I can’t think of a better way to unofficially kick off fall than with the gorgeous colors, cozy details, and of course, the sweet love story behind today’s wedding! After a group dinner serendipitously turned into an impromptu first date, Pamela and Greg grew inseparable. When it came time to start planning their wedding two years later, they were committed to planning first and foremost for their marriage–they attended premarital counseling, poured their hearts into writing their own vows (be sure to read about them below!), and made sure that each detail of their wedding truly reflected their relationship. I loved reading Pamela’s answers to our interview questions just as much as I enjoyed admiring their gorgeous Texas celebration!
Thank you so much to our Blue Ribbon Vendor Feather & Twine for sharing this gorgeous day with us!
The first day I went wedding dress shopping was actually super stressful. I brought six people with me, and as much as I loved having everyone there, shopping with that many people was overwhelming, to say the least. We went to three dress shops, and by the end of the day, I couldn’t even remember what I had tried on. Needless to say, I went home empty-handed and a little disappointed. I thank my lucky stars that my sister was in town for the whole weekend and wanted to go antique shopping the next day…but neither of us had realized that our favorite antique shops were closed on Sundays. All dolled up and in the mood to shop, we decided we would stop by a local bridal salon we had not been to yet, just the two of us. This pit stop led to the dress of my dreams!
Did you decide to do a first look? Why or why not? Knowing the pros and cons of both sides, Greg and I decided to go for it and do a first look so that we could get all of the pictures we were dreaming of! My biggest fear about not doing a first look was that we wouldn’t have time to get all of the photos that we had envisioned without keeping our guests waiting too long (every host and hostess knows to keep their sweet guests in mind). Looking back, I am so thankful that we chose to do our first look! It allowed us to get all of our cherished photos without having to rush, and both our first look and our ceremony were so sweet and romantic. Greg cried tears of joy during both, which made me so happy!
Writing our own vows was something that was so special to us. In a day when so many people get married without considering that it is for life, and not just with the mindset that if it doesn’t work, they can get divorced, we wanted the beginning of our marriage and the words that we said to each other on our wedding day to be truly genuine. My favorite line of Greg’s vows was when he vowed to “be the best man he could be” for me, because I love that we help to make each other better people than who we were before we met.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. We did a very simple, ivory, four-tiered cake with a pearl trim on each tier and an “M” on the center tier. The cake was surrounded by greenery on the base and bright blooms as the topper. As an additional dessert, we put mini pies at each place setting as the place cards, alternating peach pie for Greg since he is from Georgia and pecan pie for me since I am from Texas. These pies were one of our favorite details!
The moment we walked into the Milestone, we knew it was the perfect Southern venue for us! I have always dreamed of getting married at an old plantation, and the Milestone had all of the gorgeous details of a Southern plantation, combined with modern, new amenities. Before I even walked out of the building, I remember turning to Greg and saying, “This is the perfect place!”
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? Be patient and plan your marriage together while planning your wedding. After the celebration and party is over, you are committed to each other forever, and that should be the most joyous part of your wedding! Make sure to talk about your goals and expectations before your wedding so that you can make sure your ideals line up.
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. After being friends for almost a year, we had plans to go out to dinner with a group of mutual friends. At the last minute, everyone canceled except for Greg and I, so we had an impromptu first date. From then on, we were inseparable! We dated for two years before getting engaged, and we got married a year and a half later.
Tell us all about the proposal! After Greg took me back to the restaurant where we had our first date for a wonderful dinner, we took a stroll down the Woodlands Waterway. We were looking at the Christmas lights as they were going up and singing and dancing to the Waterway tunes. Greg twirled me, and when I turned around, he was down on one knee!
When did y’all get married? March 15, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 95
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. One of my movies of all time is P.S. I Love You–I love the story line and the way their love almost makes time stop. The music is something that has always made me swoon, and when I thought of music for our ceremony, we could not think of anything better than music from that soundtrack. As for our first dance, we choose Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” Even though it is a newer, trendy song, we actually changed the song we had already picked for it–we were so in love with the song and how perfectly it reflected how we felt, we had to use it!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Our favorite detail of our wedding would have to be the garden games we set up on the back lawn. Custom corn hole boards, croquet, and bocce ball were the perfect addition to our big day. Greg and I are not particularly big dancers, so we wanted to have a fun activity set up that was more us.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? It was very important to us to have a marriage more beautiful than our wedding. We went through marriage counseling with our officiant and talked about our current and future goals for ourselves, both personally and as a couple. Learning patience and compromise, as well as learning that God would need to be the focal point of our marriage, we strengthened our love for each other.
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? Since our ceremony and reception were in the same place, we decided to save money on our floral budget by using our bridesmaid bouquets as half of our reception centerpieces. As soon as the bridesmaids walked out of the ceremony, our wedding coordinator seamlessly slipped five of their bouquets into empty vases before our guests ever entered the reception. We used the the sixth bouquet as my toss bouquet. This easy repurposing saved us over $500.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? The next step in our marriage is to continue merging our lives and families together while focusing on our careers and keeping God at the center of our marriage. In a few years, we would like to start our family and buy our first house together.
Photographer and Videographer: Feather & Twine Photography / Venue and Caterer: The Milestone / Florals: The Southern Table / Wedding Cake: Candy Haven Cakes / Pie Baker: Mighty Sweet Mini Pies / Linens: House of Hough / DJ: Melodies & Memories / Paper Products: Love Vs. Design / Minted / Paper Source / Bridal Salon: Brickhouse Bridal / Jewelry: Sam Moon / Hair and Makeup: Natalia Issa / Bride’s Shoes: Anne Klein / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Blouson Dress” in Taupe Pink by Adrianna Papell / Menswear: “Black” by Vera Wang at Men’s Wearhouse / Officiant: David Williams
Feather & Twine is a delightful member of our Blue Ribbon Vendor Directory!
I feel so incredibly blessed to of had the opportunity to be apart of the most amazing day in one of my very, very best friends lives! I can’t wait to be there to make many more memories with both her and Greg!
Thank you for featuring, SW! Great couple and a great day!
love the floral centerpieces!