Nicole + Aaron Houston Love Story

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We met at work, we were all part of a large group of friends. Even though we weren't dating yet, I knew he was "the one" when he picked me up from the train station after an extremely long day of travel. I expected him to be in his car in the parking lot, but he was waiting on the platform, in the rain, with the world's biggest umbrella. That's when I knew that this person was my home and my future.

We had amazing experiences with all our vendors - I feel extremely lucky that they all helped to make it an easy process - we never once felt stressed. Our wedding venue was absolutely amazing and helped our vision of a "starry night" wedding come to life. I was fortunate enough to wear my dream dress - it was a gift, I would never have been able to afford it on my own, and I felt like an absolute princess in it! I had a lifelong friend do my hair.

I knew I wanted a dress full of sparkle. I saved it on pinterest, and every day kept going back online to look at it. I finally called a bridal shop that carried that designer, and was fortunate enough to get a spot at a trunk show. The gown didn't come in a large enough size for me, but the designer herself happened to be there that day - she saw how in love I was with the dress, and offered to make it custom to my measurements - I was absolutely over the moon! In the end, it looked fabulous and I felt like a star - I couldn't have been happier!



I am very organized and a little obsessive about keeping track of details - so the entire process was enjoyable for me. I think seeing the whole wedding progress from a small spark of an idea to a beautiful vision, was the best part. There was a lot of pride in the planning, and watching the whole thing take form was so satisfying!

My guests loved how we didn't have any "rules" and our venue allowed people to explore all around. Older guests who didn't like loud music were able to "escape" to quieter places, I didn't make anyone do anything at any time - the timeline was fluid and no one was obligated to stop what they were doing to watch us for any reason. It was a relaxing night for the guests, and for all involved in the bridal party - bride and groom included!

The "first look", when my husband finally saw me in my gown. He is very emotional, so I saw him crying before I even walked up to him. It was really a beautiful, private moment that will be in my memory forever.

We had a "starry night" themed wedding, and I went to thrift stores, garage sales, and craft stores to gather as much decor as I could. I not only wanted people to see star-themed elements throughout the hall, but I also wanted them to feel like they were in the stars - I had blue uplighting all around the room, navy sequin tablecloths, and plenty of christmas lights. I remember there was a moment when the venue allowed me (by myself) to go into the reception room before anyone else got to see it, and it left me breathless. All our hard work had paid off and the entire room looked so dream-like! We did have a first dance, and had taken just a few lessons - we didn't want to use a popular song, and we will most likely never hear our wedding song played on the radio, but it was such a special moment. We both made sure to just look at each other and stay in the moment. It was, by far, our favorite part of the entire day! The one other detail we had so much fun with was a custom photo booth. We know we wanted a photo booth where people could "sit on the moon" but I couldn't find anything anywhere - a friend of ours offered to build it as our wedding gift, and it was absolutely stunning! Guests loved taking photos all night in this special booth and the photos were amazing!


Words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be! Don't stress out - enjoy the whole process! Also, do your research on all your vendors and you won't be let down. It's your special day - try your best to enjoy every minute - take a mental photo of all the special moments!