We planned a last-minute lavish trip to NYC in June 2015 to see Tony Bennett live at Radio City Music Hall. I booked us a reservation at Eleven Madison Park on our last night in NYC to have an excuse to get dressed up. But Alfonso had another idea for that night, and I had no idea. I didn’t have the slightest clue because the trip was my idea. He mentioned that he wanted to take a walk through Central Park to get some pictures before dinner, and I thought it was a great idea.

We walked up to the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain and there he asked some people walking by to take our picture. We did this a couple of times to make sure we got a couple of good pictures. He then grabbed my hand and started to tell me how much he loved me and that I make him want to be a better man. When he got down on one knee, my response was “Is this for real?” because I was seriously in shock. Everyone around the terrace was clapping, and I of course said “YES!” as we hugged and kissed. It was the best surprise!! We then had another excuse to celebrate that night…

I later found out that no one knew of his plan, not even his family. The only person that knew was my dad because he had asked him for permission a few of weeks before. There had been some mentions of a wedding or engagement on occasion from our friends and family since we had been together for so long, but we never felt pressured. We both had strong value in marriage and I told him that I didn’t want to marry until I knew to my core it was meant to be. Coming from a divorced family, I needed to know for sure that it was forever and trusted it would happen at the right time.

The day after we were engaged, on the way to the airport, Alfonso asked when I wanted to get married. I told him I wanted a Fall wedding the following year, but he didn’t want to wait that long to marry me apparently. Alfonso grew up in Mexico, and I have always admired his family traditions and values. He was raised Catholic, so he was adamant about being married in a Catholic church. So, we decided to have our ceremony at the St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin and determined the available dates, which were limited. It worked out that we would marry one year after our engagement.

I wanted to combine the Mexican traditions that Alfonso grew up with, along with the vintage heirlooms of my family. So, my inspiration was a Spanish Vintage wedding. We had our reception at the Chateau Bellevue in downtown Austin which set the perfect back drop of the theme. For music, we had a Bolero Trio serenade our guests during cocktail hour and a mariachi band to entertain everyone during dinner. I didn’t have a set color for the wedding, I didn’t want one. I just wanted bright floral accents for all the vintage decorations. I used a variety of white milk glass vases, old love story books and brass candle sticks for centerpieces, vintage tea cups passed down in my family, a brass chandelier in the courtyard and vintage furniture, a Mexican mezcal & tequila bar (with the selection from Mexico). My signature drink was a Mexican Mule and his was a Mamie Taylor. We had a popcorn bar, traditional Mexican paletas, Mexican wedding cookies and aqua frescas for sweet treats along with our crumb-coated strawberry wedding cake. We also passed out Mexican wooden fans and mini bottles of Cholula as “thank you” gifts.

Alfonso & I got married a year ago this June in Austin, Texas. I planned the wedding myself, over a year timeframe, down to every last specific detail. From the cake, lighting, table settings, floral arrangements, music, decor & furniture, down to the garnishes for our specialty drinks. I even designed, printed, hand-cut and wax stamped every invite, along with all the stationary and signage for the wedding. It all was going to be perfect… that is until it rained. I worked with Uptown Events for the day-of coordination, and didn’t worry to have a back up plan for the reception, because honestly, when does it rain in late June in Texas? I also didn’t want a back-up plan. So, all of my detailed plans for the reception were changed last minute. Luckily, Uptown Events team helped make some quick decisions to still make the celebration unforgettable, but we weren’t able to get the pictures we wanted to capture our moments together.  So, Alfonso suggested that we just retake the pictures. BRILLIANT idea, right?! The problem was that our wedding photographer lived out of state and didn’t have availability to make it back to Austin anytime soon, so I had to find another photographer in Austin with similar style. Luckily, I found a local photographer who made an exception for a Sunday photoshoot, and the weather that day made up for it. I wanted the retake pictures to reflect as much of the details I had put into our wedding as possible. My florist was able to replicate my bouquet, headpiece and Alfonso‘s boutonnière and I saved the stationary and some props that were used on the day of our wedding to get some additional detail shots. It was also a lot of fun to get dressed up again in my wedding dress, and see Alfonso in his tuxedo. It made us reminisce of our wedding day and the special moments we shared as newlyweds.