Southern Weddings

Katy + John could be the poster couple for {Match.Com}.  The two met through the online dating site and, much to their surprise, found out they only lived two blocks away from each other.  Years later, the two married at John’s parents backyard in Palm Springs.  The gorgeous floral decor was created by {Arrangements Floral & Party Design}.  Photography by the phenomenal {Michael Norwood}.  More to come from the reception…

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: We met on match.com in June, 2004. Amazingly, we only lived 2 blocks away from each other. Little did we know our true love lived next door.
Describe the proposal: While I was healing from a foot surgery, John decided it was time to propose. Even though we both knew it would happen eventually, John felt it would be a great way to cheer me up during such a tough time. It definitely did the trick! It also showed me that he truly loves me for better, for worse, and in sickness, and in health. What a thoughtful and amazing man!
What initially attracted me to my husband was: Since we met online, we spoke on the phone a few times before meeting in person. I was initially very attracted to his voice and his witty sense of humor. Once I met him, I was totally attracted to his big blue eyes, his energy, and his inquisitive nature. Many times first dates consist of one person talking more than another. I found we both asked each other lots of questions.
Why do you love your husband? John makes me laugh, showers me with love, and has given me more joy that I ever thought I could have. I love his constant positive attitude, thoughtfulness, and motivation in life.
What initially attracted me to my wife was: Her gentle nature, kindred spirit and unbelievable cuteness. To top it all off, she is beautiful!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I had just had foot surgery and was unable to move for a month but knew I needed to find my dress. My mother and I had gone to five different bridal shops looking for a dress. Not being able to stand to put on a dress was making it extremely difficult to find what we wanted. I knew since the weather was going to be warm in Palm Springs, I needed something that would not be too heavy. After looking at many magazines, I had a good idea of what I wanted, but had trouble finding it. One day my mother went out by herself to look for me. She called me and insisted that I come and look at this dress she had found. I went and tried it on. It was exactly what I was looking for. Simple and elegant. The owner of the shop just about fell over. She had never seen a mother come and pick out a dress for her daughter. It was these types of similarities between my Mother and I that made the wedding planning process much more enjoyable.
Scariest moment? Before the ceremony, my bridesmaids noticed a green mark towards to bottom of my dress on the train. For some reason, I was not worried about it. However, all my bridesmaids were amazing! They definitely looked out for my best interest the whole day and were great friends. They found a stain remover wipe and got the green mark out right away.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: A big black bee decided to visit me as I was hugging my future mother-in-law during the “Appreciation of Parents”. Everyone said I did a good job ignoring it, but the bee decided to stick around for a while going from one bridesmaid’s bouquet to another. I heard some really cute comments about this moment including that a bee or a “B” will be our symbol through out our marriage. Since my new last name starts with a “B”, I thought that was cute. I also heard that it was sweet because whenever we look at bees in the future, we will remember that moment. Lastly, my Mom said that it was a symbol of my Grandfathers flying down from heaven to visit – because they were both pilots in WWII. It just goes to show you that sometimes the best memories aren’t planned at all.
Did you add any personal touches to your ceremony? We did not write our own vows, but we made sure to include plenty of personal touches. As I walked down the aisle, my cousin sang “I’ve Just Seen a Face” by the Beatles. Instead of the usual fast tempo, she sang this as a slow song. John is a Beatles fan and the lyrics are very sweet, so there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. My Uncle was the officiant for the ceremony. He is my Godfather, so this was very special. We also included an “Appreciation of Parents”, where we hugged each parent and I gave a rose out of my bouquet to my Mother and my Mother-in-law. We also incorporated a group vow where the whole audience said “We do!” Lastly, we had a “hands ceremony”, where my Uncle blessed our hands. I found many of these ideas online and changed the wording around to make it more personal.

More to come from Katy + John!