How Did You Meet?

Elise and AnDre met eleven years ago in August of 2011, the summer before freshman year of high school. Elise had chosen to join the choir at Johnson High School. A week before the meet and greet, she messaged AnDre on Facebook because he was the cutest boy in the choir Facebook page. They made arrangements to see each other but that ended up being a bust. By the end of the night, he eventually got her number, texted her right after and immediately started complimenting her. The two young love birds had a couple classes together and after about a year and a half of cat and mouse, Elise realized she was in love. 

During her sophomore year, Elise was the photographer for the yearbook. She volunteered to photograph the choir’s Christmas performance solely because AnDre was going to be there. After her realization that she loved him, she finally said yes to a first date!
“We went to Olive Garden…with my parents! I remember my mom took me to Francesca’s at The Village to pick out a dress for my first date. AnDre dressed up as well and my dad had a great time asking him so many questions at dinner that AnDre didn’t even put a dent in his food. It seemed like every time he’d try to take a bite, my dad would ask him another question! My parents loved him instantly and we have been together through 6 years of long distance while in high school and college.”

Tell us about the proposal!

AnDre proposed on January 4th,2019, their 6 year anniversary. After heading out to HEB to get some ingredients for their anniversary dinner, AnDre requested that Elise call him when she got back to her apartment. She called and he greeted her at the door revealing a trail of rose petals leading to the bedroom. She immediately teared up and thought, “Is this a proposal or for our anniversary?”. She entered the room to fine more rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed with a dozen roses in the middle. In shock, Elise grabbed the roses, hugged him and said thank you. As she put the roses back on the bed, AnDre was down on one knee. She instantly started “ugly crying”. Although they had been together for so long, he still got nervous and forgot the little speech he had prepared.

“I had to tell myself in my head to shut up and stop crying so hard so I could hear him! He said something along the lines of, ‘It’s been 6 years and it’s about time. Elise Migdalia Cardona, will you marry me?’ I got down to hug him and cried some more! He says, ‘is that a yes?’ and I bawl out: ‘YEAH!’ It was one of the happiest days of our lives.”

What inspired the design or theme of your wedding day?

At 15 years old, Elise had already begun the planning process of her wedding on Pinterest. She fell in love with different shades of pink, orange, yellow and gold. Something that described the color palette of a sunset. Through out their 3 year engagement, she kept coming back to her original idea she had from 10 years ago. Through all the 2022 wedding trends, Elise was confident in her color choices and “stuck to her guns” with lots of coral and pinks, incorporating some gold accents.

A very unique touch to Elise and Kevin’s wedding was the table assignments. Instead of the traditional table numbers, they incorporated their love of traveling through table names. Each table was labeled with postcards from the different destination the couple had traveled.

Why did you choose the venue and vendors you did?

After touring a whopping 32 venues…the couple chose to get married in Dripping Springs. Located between San Antonio and Austin, Canyonwood Ridge was the perfect venue and met all of Elise and AnDre’s top priorities they were looking for in a venue.
“After viewing so many venue spaces, it had everything that we were looking for in the price range we wanted. The chapel space is ethereal! It literally took our breath away! The reception space has sliding doors, so it was revealed to our guests after the ceremony and had a beautiful bar, fireplace, and great lighting. Outside was perfect for pictures and let our guests enjoy the Texas Hill Country.”

Vendors are chosen off their previous work but also the relationship built between the couple and the venues. That is exactly what Elise and AnDre did when choosing their vendors.
“For instance, I chose my hair & makeup artist and our florist because we connected so well. I didn’t have a connection with the previous artist and florist I had talked to and had to follow my gut and keep searching. I’m so glad I did! For food and entertainment we went with the venue’s recommended vendors because they had wonderful reviews. We also made a great connection with our DJ, Brandon and had great zoom calls with him.”

What were some of the most unique elements of your wedding?

1. Elise and AnDre spent the prior evening together and read private wedding vows in the morning
2. Postcard table names
3. Fun gold placemats instead of traditional chargers
4. groom and groomsmen suit color

Did any of your vendors exceed your expectations? Share details!

“We are in love with our photos and think that Parisa and her assistant did an amazing job! I can’t wait to see Josh’s videography, but I already know that his quality is going to be unbelievable.
Lindsey of Perry’s Petals brought my colorful Pinterest dreams to life and understood the vibe I was going for! I listed specific flowers I wanted and she definitely delivered.
People are STILL talking about how good our food was at our wedding!!! We chose a BBQ buffet through PEJ Events and during cocktail hour we had three passed horderves. For dinner we at brisket, chicken, and sausage, cornbread casserole, green beans, and salad. The service was fantastic and they had plenty of food to go around.
Kristen of Kristy’s Kraft Shop baked a super tasty cake that I now have frozen in my freezer for our one year anniversary! She makes such good quality, great-tasting cakes.”

What advice do you have for couples planning a San Antonio wedding?

“Our advice is to have the wedding you want to have and don’t sweat the small stuff! Brides, remember it’s the groom’s day too! Grooms should get involved and make decisions about the things that mean most to them.

Use local vendors and businesses to create the wedding you desire. San Antonio vendors understand San Antonio venues, couples, and culture. Find them by going to the Bridal Extravaganzas and The Wedding Fair. All the best will be at those shows and offer specials and discounts for show attendees.”