Hello! Welcome to Share Your Wedding, a weekly feature that gives you the chance to re-live your wedding day and may just give soon-to-be–weds some inspiration.
This week we have an invitation to Stacey’s wedding. Stacey blogs over at The Soccer Mom and can be found on Twitter too so go say hi!
Hi Stacey! Introduce us to your family.
Our family consisters of Mateo, me and our 9 month old daughter Annabelle and his 6 year old daughter Lilu )my stepdaughter who primarily lives with us). Our wedding was extra special because it meant that we would all have the same last name- we would officially be the Rodriguez family!
Let’s set the scene..
How did you meet?
During my senior year in college, I got a job at a sports bar Downtown. Mateo was the only guy behind the bar, so I assumed he was a barback and laughed it off when he hit on me. He persisted, I figured out he was legit, and eventually his dimples, charm, and cooking won me over.
How long have you known each other?
Seven years.
How did he propose?
I got pregnant first! I knew Mateo was saving for a ring, but I told him I didn’t care how expensive it was, I would just rather he go ahead and pop the question. He knew that I would be staring at the ring every day, and perhaps there was some male ego/pride involved in finding an amazing ring, so he took his time. I gave him an ultimatum that he better get it done before the baby came.
I thought for sure he was going to do it at our joint baby shower in front of all our family and friends (I was 36 weeks at the time so how much longer could he possibly wait??) Nope! I was devastated!
A week later he asked if I wanted to go to a local cultural festival and spend the day together. I had my suspicions, but we got lost and he didn’t seem to have a real plan, so I gave up that it would happen that day either. We walked around for a while until we stumbled upon this hidden, empty park with a huge fountain. I turned around to look at something and then I heard, “Stacey, turn around.” He was on one knee!
Turns out he HAD planned on proposing at the baby shower, but he and his jeweler had sent back two rings already because the stone was not up to par, so the opportunity was missed. Mateo told his jeweler that he HAD to get this done before I popped…and he did…barely!
It was absolutely worth the wait! The ring is beautiful, even more than I had hoped for, and our proposal was so simple, unexpected, and one of the best days of my life.
How long were you engaged before you were married?
Six months.
Share Your Wedding
When did you get married?
November 15, 2014
How many guests, bridesmaids etc did you have?
We had around 100 guests, 3 bridesmaids, 3 groomsmen and one flower girl.
Tell us about the Venue: Day / Evening
We were married by one of our mutual friends at the Gardens of Bammel Lane in Houston, Texas. It is a mostly outdoor venue that features an English Conservatory, rose gardens, fountain, and gazebo.
Did your wedding have a certain style?
One of my best friends and mentors (she taught me everything I know about event planning) offered to help plan and execute the wedding as her gift to us. She dubbed the theme that we came up with “vintage antique.” We had black linens, gorgeous roses in light pink and white, and silver accents. Everything looked polished but not overdone. It was exactly what I had imagined.
Tell us about the most important thing, the Dress?
I gave myself four months to get off (most of) the baby weight, so I didn’t even start dress shopping until 8 weeks prior to the wedding— I don’t recommend that! I got lucky and found my dress at the first store we went to after maybe 30 minutes of looking.
I had told the stylist that I did not want a strapless dress, but I humored her and tried one on that she suggested. It wasn’t quite right. She did not accept my NO, and instead brought over a lace jacket to add. Ugh, like I was going to wear a doily over my dress! But somehow it just worked— the jacket MADE the dress.
The dress was a little more than my planned budget, but I was so happy to find it that we bought it (without even negotiating…doh! I was too caught up in the excitement!) Then came the rush fee, jacket cost, alterations and now the dress was DOUBLE my initial budget! But what could I do so close to the wedding?
Though I felt a little guilty wearing something so expensive, the dress was incredible and fit perfectly. I have some amazing pictures which will always remind me of the day I got to be a princess.
Description of your Wedding, as brief or as descriptive as you’d like, flowers, clothes, food, speeches, gifts?
We had an evening ceremony, followed by cocktail reception and buffet dinner (I didn’t want a formal meal where everyone was stuck in their seats). Both Mateo and I have worked in hospitality most of our adult lives, so we were able to involve a lot of close friends in the wedding. From our event planner to our chef to our rentals— we had such great people helping us!
What was your favourite part of your Wedding?
My favorite part was the ceremony. Mateo got choked up during the vows and then there wasn’t a dry eye in the place! I had to try so hard not to mess up my makeup— it was such an emotional moment.
What extra touches made it special for you both?
We put a bottle of our favorite tequila on each table. Though we hardly ever drink anything at all these days, we both share a love of good tequila. We also had personalized shot glasses made as a take-away for our guests. It was so fun to see groups of people who just met toasting and laughing together and to witness my grandmother taking shots! There was NO tequila left after the reception!
Did anything not go as planned? Any funny stories?
We were gifted an amazing hotel suite for our first night alone since Annabelle was born. Leaving our after-party at a local nightclub, we came across one of my good friends who had apparently enjoyed herself WAY too much. She had lost her purse, car keys (not that she would have been driving anyway), phone, house keys, and had no way to get home. So she also got to stay in a luxury hotel suite. With us.
Would you do anything differently with hindsight?
I would have tried to stress less at the actual wedding! I was such an anti-bridezilla leading up to the big day, definitely the most relaxed person in the whole wedding party! But after the ceremony when you are being pulled in every direction, it can be so easy to become overwhelmed.
I would also have eaten more! Our chef cooked lamb pops at my request and even saved me a plate, but I was so busy I didn’t even get to taste them— I only heard how delicious they were. Usually wedding food is terrible, but ours wasn’t, and it was kind of a bummer to not get to try it all.
What song did you walk into and what was your first dance song?
We had a string trio play traditional wedding music. I knew I wouldn’t even hear the music so I wasn’t too worried about it.
Do you have any advice for the soon to be married?
I think everybody gives this advice, but TRY to have fun and take time for yourself! Sneak away just the two of you for a few minutes just to enjoy being MARRIED finally! It’s easier said than done though.
Where did you go on honeymoon?
We’re waiting to take our official honeymoon until Annabelle is older and can stay with relatives for a few days.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your wedding?
I wish I could relive it!
What a fabulous wedding and oh I had to laugh that your grandmother was taking shots! Also love the fact your friend shared your hotel suite- not sure I would have been that kind haha!
Thank you so much Stacey for sharing your wedding with us all!
