Tell us your love story! How did you meet and how did you get to a proposal?

AJ and I met over 16 years ago! I love our story because we have known so many versions of each other. He is my middle school best friend’s cousin; back in 2009 I was scrolling Facebook and looking at her summer cruise vacation album. I came across a photo of AJ and told her I needed the details immediately. He lived in Connecticut at the time but would visit Miami during the summer. I was crushing so hard but our paths didn’t cross for another year or so. Finally, he was visiting during a time I would coincide with him - I told my mom to drop me off at my best friends house IMMEDIATELY. We didn’t even talk, I just stared at him floating in the pool. He was older and seemed way too cool and intimidating for me to formulate any words, however he says he “also had a crush” on me that day.

Fast forward a few years and he moved to South Florida, we dated all throughout my college years, but I took a job in Texas after I graduated and we went our separate ways. We kept in touch occasionally, but years would go by without seeing one another.

Eventually, our paths crossed again. We were back in South Florida at the same time and caught up. Turns out he was stationed in the same area as my brother (Navy) and we started seeing more of each other. It felt like no time had gone by at all, but at the same time we were completely different people and all grown up. Everything fell into place pretty quickly after that and we knew we wanted to be with each other forever pretty quickly after that. He proposed about a year later in Napa at one of our favorite spots - Caymus Vineyard. The rest is history!

When you started planning your wedding what did you envision? How close did the actual wedding get to that vision?

I always dreamt of a destination wedding, but I initially started looking at spots in Miami since our family is down there. We live in California, so that felt like the most practical option. But I started researching different spots in Europe (Italy, Spain, France) and found the dreamiest venue in Sevilla. We had never been to Sevilla so it felt super risky, but the more I spoke to the vendors/venue the more reassured I felt. I had a general vision on color scheme and moody vibes for the wedding but I think that the actual wedding day exceeded my wildest dreams. I really wanted to create a memorable experience for our guests so my main focus was on food, venue, and music. If you’ve been to Spain…you know the food is amazing. But I actually planned my wedding to AJ when I was 13…I meant it when I said I was crushing hard. The original wedding was supposed to be at Vizcaya haha!

What were a few things that were important to you as a couple to include (or not include) in the wedding?

I wouldn’t say there was any specific item - but like I mentioned before I really wanted our guests to experience the charm of Sevilla so we kicked things off on a rooftop with beautiful cathedral views for our welcome party. AJ loves taking pictures so picking the right photographer was really important to us. My main focus was food and drinks! I wanted LOTS of tapas going around, personalized cocktail hour drinks, and a midnight snack to refuel. We also wanted our ceremony to feel extra special - so we exchanged our personal vows in front of our guests. We actually said them to eachother the night before (highly recommend doing this) and had our own private moment before sharing them at the altar.

How did you decide on the location?

Honestly we kind of just stumbled upon Sevilla. Neither of us had been there but had always heard wonderful things. Spain was the easiest for planning purposes since I speak Spanish. Once I visited the venue and met our vendors in person I knew we made the right decision. Everyone was extremely sweet, professional, and so caring! They reassured me every step of the way.

Let's talk dress! Give us all the deets!

I was soooo indecisive when I started dress shopping. I had a vision - I wanted lace, I wanted something classy but also sexy, I wanted DRAMA! I think I tried on almost 50 dresses. I shopped in LA, San Diego, Chicago, and Miami. I was starting to feel so anxious and like I’d never find what I was looking for. Chic Parisien was my last stop and the dress I decided on didn’t include the overskirt I added. It was actually from another Ines di Santo dress. But the combination of lace + smooth white skirt looked so beautiful and it felt very different from what I had seen before. I also added sleeves as part of my reception look after I removed the skirt to switch things up. The dress + skirt + sleeves felt like a bunch of different looks in one. I also wanted a very specific veil and my ANGEL seamstress made it for me. I found the lace on Etsy and she made me the dreamiest blusher veil. Exactly what I envisioned. It was perfect! I wish I could wear the full look once a year.

How did your family, friends, etc play into your wedding planning and wedding day?

This question makes me so emotional! It meant the world to us to have our friends and family travel so far, take time off, and just show up for us. My mom walked me down the aisle, my niece was our flower girl, my husband’s family helped find the most magical airbnb to get ready, my family was so supportive of every decision, our friends partied with us all night. I truly don’t have the words to describe how amazing it felt having all our loved ones in one room. So special and we will hold this dear close to our hearts forever. We are truly so blessed!

What's one specific memory you have from your wedding day that you don't think you'll ever forget.

My flower girl was blowing kisses at the crowd right before she walked down the aisle. I was standing with my mom waiting to walk while our music played and I just melted when I saw her do that. She looked and felt like a princess and it made my heart sing!

How did you decide on your hair and makeup look?

I knew I had to slick my hair back because of my blusher veil! So that was an easy decision. It was also going to be a hot day so I wanted an updo. As far as makeup, I honestly just trusted my makeup artist and told her I wanted to look bridal and pink! Haha. She was amazing.

Was there one vendor you used that you wish everyone knew about?

My photographer - he is an absolute ARTIST. He had a vision from the start, sent me mood boards for inspo, and truly made us feel like models. He is so talented and it was a pleasure to work with him. We loved him + his team so so much! Diego, you’re a rockstar.

Where did you go on your honeymoon and what was the best part?

We went to Italy! It was just what we needed after the craziness of a wedding week/weekend. The best part was a boat day we did off the coast of Argentario by Porto Ercole. Our captain barely spoke English but we managed to laugh and have a great time exploring with him nonetheless. The water was so calm, the skies were fully blue, and the lunch onboard was delicious. We spent the day swimming and exploring caves. It was perfect. We cannot wait to go back!