Southern Weddings

This wedding gave us all chills when we first saw it and read this couple’s beautiful story.  Chills turned to tears as we poured through these beautiful and moving images from the amazing Erik Clausen aka {Poser}. The wedding was planned by the bride who put her heart and soul into every detail. This outdoor Texas wedding was transformed into Tuscany with a flower cart welcoming guest to the ceremony and a yummy gelato cart at the reception. Floral design by {A Man & A Women Floral Design}.To see more details of this amazing wedding, check out Erik’s {Blog}.  Stay tuned for Part II of this beautiful celebration…

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. Esteban: We met in Guatemala City (where I’m from) in December of 2002.

Somerlea: I was on a missions trip with my family in Guatemala and friends of mine invited me to go to church with them, soon after we got there a car pulled up and this guy with chizled features got out and took my breath away, I thought he seemed cocky and stuck up(cause he was so good looking and quiet) and Esteban told me later he had thought the same about me. Once we finally talked we felt and instant connection and realized our first impressions about eachother were way off. We only actually spent about 10 days together before he left to go back to school, but it was enough to get me hooked, we started dating three months later and then did long distance for five years.

 Esteban: I thought she was beautiful and was really nervous every time I was around her. I finally called one day and we spent 3 hours on the phone. We had long distance relationship for many years and that first phone call was a great way to start getting to know each other. 




Describe the proposal: Esteban: I was in LA for work on a Thursday and asked her to open her email. I had sent her a PowerPoint presentation telling her that I wanted to travel the world with her. I told her to pack her bags because we were going on a trip on Saturday. We went to the airport, had a layover in Chicago, and she didn’t know where we were going until I told her where “Newark”, our final destination, actually was. It was really funny when she thought I was joking that we were going to “Newark” (New Jersey airport). Somerlea: Esteban called me and told me to check my email, there was a power point with music that told our whole story and end with him asking me to see the world with him, starting on Saturday with a mystery flight. I didnt actually know where we were going until we got there and it was NewYork!! I am a dancer and so I have always dreamed of going to the city dripping with art and inspiration! It was a weekend out a dream world, Lion King, Hairspray, Jazz clubs, 5 star hotel, hot dogs, Julliard, dancing on broadway and it ended with the most amazing afternoon in central park, he rented a row boat and paddled us around a pond, I felt like a victorian lady out of Sense and Sensability, then he rowed us into this little lagoon where the branches touched the water and enveloped us with privacy.  He was so nervous and he was shaking.  He told me to close my eyes, I was so nervous I started to shake, then I felt the boat rock and when I opened my eyes he was kneeling in the boat facing me.   He asked me to marry him and told me he would always love me and take care of me(and lots of other stuff I dont remember).  I was so overwhelmed I actually said “I do”, like I was getting married or something, it was amazing! Oh yeah and the ring was incredible perfect!



What attracted me to my husband was:  Somerlea: His soft and inviting soul, I felt understood and appreciated every time we talked. When he looked into my eyes I felt transparent and free. I have never been more myself around anybody than I was with him,even my mom noticed it!



Why do you love your husband?  Somerlea: He is a handsome, strong and deeply driven man, that wants whats best for everyone around him. He is brilliant and fights for what he believes in, and its amazing when he believes in you, cause he fights for you then! He protects me and loves me with all his heart and is the most giving person of himself, and he truly enjoys it when he helps others.



What attracted me to my wife was:  Esteban: Somerlea is the girl of my dreams. I knew I wanted to marry her shortly after we met. She is intelligent, beautiful, fun, talented, and genuine. She is my best friend. She loves fully and selflessly; that’s the kind of girl you want to marry and spend the rest of your life with.





A date we went on that we’ll always remember:  Esteban: We went to Maui for Som’s birthday a few years ago. We rented a car, got on the famous road to Hana, and had breakfast at the 7 Sacred Pools. It was one of the most incredible places in the world, but we were also going through a difficult time in our lives. We had a fight, and we got through it. Love does not occur in romantic situations or beautiful places, it happens when you choose to do so regardless of circumstances. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication. 



The weather on our wedding day was:  Somerlea: It was a little too hot but we were so glad it didn’t rain.



What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Esteban: Tuscany + Modern

.  Somerlea: A Tuscan Wedding Feast!



Favorite design element of your big day:  Esteban: The designer herself, Somerlea! Somerlea’s creativity and attention to detail made the whole wedding awesome.

 Somerlea: Oh man thats hard, everything! I guess I really loved the ceremony outside, we had sunflowers and a perugula that was covered with greenery and grapes, I felt like I was in a fairytale.



Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  Somerlea: It was technically the first dress I tried on.  My sister saw it and made me try it on and it was perfect. I tried on so many after that to see if there were any others, but none could compare to the first one. Thanks Jess!

  Esteban: I was not allowed to give any input on this area. Once I saw it, I thought it was beautiful. And hot.



Describe your wedding flowers:  Esteban: Somerlea had a really cool large sun flower, and I had one too. The flowers inside the room were simple and elegant. 


Somerlea: We had simple cream roses for the centerpieces in vases with corks floating in them and two pears sitting in front. I carried a single sunflower (it represented my sister Elli) and my bridesmaids carried long stem cream roses tied with a single burgundy ribbon tied around them. We also had a “flower market” outside that went along with the Tuscan theme and our guests were able to give them to each other.



Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line?  Esteban: We both wrote our own vows. I liked all of hers. 

Somerlea: The whole thing was incredible but the one thing that stuck out to me was a line from a favorite song of ours, ” Beauty cannot describe the ground that you walk on.” He is a writer and the vows were flawless, they blended beautifully and should be published.



What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?  


Somerlea: I really struggled with the whole concept of getting married without my little sister there, she passed away three years ago. Esteban was always very supportive and understood when I couldn’t handle something that was normally expected of a bride.  Esteban: That was definitely the hardest. I guess logistically, we also had to do a lot of thinking to get people in from our home countries (Guatemala and Canada). It was difficult to decide when to do it and where, as well as figure out how to do certain things because we come from different cultures. 


Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding?  Esteban: We are Christians and we are really close to our families so we had family members play and sing worship, read poems, and pray over us during the ceremony. We also asked our parents and siblings to speak at the party, and they said incredibly special words. Somerlea’s dad had been carrying a key
(to Somer’s heart) for 12 years and he passed it on to me.



What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?  
Esteban: Our vows and the first kiss.

  Somerlea: When Esteban was reading his vows and he started to well up with tears and could barely get the words out, it was the most beautiful thing I have every seen.



Scariest moment?  Esteban: I finished writing my vows at 4am on the day of the wedding. I think I was pretty scared the whole time I was writing them because those words had to mean so much. 

Somerlea: We didn’t have an actual wedding planner so getting all the details together for the wedding day was crazy! The best thing I did was delegating on the wedding day and not obsessing over any of the details, my Aunt took over on that day and directed everyone so I didn’t have to worry! Thanks Auntie Carol!




Check back shortly for Part II…