How They Met

The couple comes from the same hometown in Eagle Pass, Texas, and Frank was a friend of Angela’s sister, so they grew up always knowing who each other was but never anything more.

Things heated up for the couple when Angela was on a girl’s trip to Guadalajara, Mexico in 2017. At dinner, the topic of her being single for a long time came up and her friends challenged her into going on a date with the next person who direct messaged her on Instagram – which happened to be Frank!

“It was very weird because he had actually never, ever reached out to me on Instagram before,” Angela said. “This was his very first time and it was because he was traveling to Guadalajara the following week. He was asking for the names of the restaurants we went to because he saw that I was there. I begged my friends for an exception to our deal, but they held me super accountable and I am so happy they did.”

The Proposal

“There are two things that made the proposal extra, extra special,” Angela said. “The first is that it is extremely hard to keep things from me or to be able to orchestrate anything without me figuring out that something is going on, so the fact that Frank pulled this off with my family in on it, still blows my mind to this day.”

The second special part is Frank included Angela’s son, Axel.

The couple was at South Padre Island and Angela had promised her son she would show him what crab hunting was, as it was something she used to do when she was his age. When they were crab hunting, they decided to keep score of who found the most crabs.

“I was winning and suddenly Axel and Frank started yelling that they found a huge one,” she said. “I ran over there and there was the shiniest diamond I had ever seen sparkling and sitting in the sand. I was so shocked and trying to figure out what exactly was going on. When I turned to Frank he was on one knee and Axel asked me if I would marry his Daddy.”

The Theme

“The design and theme of our wedding was everything to me,” Angela said. “To be honest, I felt that although all weddings are beautiful. The same colors, trends, and designs were being used over and over everywhere. I was actually not really excited to plan a wedding because they all looked the same to me.”

She wanted something different and not overdone.

“Red and hot pink came to me and I decided I wanted them together,” she said. “I never found my exact color palette on Pinterest or anywhere online. I built it myself. I bought every shade of red and pink fabric swatches. I put together different vision boards to see what looked best together. I carried those swatches with me everywhere.”

She called it a “Red-Pink Ombre.” After selecting the specific colors, she began to envision a vibrant lush aesthetic and developed it one detail at a time.

The Venue

“I’m really not kidding when I say that overdone weddings had really turned me off,” she said. “To the point where we actually wanted a destination wedding.”

The couple met with a planner and paid a deposit at a resort in Lake Tahoe for a winter wedding.

“We had always heard that destination weddings are more cost-effective than local weddings so it’s funny to say that back then a destination wedding was “non-negotiable” for us,” she said.

Nevertheless. they felt they should visit a venue in San Antonio, strictly for price references to our Lake Tahoe property. When they toured Park 31 and they fell in love.

The Vendors

“My vendors were the absolute dream team,” she said. “A handful of my vendors are from our hometown. This was our way of incorporating our culture while still enjoying San Antonio as our forever home.”

Most of the vendors had never serviced Park 31 before and it brought the innovation Angela was searching for. On the other hand, some vendors were veterans and their experience lent itself to the night running extremely smooth.

“I could not be more proud of my vendor team,” she said. “They were so patient with me, and believed in my imaginary vision. Their buy-in executed the vision I had imagined. They complimented each other, too. They became more than just vendors to us, we built relationships with them, and I wish them so much prosperity.”

Every single one was all a piece of my big puzzle, Angela said.

Florist – I have to say I had the most eggs in the florist, Mariana from Southern Roots’ basket. I knew her talent would execute the aesthetic even more than I could have expected or imagined, and boy did she! I can say with all the confidence in the world, had there been any other florist – my wedding would have not looked the way that it did. Mariana’s talent is unique and I felt genuinely lucky to have her.

Photographer -Abi from Cupcake Photography, her work speaks for itself. What makes Abi stand apart from others is her personality. Abi is the best listener, she was so patient with me all year long. She listened to all the details I would go over, she let me bounce ideas off of her, and gave advice. I know she has seen 1000 weddings, but I never felt that she felt that way with me. Then, when the wedding day was here – she was a playmaker! She was making calls, calling shots, and setting up shots in creative ways including the styles she knew I personally liked. I have only seen about 20 sneak-peak photos and they are all instant favorites!

Planner – Katie and her team from Team One Luxury Events also exceeded my expectations. I felt like the President with an entourage and secret service all day long because of Katie’s team. That is the best way to describe them is the secret service! They were 100% professional and on their A-Game. There were 200 smiles in the room all thanks to Katie’s leadership. I am happy that she is by my side on many candid wedding photos.

Videographer – Another vendor that shocked me in the best way, was our videographer, Allison Armstrong, and her second shooter. A little after dinner, I noticed a computer sitting on the sign-in table in the foyer. I walked over there, and I was thinking, “Who left an open laptop on that table?” When I approached the computer, there were completely edited highlights of the first half of the wedding. My mouth dropped and I asked her, “Allison, how in the world did you do this,” and she smiled, winked, and was so nonchalant about it. About 20 people asked me that day, how do you have footage already produced? Allison still has us wondering how she did that. Some of my other favorite memories of that day were her soft-spoken voice when she gave me direction and her contagious smile. It was so easy to smile back at someone as lovely as her.

Makeup -I‘m also really thankful for Renee Lathers, the makeup artist. When I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time, I was blown away, and to feel as beautiful as she made me feel was the icing on my wedding cake.

Advice to other Couples

“Every bride should know that all weddings are beautiful – whether it’s during the day or in a backyard or garden,” Angela said. “You don’t need a big budget, a big guest list, or outrageous wedding venue, or a super expensive dress. It just needs to have a little bit of character and by that, I mean – feature the bride and groom’s personalities when you can. If baseball or Harry Potter is what is meaningful for the couple, then add in some baseball or Harry Potter touches – it reminds people whose love they are celebrating and therefore. When you can incorporate things or themes that represent you or your family, it makes the wedding more memorable and intimate no matter the number of people there. You don’t always have to do what’s popular or what’s “in” or on-trend. I didn’t and I am so happy I didn’t. You can be bold and different and still have your dream wedding.”