CJ and I met while we were at Benedictine College, where he played baseball and I played soccer. Funny story-we actually had a class together my freshman, his sophomore year and I sat directly in front of him (and I always thought he was super cute). However, it was until the following year that we officially met through some friends, and then year after that we started dating. Long story short, timing is everything, and it was definitely on our side!

After graduating from college we moved to Dallas to begin our careers. That December my sister had decided to come into town, for what I thought was just a normal visit. But she and CJ had something planned. I had been telling CJ how badly I wanted to go to the Dallas Arboretum for their special “Twelve Days of Christmas” event they hold every year. And so he bought tickets for my sister, Lily, and us. Weather in Texas in the winter is fairly unpredictable; as it was the day we were supposed to go to the arboretum. It was a nice 70 degrees that morning, and by the afternoon it had dropped significantly down to about 25 degrees. At this point I did not care about going to the arboretum, especially since my sister had already told me she didn’t think CJ was going to propose until March, when we were scheduled to go to the Grand Canyon (she was lying and I had no idea). I thought it odd that CJ was so adamant about going to the arboretum, when he too hates the cold, and it was just about the only day below freezing during the entirety of winter. So I sucked up, and figured he didn’t want our money to go to waste. Once we got there we went through the arboretum and saw the gazebos each filled with their own “day of Christmas” and at the end CJ suggested that Lily take a few pictures of us with her brand new camera. So we went over to a secluded area with a fountain, and all the trees were lit up, and my sister started to “take pictures of us”. (She was actually videoing the whole thing). CJ finally said that he had one more picture he wanted my sister to take, and got down on his knee and asked me to marry him! It was definitely worth braving the cold for such a special moment.

Finding my dress was the absolute easiest experience thanks to Sara Sarles at Altar Bridal. I traveled back to Kansas City to go dress shopping with my mom and my step-mom for a quick weekend at the beginning of February. I had 3 appointments booked to try on dresses and Altar Bridal was the first stop on Saturday. After getting comfy and telling Sara what I liked… and mostly what I didn’t like in a wedding dress, Sara went and pulled a few dresses out, one of which being the #2083 style by Mikaella. Sara immediately notice my face light up when she brought that particular dress in. I decided I wanted to try that dress on first and immediately fell in love. From the start I knew that was the dress for my big day, but decided to try a few others on just in case. Of course, in the end, trying on 7 dresses was not necessary as Mikaella’s dress was absolutely perfect! I ended up adding buttons down the back of the dress, which I thought completed the look for me. I ended up cancelling my other appointments for the weekend, and instead got to hang out with friends and family! It was absolutely the BEST experience, and I owe it all to Sara, and Altar Bridal for their help throughout the entire process.

One thing that I loved about our wedding was how big our wedding party was. I know most people wouldn’t go that route, but it was so special to have that many people we love be part of our wedding, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The best thing about our wedding was that we had so many friends and family who came from out of town. That and it was one big dance party. CJ said that one of his fondest memories from our wedding was that once the lights came on at the end of the reception no one wanted to go, and nobody was leaving. And it wasn’t until my mom came over to me and CJ and told us that we had to get out of the venue otherwise no one would leave.

Personally, what I remember most from that day was that I was never nervous. I was anxious and jittery, but not nervous. I have never been so sure about anything else in my life; marrying CJ is by far the best decision I have ever made.

Our wedding day was such a spectacular celebration, and CJ and I continue to say that we wish we could go back in time and redo that day since it was so much fun. We can’t thank those who made it possible enough.