How They Met

The couple met through mutual friends, and eventually AJ began sliding into Melissa’s DM’s.

It wasn’t love at first sight for the couple, but AJ never stopped trying to impress Melissa until her heart was completely his.

The Proposal

After years of praying and anticipating, AJ finally decided to take Melissa out to look at rings.

“It made my heart very happy knowing that he was almost ready for that next chapter in our lives,” Melissa said. “I knew this was the man I wanted to marry with only two months into the relationship, but it took him years to feel the same way. It was not easy waiting, but I did not lose hope.”

One day after church, Melissa sat in her car and began praying.

“Tears began rolling down my face as I spoke to God and asked him why this man that I love so much did not want marriage,” she said.

A couple of months went by and AJ planned a brunch date for the couple. Afterwards, he took her to Mount Bonnell, where they had their first “adventure date.”

As they admired the beautiful scenery around them, AJ got on one knee and asked Melissa to be his wife.

With tears of joy in her eyes, Melissa said, “yes.”

AJ later told her about a recent dream of his, where God appeared and told him to marry her.

“I got very overwhelmed when he told me about his dream because for a very long time I prayed about it,” she said. “God’s timing is always perfect.”

Choosing the Vendors

For their photographer, the couple chose Sonia Freeman as Melissa fell in love with her work.

“I had a phone consult with her and from the very first moment we spoke,” she said. “I knew this was a lady I wanted to work with. We got to know her better during our engagement photos, she is such an amazing person with a great personality, a joy to work with. She made us feel very comfortable and captured such beautiful everlasting moments on the biggest day of our lives. She delivered hundreds of photos in only two weeks, that is super impressive.”

Eric Suarez was chosen as the videographer.

“He truly captures the love story on video,” she said. “Watching videos on his portfolio made my eyes teary because every video he creates is pure magic. He was also delightful to work with.”

Hair and makeup was done by Glammed by Kat.

“My hair and make up artist, Glammed by Kat, also exceeded my expectations,” she said. “She truly made me feel and look beautiful. Let me just tell you, I was a stressed bride with tired eyes, but Kat worked some magic on me and made me look stunningly flawless. Kat and her team made my entire bridal party (bridesmaids, flower girls, mother, and grandmother) look so beautiful.”

Oakleaf Florist created the most gorgeous ceremony and reception floral arrangements and their staff members were all so kind and professional, said Melissa.

As for the dress, Melissa found her dream dress at Bridal Connection.

“Angelita with Bridal Connection helped me find the dress of my dreams and ensured that my dress was delivered in less than four months,” she said. “It was perfect, she worked with my wedding timeline and was always so sweet and nice to me.”

Designing the Wedding

According to Melissa, the wedding was completely Pinterest inspired.

They chose the Dominion Country Club as the location of their special day.

“We wanted an elegant wedding and this venue was perfect,” she said.

The couple’s pastor, Jonathan Leftwich, traveled from Rockport to San Antonio to officiate our wedding.

“The wedding message he gave was so beautiful and personal,” she said. “This was followed by our unity symbol after the rings, which involved pouring sand of three colors into a vase. White sand, representing our sacred marriage covenant with God, burgundy sand for the groom, and gold sand for the bride. On this day, we became one with God, and the ceremony was one of my favorite parts of our wedding. Also, we did not have the traditional ring bearers with the pillows, we had the most adorable ring security boys with their glasses, briefcase, badges, and glasses, which was so unique and memorable.”

Advice from the Couple

“Make sure to hire a good professional photographer and videographer, because you will want to relive your wedding day over and over again,” Melissa said.