An Arranged Meeting by the Groom's Parents Led to This Modern Romance
This gorgeous couple calls their love story the "modern day arranged marriage," having fallen in love after being set up by the Groom's parents! Mom and Dad know best, am I right? Their wedding planned by Blush and Whim is elegant, romantic, and almost as stunning as the couple themselves, with yummy blush florals arranged by Munster Rose and Argentinian flair to represent the Groom's heritage. Captured by Maison Meredith Photography, this is one of those galleries you can spend all day in.
From the Bride... Looking back at how we met brings nothing but a huge smile to my face. It has been a joke that it could be considered the “modern day” arranged marriage. In June 2013, D's parents were in from out-of-town for his graduation from residency. They went into a cell phone store to purchase a new cell phone for him, and upon walking into a busy store where they were put on a waiting list, they tell me that they “spotted a cute blonde representative and adamantly asked to work with her.” D, who wasn’t with them at the time, was then called by his father, who told him that he needed to come get his phone himself! I was blushing the entire interaction as D's Argentinean accent and smooth comebacks had me fumbling around and losing my focus on my work. He had a fresh summer tan – and to think, a sexy and young international doctor! I was twitterpated. Right before D left, he took a business card out of his pocket, wrote down his cell phone number, and gave it to me saying, "If you are interested, you are more than welcome to join us for dinner tonight. After all, you have already met the parents, so the hardest part is already over!"
Fast forward to June 2016, and I was VERY ready to marry this man. I have worked in the wedding industry in the past and dreamt about finally being a Bride – I was so excited and thrilled to be even talking about marriage with D. We had gone wedding venue shopping over the course of the spring, but D had expressed (to great lengths) that we would most likely not be able to get engaged until the end of the year. So I slowed down my efforts and thought it strange that he wanted – rather, insisted – we visit for a second time our top venue choice: The Van Dusen Mansion. So, celebrating our 3 year dating anniversary, we had plans to go to dinner and a play right after our tour at the Mansion. While in an upper room in the Mansion, D created a ruse that gave him an excuse to leave me in the room, asking me to meet him downstairs in the courtyard when I was finished viewing the upstairs of the Mansion. When I walked into the courtyard a few minutes later, D was standing in the middle (shaking and looking incredibly sweet) waiting for me. It was there, with a live string quartet playing in the background, that he got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. It was a fairytale proposal and one of my most treasured memories! He later surprised me with an engagement gift – he had booked the Mansion for our wedding the following year!
For the wedding, we knew we wanted it to be intimate, unique, and relaxing. Since I had worked in the industry, I knew how stressful wedding days can become with keeping to a tight timeline and ensuring everyone has what they need and is happy, all while trying to have a great time yourself and soak in every moment. We wanted to shower those we loved with a beautiful event where they can sit back, relax, and enjoy!
We are very nontraditional, so with each element of the wedding we asked ourselves, “Why are we doing this?” and “What meaning does it bring to us?” We decided that things such as a formal cake cutting and bouquet and garter toss were not elements of a wedding that we found personal meaning in, so we nixed them from the agenda. We decided to not have a bridal party so as to not add pressure on our close friends. I invited my closest gals to be with me throughout the entire day, but they had no responsibilities other than to have fun and keep pouring the champagne.
But in lieu of eliminating some of those traditions, we decided to add things that reflected our personalities and backgrounds, like tying in special aspects of D’s Argentinean heritage. For favors, we had cookies ordered and flown in from Argentina called alfajores, and in our programs, we added translations in Spanish. For our unity activity, we chose to combine colored glass crystals that was later made into sculpture that will be a keepsake in our home. D and I both have a love for the dramatic, so when I proposed that he change from his black tuxedo jacket to a white dinner jacket going into dinner hour, he immediately jumped on the idea. He. Looked. So. Good. The sweetheart table that we sat at gave us a perfect opportunity to just be together for a short time and take in the scene around us. It was so beautiful.
To be real though, throughout the planning process, it was easy for me to get so immersed and focused on the pretty details of the day that it often clouded the real reason we were doing it all. I constantly had to step back and realign my focus. Not only for my heart to be right, but also for our bank account! Looking back, it was nothing short of magical. But the reason it was so magical was not because of the incredible bouquet, Jimmy Choo shoes, or beautiful venue, it was because I got to marry my best friend and love. Like, wow! There is nothing short of magic to that.
Fast forward to June 2016, and I was VERY ready to marry this man. I have worked in the wedding industry in the past and dreamt about finally being a Bride – I was so excited and thrilled to be even talking about marriage with D. We had gone wedding venue shopping over the course of the spring, but D had expressed (to great lengths) that we would most likely not be able to get engaged until the end of the year. So I slowed down my efforts and thought it strange that he wanted – rather, insisted – we visit for a second time our top venue choice: The Van Dusen Mansion. So, celebrating our 3 year dating anniversary, we had plans to go to dinner and a play right after our tour at the Mansion. While in an upper room in the Mansion, D created a ruse that gave him an excuse to leave me in the room, asking me to meet him downstairs in the courtyard when I was finished viewing the upstairs of the Mansion. When I walked into the courtyard a few minutes later, D was standing in the middle (shaking and looking incredibly sweet) waiting for me. It was there, with a live string quartet playing in the background, that he got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. It was a fairytale proposal and one of my most treasured memories! He later surprised me with an engagement gift – he had booked the Mansion for our wedding the following year!
For the wedding, we knew we wanted it to be intimate, unique, and relaxing. Since I had worked in the industry, I knew how stressful wedding days can become with keeping to a tight timeline and ensuring everyone has what they need and is happy, all while trying to have a great time yourself and soak in every moment. We wanted to shower those we loved with a beautiful event where they can sit back, relax, and enjoy!
We are very nontraditional, so with each element of the wedding we asked ourselves, “Why are we doing this?” and “What meaning does it bring to us?” We decided that things such as a formal cake cutting and bouquet and garter toss were not elements of a wedding that we found personal meaning in, so we nixed them from the agenda. We decided to not have a bridal party so as to not add pressure on our close friends. I invited my closest gals to be with me throughout the entire day, but they had no responsibilities other than to have fun and keep pouring the champagne.
But in lieu of eliminating some of those traditions, we decided to add things that reflected our personalities and backgrounds, like tying in special aspects of D’s Argentinean heritage. For favors, we had cookies ordered and flown in from Argentina called alfajores, and in our programs, we added translations in Spanish. For our unity activity, we chose to combine colored glass crystals that was later made into sculpture that will be a keepsake in our home. D and I both have a love for the dramatic, so when I proposed that he change from his black tuxedo jacket to a white dinner jacket going into dinner hour, he immediately jumped on the idea. He. Looked. So. Good. The sweetheart table that we sat at gave us a perfect opportunity to just be together for a short time and take in the scene around us. It was so beautiful.
To be real though, throughout the planning process, it was easy for me to get so immersed and focused on the pretty details of the day that it often clouded the real reason we were doing it all. I constantly had to step back and realign my focus. Not only for my heart to be right, but also for our bank account! Looking back, it was nothing short of magical. But the reason it was so magical was not because of the incredible bouquet, Jimmy Choo shoes, or beautiful venue, it was because I got to marry my best friend and love. Like, wow! There is nothing short of magic to that.
