Southern Weddings

Oh, Crystal!  Could you be a more beautiful bride?  We’ve been a fan of Crystal since she first graced the SW blog with her stunning bridal portraits from Perez Photography, and we’re even more wowed by her (and her gorgeous Texas wedding!) today.  I’ve always liked brides who paired pale pink with steely gray, but think this bride nailed it with her bridesmaids’ pewter Melissa Sweet frocks and bright blooms from A Stylish Soiree.  Of course, Crystal herself looked stunning in an Anna Maier/Ulla Maija strapless gown!

How did the two of you meet?  Tell us your story.  Ben and I have known each other since the 8^th grade but didn’t start dating until the10^th grade.  I had always thought he was cute and finally acted on my crush at a friend’s birthday party back in high school.  So long ago!  We have been together ever since and have never once broken up.  Ben and I went to the same college and have essentially grown up together.  Our relationship has certainly evolved over the past 13 years!
Describe the proposal.  Totally shocked and wouldn’t have it any other way!  He had me convinced that he would not propose to me anytime soon.  We had just purchased a house together so I thought the expense of the new house had put a hold on an engagement happening anytime soon.  It was Christmas Eve 2007 and he told me we were going to dinner with his family, but when we started heading the opposite direction of the restaurant he told me we were going to I immediately started asking questions.  He finally pulled out a bag from the backseat of the car that had a throw blanket in it and said we were going on carriage ride through Highland Park to look at the Christmas lights.  He explained that this was part of my Christmas gift, something I had been begging him to do.  I was super excited!   Towards the end of the carriage ride, Ben knelt down on one knee and proposed.  I said YES (of course) and we kissed and hugged for what seemed like an eternity.  After the carriage ride, he had a wonderful dinner planned at Nana’s, a great restaurant with fantastic views of downtown Dallas.  It was so romantic!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Blissful, fast and entertaining.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding invitation? I wanted something that was simple, modern and that went well with our color palette.  Also, the paper quality was super important to us. Since I did something simple for the invitations, I was able to have amazing calligraphy done and cute custom stamps with our silhouettes on them.
What was your favorite design element of your big day?  I loved our color palette, which was varying shades of pink and varying shades of gray (perfect for the “Gray” Wedding, my new last name!)  We incorporated pink into everything from the awesome lanterns hanging over the dance floor, to the flowers and cotton candy set up for our guests to enjoy at the end of the night.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I knew I wanted something that was simple, elegant and well-made.  I didn’t want to look at my pictures in 20 years and think my dress was outdated.  I had tried on a few dresses prior to finding out that a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline looked best on me.  I found my dress at Warren Barron in Dallas. I didn’t cry like everyone says you will when you find the perfect dress, but when I put on the shoes and they tried a veil and hair piece on me, I knew it was the one.  Since I went so simple on my wedding gown, I wanted to find something cute and fun for the reception.  My reception dress is a Phoebe Couture that I bought off the rack at Neiman Marcus in Dallas.