Laura + Hector got married at the
Paramount Country Club on a day that we weren't sure was going to be beautiful and sunny or cloudy and wet. Mother Nature made up her mind moments before the ceremony was about to begin. The skies cleared and the ceremony was aglow in warm sunset tones just as Laura made her way to the ceremony with her Dad. The clouds continued to clear as they spoke their vows, which made for a gorgeous backdrop for an already beautiful ceremony.
Laura found us through her brother and sister-in-law, Erin and Mike, whose wedding we filmed in 2010. We were so excited to be asked to film another wedding with this wonderful family! We get so close to our couples and their families in the process of filming and editing a wedding that when we met with Laura, it was like meeting up with a friend you hadn't seen in a while to talk about the best thing ever. Her wedding! She said they were going for rustic and modern elegance with personal touches. We talked about all the details; the gorgeous gardens for her ceremony, personal details she wanted to incorporate, her colors and her flowers, all of which were, by the way, totally amazing. Below are stills of some of the details.
The ceremony space was set up with chairs positioned to face a beautiful mountain view. The couple would take their place at the top of an incline to be seen by all the guests. Brightly colored flowers were placed on either side of the incline as well as in little vases hung from the chairs on the aisle. Sweet rustic signs were everywhere. One sign greeted guests directing them where to go and another sign, "This is How Our Story Begins", met them when they reached the ceremony location. Our favorite sign was the one brought in by the ring bearer and his entourage letting Hector know that Laura was on her way.
Whenever I'm asked for advice on how to make a wedding memorable, I
always say to make it personal. Tell your story. Show off your
personality. Share with your guests who you are as a couple. It's all
the personal details that your guests notice and what makes them
remember your wedding. Laura did just that!
Both Laura and Hector are sports fans. In fact, they met at a place called
Green Rock on a Sunday Funday. The Cowboys had just lost a game and Laura noticed a guy that was taking the loss pretty badly. Finding the moment kind of funny, she did what she always does, snap a picture. Hector noticed the pretty girl that had just taken his picture and walked over to talk to her. To make a long story short; Laura is a Giants fan and Hector is a
Cowboys fan. Hector is not a fan of the Yankees, but Laura is. Early
on, they each decided that they would not root against each other's
teams. What happened the year they met? Both teams had a great season.
The Yankees won the World Series and the Cowboys won their division and
first playoff game since 1996. These two are a match made in sports
heaven.
They took their love of sports and incorporated it into their table numbers. Each table had a photo of a favorite athlete from a variety of sports with a description to share a story with the guests. The Tony Romo card was our favorite, by far. The description is personal and comical showcasing the sense of humor of this sweet couple. By the way, Laura isn't hugging Tony Romo in the photo above. That is Hector donning the jersey of his current favorite athlete. So adorable!
The guests were greeted at the start of cocktail hour with mason jar mugs filled with their signature cocktail, "Happily Ever After", a tropical drink made with pineapple vodka and club soda with a fresh slice of kiwi to garnish.
Wanting to encourage her guests to dance, Laura put an appropriate sign
at her escort card table. It worked! She also found some great ways to incorporate
their new home, Arizona, into the wedding. Each guest received a
succulent to take home.
We just loved Laura's bold color choices for her wedding and were excited to see them come to life! Fall weddings usually bring brown, orange, red and other fall tones. Laura wanted to liven things up with a brighter pallet of purple, orange, hot pink and white. She had told me that some people were skeptical that the colors would work together, but when she told me what they were, I knew that she had a winning combination and I couldn't wait to see how it would look. She was so excited when she received the photos from her florist's mock up centerpiece that she forwarded it to me. That made me even more excited to see them in person. The florist surprised her by adding the most beautiful
reddish-purple toned succulents to her bouquet. I was obsessed with this bouquet! It's my favorite bouquet to date, and it has some amazing competition, but her's was so vibrant, interesting and unexpected that it was a total stand out! I couldn't resist getting a shot with the rings in those succulents.
The reception space was washed in purple light to match the primary
wedding color. The accent colors of orange, hot pink and white were
present in the centerpieces giving a dramatic pop of color to each table. A
combination of tea light candles and warm ambient reception light helped to
complete the modern and romantic look.
To keep the guests entertained, Laura and Hector had a photo booth with tons of props, which was visited by everyone, including her grandmother.
By far the best takeaway from this wedding for any couples planning their wedding is to be tech savvy. Your guests will bring their cameras and, most of the time, you never get to see the photos they took. Laura thought ahead and set up a hashtag for the wedding and encouraged her guests to Instagram the photos they took.
And now, here is a peek at their wedding. Hope you enjoy this clip!
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