Pete may have used the most clever and original proposal we’ve seen. What did he do? Read on to hear about it but it involves a puppy, oh so cute! This wedding took place at Bicentennial Beach on the Indian Harbor Beach right before sunset. With Becca and Nate from {Studio222 Photography} there to capture these amazing details and all the fun, we knew we had to showcase it on our SW Blog. Katie + Pete took care of all the planning which included bridesmaids dresses from {J.Crew}, a wedding cake from {Publix} and catering by their favorite place, {The Yellow Dog Cafe}. To see all the shots check out Studio222’s {Blog}.
How did the two of you meet? My friend and I stopped by a local English Pub on our way home from a baseball game. We were talking to the doorman at the entrance to the pub when Pete walked out and also began talking to the doorman. After they talked for a second, he sat down outside to relax and get out of the smoke. I thought he was cute and looked very familiar. I actually met him briefly a year before so I walked over and said, “you look familiar”. We talked for a while but got interrupted when friends of his arrived. I went back to talking with my friends when about 20 minutes later a girl friend of his came up to me and asked if she could talk to me for a second. She told me, “Pete is upstairs and won’t stop talking about you. He asked if I would come down here and bring you upstairs to talk with him more”. Of course I said “Yes!”. We talked for an hour and half upstairs then he asked for my phone number and the rest is history.
Describe the proposal: Katie had been looking at a Malti-Poo puppy online for a month or so and really wanted it bad. I kept telling her there is no way. It was too expensive, and we didn’t need a dog at the time. Understand that she is very hard to fool or surprise and figures everything out. Because of that I had been trying to figure out a way to propose without her having a clue. I also tried to think of a way that it would be hard for her to say no. She kept asking, and I kept shooting her down making her think there was no way we were getting a dog. I called the girl that she was emailing about the puppy and asked her to tell Katie someone had already bought the dog. She did, and Katie was very sad when she found out. I had the puppy flown in on a Saturday morning, and my sister picked her up. I told Katie I was going surfing and afterwords we would go to lunch in Cocoa Village, a place where people take their dogs, and there are many places to eat outside. So I went surfing and when I got back I asked her to get ready to go eat. While this was going on our families and close friends were at the restaurant with the puppy waiting for us to show up. She still had no clue. We finally got to the restaurant and sat down outside. I wasn’t aware that the whole place knew what was going on because my family told everyone before we arrived. So we were sitting outside, and I had a friend of my niece sitting across the street holding the puppy while family and friends hid in the bushes. As soon as we sat down Katie noticed her holding the dog and immediately started saying there was a girl holding a puppy just like the one she wanted. She tried to get up and go over to the girl which would have ruined my plan so I had to make her sit back down by telling her not to bother her at least twice. The girl started walking over towards us, and Katie started going crazy asking her all kinds of questions that the girl had no clue about. Her part was to just walk over with the dog and ask us to hold her while she went to the bathroom. She finally asked, and Katie jumped up to grab the puppy but the girl was told to hand her to me first no matter what. So I grabbed the dog and sat down. Katie was so upset I took the dog first and started scolding me for doing so. I had to make sure the ring was on the dogs collar so she couldn’t see it right away. I finally handed her the dog and she didn’t see the ring for at least 2 or 3 minutes. I thought to myself, you’ve got to be kidding. She finally saw it and said ‘”Oh my gosh Pete, this girl has her diamond ring on the dog’s collar'” still clueless it was her engagement ring. I was trying my hardest not to start laughing. I gave her a funny look and finally she started screaming, “No way, is it mine? Is it really for me?” So finally the time had come to get down on my knee and propose. There was no way she could say no. It was the cutest puppy she had ever seen and the ring wasn’t half bad either. My plan was a success.
Why do you love your husband? I love my husband because his first love is Jesus Christ, he doesn’t take life too seriously, doesn’t hold resentment or anger for more then 5 minutes and because he shows me on a daily basis how much he loves me.
What attracted me to my wife was: The first time I laid eyes on her I thought she was beautiful with a very athletic figure. Just my type. Then after we started talking I realized she was more than just pleasing to the eyes, she was intelligent and made me laugh a lot. She was very witty and had many of the same interests as me. Most important was the fact that she went to church and was a Christ follower.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Our first date we went out for what I thought was only dinner at a sushi restaurant then home, but he surprised me by taking me an hour away to an indoor sky diving wind tunnel. It was super fun.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? Yes, we wrote our own vows. My vow to Pete, “Everyone has a definition of perfect, what in their eyes they see as the person that compliments them in every way, you are the most kind, laid back, and patient person. You are perfect for me. You are my perfect.”
The weather on our wedding day was: Sunny and very beautiful. There was a cold front coming in which was supposed to bring heavy rain, but there was not a drop of rain and as the day went on it got nice and cool.
Favorite design element of your big day: The beach
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I really wanted the Melissa Sweet “Lia” more then anything but did not want to pay the money for a new one so I bought a used one online. It was the perfect simple but elegant dress for the type of wedding I was having. One of my favorite elements of my wedding.
Describe your wedding flowers: I was going for a simple, chic look so I thought Gerbera Daisy’s were perfect to keep the simplicity. The pink was chosen because it stands out against the blue water at the beach.
Describe your wedding cake: It was a vanilla cake with chocolate pudding filling and butter cream frosting from Publix. I got so many compliments on it and everyone loved it.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Making sure the wedding was what I wanted, not what everyone told me I should have.
Hardest decision you made in planning? The reception place was very hard to decide. I wanted quality food with a laid back atmosphere. I definitely picked the right place. The Yellow Dog Cafe surpassed my expectations.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Simple, relaxed, and fun.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Remember your initial vision for your wedding and don’t compromise.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? I can’t narrow it down to one, but I really appreciated the guests who traveled long distances to come to our wedding.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Traveling and being best friends.
Any DIY items? The entire reception decor was envisioned by me and put into reality by my mother and her two friends.
Congratulations to Katie + Pete. We wish you the best as you enjoy being best friends!
The style of my dream wedding would be exotic, using lots of bright colors and unique decor elements from exotic locations. I’m drawn to the styles and textures of the Mid-East (Morocco, Persia) and South Asia. We’re going to have hookahs at our wedding so the Morocco theme sprung from there. I’m hoping to use bright colors, lanterns, and lots of pillows and moody lighting.
My style of my dream wedding is beachy. Oddly enough I am not having a wedding on a beach but my wedding is casual, relaxed, and most importantly extremely fun. The event is definitely outdoors and private. We rented a B&B in the country for the entire weekend. The decor bursts with colors that enhance the natural surroundings, lots of greens, yellows, with subtle touches of pinks and purples. The outdoor event will be lit up with string lights hung from every tree possible and everyone will enjoy our favorite pilsner as well as a bright refreshing signature cocktail. The food will also be representative of our casual relaxed style with mini BLT’s, pork bbq sandwiches combined with some classic comfort sides…
It says I’m a "classic" bride…interesting! I wouldn’t have labeled myself that, but reading the description it makes sense…I like the sound of "understated elegance!" I’ve just started, so I have no details for you, but hey, one more reason I could use the book! =)
My style of dream wedding was Garden, with Classic being a close second. I thought this was perfect because I am planning an outdoor wedding/reception at a beautiful winery. It definitely will have garden aspects by utilizing the beautiful scenery of the vineyard, but the building itself for cocktail hour is very classic looking, and I plan on having big band music and a sit down dinner.
My dream wedding would be "garden". The scents of the garden and the magic of flowers would be centerstage. The wedding would bey a collaborative effort between family and friends who all work together to make the wedding special and creative.
I was between fanciful and countryside… I think it really takes the combination of the two to capture my style… See, I’m about 49% indie city girl and 51% mountain chick. It makes it a challenge to incorporate all the things I love. (Horse and carriage and yoga and swing dancing). I’m just picking things I love and seeing where it takes us. Fiance is all mountain boy, so it will probably tip slightly that way.We have whimsical invitations, designed by a rock poster artist… We’ll have lots of color that doesn’t necessarily adhere strictly to a color palate. We want people to feel at home, but have lots to stimulate the eye at the same time!
Our wedding style is CLASSIC.Which is great! We’d love to have a classic wedding! Hopefully we’ll achieve that, once all of the pieces come together. We’re looking at black and white, a splash of red poppies, candlelight, and a great autumn-inspired menu. I can’t wait to see everything come together. But I know we’ll be elated regardless, just celebrating the day.
The survey captured my dream wedding perfectly — a "garden wedding that captures the carefree elegance of summer". I personally would simply love a collaborative effort between my friends and family that makes for a personal, special, and creative event. The buzzwords "fresh", "airy", "enchanting", "natural", and "frolicsome" are lovely and right on the money! I’ve always wanted to be a nymph or fairy princess, and the event would evoke that dream-like quality where everyone is part of this blissful fairy kingdom. This would enclude, cascading flowers that wind around arch or gazebo, a large white tent for the reception, and white flower centerpieces with lots and lots of candles! This book sounds great! I hope I win. Thanks!
My style was Garden. This makes perfect sense because I am planning an outdoor wedding and reception. I love colors and the feel of southern air in the spring. Of course I am planning and have yet to do much so far, and thats why I would love this book because I could use all the ideas I could get!
My wedding style is Beach and Contemporary. That was a very good survey. My wedding is near the beach in Hawaii and my wedding style is Contemporary. I love the beach, but I’m also a city girl at heart. I’m mixing up a combination of modern style with some classic Hawaiian as well. I’m using lots of orchids and my invitations are a mix between contemporary and Hawaiian tropical.
Well thank goodness! My quiz matched up with where my fiance and I are actually having the wedding…I am a "countryside" bride. To my enjoyment, we are getting married at my fiance’s family’s farm that has been in the family for 200 years. Rustic is deifnitely a word that I use often when describing the sort of aesthetic I hope to convey. We will have the reception in front of 2 very old tin barns, and we will hardly need to decorate much at all…the grounds speak for themselves!
My wedding style is classic and that fits perfectly. My fiance and I are getting married in our hometown at the Duke Chapel. It is an old, historic chapel located on Duke University’s campus that has seating for over 1000. The architecture is breath taking!! Even my fiance, a die-hard Carolina fan, thinks it’s perfect for our wedding! Our reception will be held right down the road at my fiance’s country club. We are looking forward to our wedding so much and we can’t wait to spend our special day with our friends and family :)
My wedding style is Contemporary according to the survey but I’ve always pictured something more organic and rustic almost. I love the look of ivories, deep plums, and moss greens with lots of branches and candlelight. It was a very fun survey though!
My wedding style is Classic. This fits me perfectly! I’m a Southern girl who wants her wedding to be full of timeless and personal elements.
Wow! I can’t believe how accurate that quiz was! My wedding style is "Countryside" – which perfectly captures the gorgeous ranch wedding we’re planning in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with the Tetons as our natural background. We’re incorporating elements of my fiance’s fly fishing obsession, with elegant and sophisticated style and grace. My dress is a soft tulle with amazing draping with natural hair and a soft boquet of white peonies. Our rehearsal dinner will be a mountain top BBQ, complete with required cowboy and cowgirl boots and hats.
My style is Exotic with Garden being a close runner-up. I am having my wedding at a botanical garden and since my fiance’s family is vietnamese. We are having two ceremonies, one traditional and in the garden, and the other vietnamese with traditional ao dai for the the dress
My wedding styles are beach and countryside. It’s funny because those are the two locations we have narrowed it down to.
Is says my wedding style is Countryside. And seeing that I am getting married at a small B&B out in the country srounded by fields and cows, I think the quiz matches me exactly! Even the words used to describe this style of wedding are the words that I have been using ("carefree," "relaxed," "serene" and "rustic" ). It also says that I came close to the Garden Style Wedding . .. which the actual ceremony will be in a garden . . . so this seems to have be down to a tee!
the quiz says my wedding style is garden, which is interesting as flowers are on the lower level of importance to me. classic was second, which, in my opinion, fits me perfectly! traditional, timeless, elegant are all in my dreams. beautiful huge church, a traditional service, and a gorgeous cinderella dress.. so excited.
The quiz and my styles matched up perfectly. My dream wedding is definitely a classy, beach wedding. I’m very laidback, but I also love that air of elegance and timelessness. I love light, flowy, pretty airy things. I love the outdoors and the sunshine, and the feeling of sand between my toes. A beach wedding definitely encompasses all of that.
It says I’m classic, with garden coming in a close second. Well, I want a simple, elegant, vintage garden wedding, so that’s about right! The flowers and setting are incredibly important to me in setting the mood for this intimate evening.
I’m a classic but beach style came close! :) Two very different styles but i love them both. We are planning an outdoor wedding that will be elegant, fun, simple and meaningful!
Interesting… the quiz says my wedding style is Garden… which is where my ceremony will take place, however, my wedding is set on a farm!! Our ceremony will be in the gardens, followed by a cocktail hour in the vegetable garden, and reception in the pastures, under a big white tent! I was a little surprised I didn’t get pegged with "Country side" as my style. I think I’m having my dream wedding… I’d describe it as a huge casual dinner party for all my friends and family. Great organic food, lots of dancing, all my favorite people in the world there to celebrate my marriage to my guy. Aaaah… I can’t wait!
My wedding style is beach (and close to garden). Which makes sense because my original plan was to have a beach barbecue (which got nixed by my fiancee). So instead we’re having an outdoor ceremony by the beach with an indoor reception.
My result was countryside, which is perfect! We’re getting married in Nashville, TN. The reception location hasn’t been finalized yet, but we’re thinking a plantation.
I was contemporary, close to classic. That sounds about right! To me, this means elegant simplicity shown through small details, clean lines and colors, and lots and lots of candles. :)
The results said I was a beach girl. I am an outside person, but I don’t like sand all that much. However, my second choice was the classic bride and I would say I am a mix of both. I am both sporty and posh! I hope to incorporate both aspects in my upcoming nuptials.
My wedding style is beach! And it is! My fiance and I love the water. We always wanted a beach wedding, unfortunately our area doesn’t have the type of beach venue we wanted so we decided to do the closest thing we could get. Our reception venue overlooks the ocean and has sheer drapes for a wall. The ceremony will take place on the lawn with the ocean and a beautiful bridge as a backdrop. We’re having a nautical theme. Our colors are navy and yellow which I think will look great against the white-to-neutral tones of our reception venue.
My dream wedding would have the perfect mixture of coutry inspired details but would also include all of the elegant details of a traditional wedding. Being married in a field of beautiful wild flowers with horses roaming the pastures around you. Beautiful but rustic chandeliers would be hanging from the tall pine trees over head. All of the guests would be seated in perfect white chairs with touches of brown. I would love for my colors to be a rich chocolate brown with touches of a pale blue, or perhaps a soft sage green. Cala Lilies are the flower of choice. The reception would take place at a beautiful hunting lodge or cabin. All of the elegance from the ceremony would be carried over into the reception. I want my dad and aunt to make a beautiful tiered square cake, strawberry (my dad’s specialty) with an off white icing and blue or green details. The photogrophy would be done by Taproot Photography…they are an AMAZING couple here in town that take absolutely georgous pictures!!! They are so extremely talented. After the reception, my new husband and I would take off to Atlanta in a limo and take off the next day for a beautiful, romantic, and exotic beach getaway….of course we couldn’t leave without my little Tucker (Yorkie given to me by b/f on our 4 year anniversary), he would have to make the trip with us…I can’t stand to leave him alone!!
The quiz was VERY accurate. My wedding style is Classic. A self-proclaimed Princess, I will be having a morning wedding/ceremony at my home church in Gulfport, MS, followed by an elegant brunch at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS. I believe the buzz words (i.e., "traditional," "timeless," elegant," "refined" and "tasteful" )coupled with my Southern Belle/G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised in the South) affliation will perfectly set the stage for my Happy Ever After!!!
Wow! This thing has me pegged perfectly! It said my style was "Countryside" but that I also came very close to "Beach." We originally sought a Southern beach wedding, but after a few months of planning we changed to a mountain wedding on a farm! Both beach and countryside represent a relaxed and simple style that incorporates the natural beauty of your surroundings but still allows me to show my free spirit. My favorite colors are browns and greens and my girls are carrying wildflowers… how appropriate!
I’m contemporary… no surprise there, I’m definitely a city girl. Our wedding is outdoors under an arch of oaks, and i’m trying to stay away from the super-girly elements by keeping the decor clean and understated.
My wedding style is Garden. I think that a tented reception sounds fantastic, with dinner and dancing in the evening air.
What an accurate and fun quiz! My styles are "Garden" and "Classic" – and I fully anticipate incorporating both styles into my wedding theme. I am a Southern bride planning an autumn wedding in Nashville, TN. It will take place outdoors at a large historic estate home. I hope to have many additional floral (Garden) details, a fresh petal send-off and the elements of classic 1950s and 60s style, such as our "jazz" reception and my Jackie-O inspired get-away suit (Classic). My fiancé and his groomsmen will be wearing classic tuxedos.
I came out "Classic" with "Beach" a close second! That pegged me perfectly– we’re planning a fairly traditional sit-down reception but it’s also a california coastal wedding with gorgeous views.
My result was garden, and I was close to country.We’re not doing a garden wedding, it’ll be March and oh so cold! But country is so appropriate. We’re both very laidback and simple (and he’s a farmer). The dress suggestions were so great, matched exactly what I’ve been looking at!
Classic bride, it said. Spot on! We’re having a black and white chandelier/damask themed wedding, with a buffet style dinner to help the guests mingle and give it a more casual air. However, I could really use the book to finalize the rest of the details!
Hrm… apparently I’m a Beach bride. Quite interesting, as my dream wedding would be at Disney World with the cinderella coach. I guess that in the casual sense, it is dead on. Instread, i’ll be doing this at home and trying to bring the spirit of Disney to Indiana!
By taking this quiz my answer was given "Contemporary" The descriptions did match a few ideas I have but I feel that I would lead more to a a classic/simple wedding.My dream wedding would be at a garden full with sunflowers. My flowers will be sunflowers but will be marry at our church/parish. The reception has not been selected but we are looking for something that would be classy but modern :)
My wedding style came up Garden with I believe is a perfect fit for what my fiance and I are going for. We want our wedding to be a perfect representation of us and our personalities to share with our closest family and friends. We are having a spring time wedding in colors of Aquas and Reds with homemade jam as our favors. We are designing and creating our own invitations and Save the Dates as well as many other aspects of our wedding. We want everything to be very homey, casual, and comfortable with I think is a perfect theme for the two of us! We came in a close second with Fanciful. I don’t think this could be anymore perfect! We are a quirky couple and we want to have a lot of unique and memorable elements in our wedding. We want the wedding that people will look back on years from now and say, "That was so them. What a wonderful day, I felt just like family."
I’m classic with a little contemporary– sounds exactly like our fairly traditional wedding that we’re putting our own spin on.
Contemporary…just about dead on…except wer’re throwing in small vintage surprises to create visual and emotional interest. Very high fashion, that’s for sure…oh, I just can’t wait for September 26th to get here!!
My style was exotic. I wouldn’t say that I am exotic, but I do love to travel and I have a tremendous appreciation for other cultures. We are having Mexican food at our wedding, though, so that fits!
My style was garden with classic as a close runner up… I think this is actually exteremly dead on because we havent finalized our plans yet, but we either want a relaxed beach wedding or a wedding at a plantation… I feel like these two, although very different, reflect me quite perfectly…
My style is beach, exactly right for my socal upbringing and wedding.
According to the results, my style is contemporary leaning toward exotic. That probably makes sense given that we’re seriously contemplating a destination wedding; we already know we want to go on safari for our honeymoon!
My wedding style was beachy with exotic coming in second. I’d have to say that beachy style is far from my style, but exotic is more in line with what my dream wedding would be. I want my dream wedding to be completely glamorous, exotic, tantalizing and unique. The ceremony is a simple outdoor ceremony sitting in front of a lake with palm trees lining the cobblestone patio. The reception is being held in a 2-story beautiful octagon shaped ballroom with rich colors like purple, eggplants, plums and accents of fuchsia. Candlelight will light up the tables, and hot colored lights will drape the walls. Dancing will be front and center with great music. Exciting foods will be served to our guests and a dessert bar will consummate the evening.
I got classic with contemporary a close 2nd. Woo hoo! We’re getting married in wine country and I’m looking forward to DIYing all the gorgeous vintage details… this book would be super helpful in my planning process!
My results were Garden and Beachy. How funny that it’s so accurate! we’re having a mountainside garden wedding with a beautiful view of the ocean in Hawaii, which is so fun to plan!
fun survey! I got contemporary, just my style.
i would like to have my autumn wedding theme with very dark color just like brown , purpulish or jet black and dim lights every where and floating candle centerpieces with flowers…………wow amazing