The house was a major remodel, and we worked on it non-stop for nine months while still living in the apartment. On the way to my parents' house one Christmas Day, he suggested stopping to check on our house. There, in the middle of all the sawdust and incomplete walls, he knelt on one knee and popped the question. I never hesitated...it was a YES! He even asked my father's permission, which I just loved, since I'm very close to my dad. The Dress I knew I wanted my dress to be something a little bit different. I've always done my own thing to a certain extent -- some have said I'm slightly edgy. I wanted a dress that had color in it, which made the selection easier, since there aren't all that many wedding dresses with color. On my very first dress-shopping trip my mother and I went to David's Bridal. I brought three dresses into the dressing room, and came out with the one I ended up purchasing. I knew I loved it the minute I put it on. My mother cried when she saw me. The dress I tried on was red and white, but the saleswoman said it also came in black and white, and I was sold. My dress really set the stage for the entire wedding. Since it was black and white, so was everything else. My bridesmaids wore black, the matron of honor (my mother) wore mostly black with some white, one flower girl was in black and the other in white...white table clothes with black napkins...black Eiffel tower vases...white chair covers with black cummerbunds. The flowers were all deep reds and oranges and berries, which was very fall-like and a beautiful pop of color against the black and white. I've gotten so many compliments on my dress and how beautiful it was. I really loved it. The Big Day The morning of the wedding, I was amazed that I wasn't nervous at all. I was thinking that I wasn't going to let anything bother me that day. Whatever happened - happened. It was supposed to rain, and I wondered if it would, but still wouldn't let it bother me. The day wasn't stressful at all. It did rain during our formal picture hour and we were supposed to do pictures outside, so I was disappointed when we couldn't. Doing the pictures inside, where everyone was, made things really hectic, but I counted on my family to get me through it. I'm not sure I can pick the most emotional moment of the day. The vows were certainly emotional. Also, I had always wanted to dance with my dad to "Butterfly Kisses." He totally surprised me by singing the first three verses to me, and we danced to the last verse. Not a dry eye in the house on that one. The only people who knew beforehand were the DJ, my mom, and my dad, so that was pretty special, too. Also, we got married in the same church that my parents got married in. They have been married 44 years this year, and it's so nice that we "followed them down the aisle." It was also my grandfather's church and I was very close to him. The Photography Our Bella Pictures photographer must have gone outside at one point during the reception and gotten a picture of the building. That meant a lot to me because the building itself was so much of why we chose the site for the wedding. I can now use that picture as a background in my album, and that makes me very happy. The photographer really captured the emotion of the day. He also did a great job of blending in and capturing things when I didn't even know he was there. It was really such a special day. I look back at the pictures and video and know that everyone had so much fun...not just smiles but laughing so hard. There were so many people dancing and really enjoying the night. Greg and I were introduced by my friend, Treisa, who thought that we would be perfect together. He proposed two months later, while we were on vacation in Hawaii, and we jumped right into planning the wedding. The Dress Treisa and another friend, Hideko, came with me to look for a dress. I knew my perfect dress when I saw it at David's Bridal. It just was. No doubt. I did the "happy" dance! I had tried on about eight dresses before it, and liked a couple of them, but this one was IT. All three of us knew it. Unfortunately, my sister, Kim, lives far away and wasn't able to shop with me in person, but she saw the dress in photos and online, and agreed that it was perfect for me. I ended up choosing the full David's Bridal package, where they clean the dress and pack it for storage after the wedding, which is convenient. Treisa and Kim were both in the wedding and they also wore dresses from David's Bridal. We wound up having Treisa try on dresses at the store and sending pictures to Kim, who was online and on the phone with us. We bought Kim's dress without her even seeing it in person or trying it on! It was perfect, though -- she loved the color and style, and it only needed a little bit of altering. Planning the Wedding We chose fall colors for our wedding color scheme because fall's my favorite time of year, and we were getting married in September. I told the girls they could wear whatever color dresses they wanted in the wedding, and they choose green and brown to go with the scheme. The flower girls also picked matching dresses, and I already had the napkins of ivory and gold, so we were good to go. Choosing the wedding location was the hardest part. Once that was decided, everything else just fell into place. The Big Day When I woke up that morning, I immediately thought, "OMG, OMG...it's my wedding day!" I could not stop smiling and laughing. There was some concern about the wedding cake. My cousin was making the cake and everyone thought it would be late. I had faith in her, but few others did. She called me at 8:30 am the morning of the wedding and told me it was done, which was just a perfect way to start the perfect day. I really did not have any stress at all the rest of the day. Greg and I had a relaxing breakfast, and then I kicked him out and started to get ready. The girls and I got to the Country Club and found the dressing room, got into our dresses, and then we were told the guys were there. Everything was perfect. My now sister-in-law took control and made sure everyone was where they were supposed to be. I could not have been happier. The wedding had several very emotional moments. My mother passed away three years ago and my sister and I had a cry about Mom while we were getting dressed. Kim brought up Mom again during her toast and I cried some more. That was the hardest part, not having my mother there, but a huge hug from my dad and sister helped. The Photography We actually had a change of photographers two days before the wedding! The photographer that was supposed to shoot our wedding, and whom I had spoken with several times, hurt her back and was not able to do it. Bella Pictures called me on Thursday to break the news, but they already had Steve lined up to do it, and he was great. He called me that night and we spoke for about 30 minutes or so. I had gone online and looked at his page and really liked what I saw, and he ended up being a very good fit. When Steve saw the entrance to the Country Club, he really wanted to use that for some shots. Greg and I had already decided that we wanted to use the entrance, so that was great, and we now have a lot of those pictures. They are perfect...towering pine trees lining a long drive, sun shining through them...WOW. The Meeting & Proposal A friend of mine set up a blind date between me and George, and I hadn't seen any pictures of him, so I was really nervous about what he'd look like! When I first arrived at the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised. George is very tall and I thought that he was really cute. The dinner was great. The only problem that night was that I didn't feel any real chemistry between us, the so-called "butterflies," so I told him that I'd like to be friends. Time went by and I started chatting with George online, and we eventually became very good friends. One day I was talking to my mom about him and telling her how nice he was and that I wished I had feelings for him. My mom said, "Why don't you go out with him one more time? Give him another chance." So, I invited George out for dinner, five months after we'd first met. It was unbelievable -- this second time around things were completely different. I looked at him with different eyes. He looked even cuter that before and seemed more confident. While waiting at the bar for a table, George's elbow touched mine and I felt the butterflies! After that George and I were inseparable. He eventually proposed to me at the Baltimore airport, of all places. I was talking to my mom over the phone and at the same time George was joking around and asking me if I wanted marry him. He'd been doing that for the last two weeks, proposing to me and putting a piece of floss or a candy wrapper around my finger, instead of a ring. So, I really thought that he was joking around again. I was wrong! He just leaned over and asked "Would you marry me?" And this time he put a beautiful diamond ring on my finger. I couldn't believe it. The Dress I went dress shopping with my two best friends and only ended up having to go to two dress shops. At the first shop I tried on six dresses and didn't like any, so I went to David's Bridal and tried on a few more. I tried on one dress that I loved so much it actually made me dizzy -- I felt so much like a beautiful bride! But my friends talked me into another, much more expensive designer dress. I bought it, but my heart wasn't really in it. Two weeks later I went back to David's Bridal and exchanged the dress for the one that I really loved. Once I saw the wedding pictures I knew that I had made the perfect choice. And my sister loves the dress so much that she wants to wear it when she gets married! My bridesmaids also wore David's Bridal dresses and they loved both the style and color. The Big Day I was so nervous when I woke up on my wedding day. I was thinking about my makeup and hair, about my guests coming from out of town, about how nervous George was, and, especially, about my family. A lot of my family members were not able to make it from Brazil, and I was sad that they couldn't be there. The day wasn't stressful at all, though. My mother-in-law and everybody else involved in the wedding arrangements were great. They helped a lot and took care of all the details. The ceremony was very emotional for me. My boss and good friend represented my family at the wedding, and he surprised me by reading letters from my sisters and my dad, which they'd written for the occasion. Everybody broke down, it was so moving. Our Bella Pictures photographer, Diana, was wonderful. I didn't even notice that she was there most of the time. She took pictures of great moments that it hadn't even occurred to me to photograph. We got married in a castle, and she took a lot of beautifully dramatic pictures of us outside of it. Over all, my wedding was like a fairytale to me and my husband -- complete with a carriage! Even though my family couldn't make it, a lot of my friends flew in from Florida and California, which made the day very special. The Meeting & Proposal I was a carefree fourth-year medical student starting my emergency room rotation at the University of North Carolina. He was an intern who was on day three of being "a real doctor." He quickly volunteered to orient me to the emergency room and often let me assist with small procedures, like sutures. Right before the end of my one-month rotation, he asked me for my phone number. After that, we were out to dinner, carving pumpkins, shopping, or at a cultural affair at least once a week, but only as friends. He held off officially asking me out on a date for seven months. Right after the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2006, he asked me to be his girlfriend. On Christmas Eve 2007 I was on call, and had to be at the hospital through all of Christmas Day. After 40 hours without sleep, I went home and he blindfolded me right when I walked in the door. He walked me to the car and drove for about five minutes. To my surprise, when he carried me through a door and removed my blindfold, I was in my own living room. He had completely decorated it with a Christmas tree and lights. He had also set up a projection screen and was dressed in a suit. There must have been more than 20 presents wrapped and place around the room. He told me we were playing "Who wants to be a Christmas Millionaire?" and that he was the host. All of the questions were about our dating history, and every time I got a question right, I got to pick a present. The last million dollar question was, "Do you know how much I love you?" I answered "Yes," then he read a poem to me, played my favorite song, and gave me the million dollar gift of a Mrs. Potato Head (a longstanding joke with us -- long story). He got down on one knee, opened the back of the toy, and there was a small white box inside. He asked, "Will you marry me?" After a lot of squealing and crying, we called family and friends to tell them we were engaged. The Dress My mother and aunt helped to pick out my dress, and the two of them were the biggest factors in every step of the wedding and planning. Without them, it wouldn't have been my dream come to life. I got a few gown ideas from magazines, but I basically had a vision of my ideal dress. I knew I was looking for a form-fitting lightweight dress, since the ceremony was outdoors in August. I was also hoping for a dress with a short or detachable train. It had to be strapless, and I liked the sweetheart cut. I have simple taste so I didn't want too much beading or lace. My first stop was David's Bridal. I appreciated the customer service as well as having other girls around who could give their opinions. In the end, I found my wedding dress at a boutique, but I ordered dresses for all 10 of my bridesmaids from David's Bridal. I fell in love with their watermelon color tea-length chiffon dresses. My husband loved them, too, so I immediately notified everyone that I had made a decision. David's Bridal met all of my requirements -- cost, ease, quality, timeliness (one girl ordered five weeks before the wedding!), and good customer service (I changed my maid-of-honor's dress color six weeks before the wedding and they didn't give us any problems.) Once I had decided on the watermelon color, I knew I wanted a tropical-themed wedding, so I thought of other colors that would look good with the watermelon, the green grass at the wedding site, and my ivory dress. I used the David's Bridal color wheel to pick an orange that went with the watermelon. I loved the look and that was it. The Big Day I had been out with the girls until 3 am the night before the wedding. So, when the alarm went off four hours later, I didn't think I was going to be able to function. But there had been a tropical storm in the weather forecast, so the first thing I thought was that I was glad it was sunny outside. I was so excited. Yes, the wedding day was stressful. Although I had everything planned to the minute, had given people schedules, and scheduled rest time, nothing went as planned. People even showed up late to the spa morning! My mother, aunt, and the bridesmaids were invaluable. They tried to keep me calm and remind me to take everything in. The most emotional moment of the day was when I was all dressed and about to put on my veil. I looked in the mirror and it hit me, I am getting married. I walked to the top of the stairs, heard the music and saw my husband walk out. When I finally heard "Here Comes the Bride," my legs were shaking and my eyes watering. All I could think was, "Don't fall down the stairs..."

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