Southern Weddings

Jenni + Cade’s were married at the beautiful {Fort Worth Botanic Gardens}.  Jenni wore a {Carmen Marc Valvo} gown and carried a stunning bouquet by {Flowers on the Square}.  Following all the garden fun and the “I Do’s!”, Jenni + Cade led their guests to the rooftop restaurant {Reata} in downtown Fort Worth.  Capturing this lovely wedding was fantastic photographer {Stacy Reeves}.  Check all the shots on Stacy’s photo {Blog}.  I LOVE Jenni’s dress!

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We met in law school at Texas Tech. We knew each other and been friendly for two and a half years, and I was good friends with Cade’s roommates. During our last semester of law school, Cade’s roommate, David, called me to tell me that he thought that Cade liked me (David takes credit for setting us up; Cade insists that he put David up to the phone call). A couple of days later, we were all out celebrating David finishing the Texas Bar Exam and Cade said: “So, when are you going to let me take you to dinner?” Two days later, we went on our first date.
Describe the proposal: After three years of dating, we decided that it was time for our parents to meet. Everyone arrived at our house and we had a few drinks before dinner. Cade and I decided to go to a casual Italian restaurant for dinner, but unbeknownst to me, he had made reservations at a great steak restaurant in Fort Worth. As we were hurrying out of the house to make our reservation, Cade spilled his drink all over his shirt. He needed me to stay and help him find something to wear because he said that all of his other shirts were dirty or at the cleaner’s. Since he didn’t want to lose the reservation, he told me to send everyone else to the restaurant. I thought that was a little bit odd since they had just met, but he assured me that it would not be a problem. Looking back, I should have realized something was up when no one batted an eye about hopping in the car without us. He pulled out a shirt that he’d worn before and needed ironing, so I started ironing it. He put on the newly ironed shirt and walked into the kitchen while I put the iron away. He called for me to come into the kitchen and when I walked into the room he was holding the ring. He asked me to marry him and I said “yes!” and started crying. Then I realized that he never got down on one knee, so I made him ask me again, which he did, and I said “yes!” again.
What attracted me to my husband was: Isn’t it obvious from the photos?
Why do you love your husband? He is wonderful, kind, smart, sweet, complex, fun and handsome. He makes me try to be a better person.
What attracted me to my wife was: She is a smart and determined person. She makes me realize what is important.
The weather on our wedding day was: Cold and windy. We were determined to have an outdoor wedding and thought autumn in Texas would be the best time to do that. Our wedding day was the first cold day of the year. The next day was sunny and 75 degrees.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We wanted a simple wedding that everyone could enjoy and that was meaningful to us. We decided not to do something simply but to do it with concentration on family, friends, and the purpose of the ceremony.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I knew that I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress. Cade, his sister, Lauren, and I had planned a trip to New York City over the 4th of July. Lauren and I ditched him one day to check out all of the major NYC department stores. We found my dress at Saks Fifth Avenue. I didn’t buy it while we were there. I wanted to come home, think about it, and do the same thing at the Dallas department stores. After unsuccessful searching in Dallas, I called Saks and had it shipped to me.
Describe your wedding flowers: Cade has always been really sweet about bringing me flowers. One day, early in our relationship, he filled up my apartment with stargazer lillies while I was out. The sight and smell of them always makes me think of him and that day, so I knew that’s what I wanted to carry and nothing else. My mom said it couldn’t be done and I would have to mix them with something else. I showed her!! Describe your wedding cake: My sister-in-law, Mary, is a fabulous baker. Since we wanted every element of our wedding to be meaningful, we knew the cake would have more meaning if it was baked by her. Cade loves cupcakes, so we decided to have a   tower instead of a regular cake. Mary worked hard on the cup cakes — first trying out various combination to find the perfect recipe (with lots of taste-testing) and then baking and decorating 200 cupcakes two days before our wedding. They were beautiful, wonderful, and everything that we wanted.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The ceremony was performed in the Rose Garden of the Botanical Gardens, in Fort Worth. It is a very beautiful place. Our main concern was whether the roses would be blooming on our day. Throughout the winter we checked the garden to see if the roses had bloomed. Finally, a week before the wedding, the roses bloomed. They lasted through the wedding and created a romantic atmosphere.

More to come from this lovely wedding!