Real Bride Alice: Planning a Wedding During a Pandemic

A bridal party taking a picture.

 

Planning a wedding is not easy, but planning a wedding during a pandemic brought on a new set of challenges for most brides. Real bride, Alice was determined to make the most out of every experience. Discover what made each moment special for Alice and how she saw the positives during unusual circumstances.

Intimate Wedding Proposal…

Before pandemic times, I always thought I’d have my makeup on, and my nails fixed. I wasn’t wearing any makeup that day, but I did my nails the day before out of boredom.

On the day of the proposal, Andrew and I visited my sister and her family in Fort Worth to hang out at her pool. Since it was during the pandemic, we tried our best to practice social distancing and spend most of our time together outdoors. I hadn’t seen my sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews, Ben and Collin, in months which seemed like forever since I used to visit very often.

When we were getting ready to go outside, my 3-year-old nephew brought me an old shoebox. Because I hadn’t seen them much during the pandemic, I thought Ben was showing me new toys inside. When he opened it, I saw a ring box instead. Andrew grabbed the box and gets down on one knee. I was surprised and couldn’t believe it! Of course, I immediately said YES! We FaceTimed my parents shortly after and celebrated the rest of the day at the pool. It was a perfect little quarantine proposal.

Wedding Dress Shopping… 

Wedding dress shopping during a pandemic was something I dreaded—the mask mandate and the limited number of guests put a damper on my wedding planning mood. Who was going to join me to go wedding dress shopping? It was not an essential task, and I completely understood when none of the bridesmaids wanted to come. I didn’t even want to go myself! But, before I knew it, six months had already passed, so I needed to start looking.

Real Bride Alice and her bridesmaids

My wedding dress shopping experience at LuLu’s is something I’ll never forget. I already had high expectations for LuLu’s since that was where my sister found her wedding dress. Of course, I didn’t want to get my hopes up on finding it there, but how cool would that be, right?!

Melissa was the sweetest and very patient. I didn’t have a dream dress that I knew I wanted all along. She took her time with me, narrowing down which styles I liked and didn’t like. I felt so comfortable with her, which was great because it filled the void of not having all my bridesmaids with me.

I was with my sister when she found her dress, and in the end, she was with me when I found mine at Lulu’s. Always a good time at Lulu’s.

Found the One: Morilee 2044…

Melissa at Lulu’s did such a great job picking out dresses that it made it hard to choose. I would tell her what I liked and what I didn’t like about the dress. Each one got better and better until it was the one! Oh, my stars! The dress checked off everything I wanted. Melissa nailed it. I almost wonder if she secretly knew the whole time and just waited for dramatic effect. She’s that good and made it so much fun!

Wedding Theme…

I wanted my theme to be minimal yet elegant. Less is more! Planning a wedding during the pandemic made “less” favorable in case we were only allowed immediate family or a wedding cancellation due to Covid concerns. I didn’t even have any wedding cake tastings. I trusted my florist and went with a bakery she recommended. That first wedding cake bite was a pleasant (and delicious) surprise.

 

Real Bride Alice walking down the aisle

Husband and wife slicing a wedding cake

Favorite Moments…

EVERYTHING. The pandemic makes you realize what is truly important!

It meant so much to see everyone after missing so many special occasions and holidays because of the pandemic. The entire week and day were special to me. If I had to choose one special moment of the big day, I would say it was during the reception. My DJ (and good friend) Chris remembered a specific song I liked. The song does not have vocals, so it is hard to find. Towards the end of the night, there was a surprise for me.

I had to step onto speakers, and I was nervous about what was going to happen next. When I realized what song they were playing, I immediately knew I could let loose for the rest of the night and had no more worries. It wasn’t a song I requested on the wedding playlist, so it was a very thoughtful and awesome surprise! Someone said I was living my best life dancing on those speakers, and I agree!

Sentimental Wedding Details…

I wore my sister’s wedding shoes as something borrowed. Written on the bottom of one of the shoes was her wedding date, and I thought it was sweet of my sister to add my wedding date to the other. My sister and brother-in-law are total “couple goals,” so it was extra special that I got to walk down the aisle with something from their wedding too. I was lucky enough to have all my favorite vendors for my wedding. Every single one of them spoiled me in their own way. I was the luckiest girl and had the best people with me on my wedding day.

 

Real Bride Alice Send off

 

We love hearing from our brides. If you would like to share more about your wedding like real bride Alice – comment below or send a message to our Instagram! We would love to feature your love story! 

 

Vendor Team

Photographer: Jonny Ngo Photography @iamjonnyngo

Venue: Zander’s House @zandershouse

Planner: Love and Sparrows @loveandsparrows

Bakery: Paris Bakery @parisbakeryinarlington

Florist: Kim Trang @ktweddingevents

Gown Retailer: LuLu’s Bridal Boutique @lulusbrides

Gown Designer: Morilee @morilee

Makeup & Hair: Q the MUA @qthemua

Music: RLF Society @rlfsociety @skrach_chris

Wedding invitations and stationery: Footprints Invitations @footprintsinvitations

 

Real Bride: Caroline & Knox

Amidst a rainy and dreary day, Caroline and Knox tied the knot in one of the most beautiful settings we could have imagined!  A translucent tent ceremony, allowing full view of the inclement weather, ultimately provided the perfect backdrop for this classic, vintage, yet modern styled celebration.  With rich, lush floral arrangements in various hues of peach, merlot and plum against a bricked architectural masterpiece of the Mopac Event Venue, this room transformation set the tone for an incredible reception and evening of festivity. Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

PS: Check out their adorable dogs that made their way down the aisle as well!

Wedding Gown: Mori Lee from LuLus Bridal Boutique

Photographer: Christina Childress Photography | Venue: Mopac Event Center | Ceremony Music: Gyros String Quartet | Florals: Pam Wright, Pam’s Ribbon and Roses | Beauty: Makeup by Wendy Zerrudo | Entertainment: In10City Band | Caterer: City Kitchen | Wedding Planner: Stay Hillstead, Maxwell & Gray Studio | Cake: Wonderful Kakes | Stationery: P.S. The Letter | Favors: The Photo Bus | Rentals: Coral Lane Rentals, Sandone Productions| Videography: Thompson Pictures | Lighting: Beyond