Outdoor Wedding at Balmorhea

Michelle and Greg have known each other for almost their entire lives. They even used to ride the same school bus! When they were in elementary school, Michelle was the new girl at school. She was also the only person that the bus driver had to turn right at the stop sign to drop off.  So, when the bus driver dropped her off at the cul-de-sac, on the 1st day of 8th grade, Greg and the “cool guys” yelled out, “Never ride our bus again!” Why? Because they would miss Pokemon on TV because of the “detour”.  It wasn’t until years later however, Michelle learned that the mean boy who yelled at her from the school bus was, in fact, Greg. Finally, after reconnecting in college, they were more than ready to tie the knot!

The April weather was absolutely perfect for their afternoon ceremony in front of the pond at Balmorhea! The weather was one of the things they were most grateful for on their day. Greg said he could blame the sun shining in his eyes if anyone asked if he cried when Michelle came down the aisle!

Of course the boys had to break out the fishing rods!

It almost goes without saying that one of the best parts of our job is getting to know our brides and grooms. Lately, here at Cotton, it’s been on our hearts to share more of their stories! So, with that being said, I wanted to share some of Michelle’s thoughts from the day!

“Although the day went by super fast, there is a moment that I will never, ever forget.  When the (rehearsal) started, I was in the bridal suite by myself, and I watched the processional out the window of the bridal party, our parents, and most importantly, Greg.  I had a silent moment to myself without anybody around, and I was able to take in exactly what was going on, and truly appreciate it.  I even took a picture of Greg through the blinds, and texted it to him while he was up there watching the bridal party walk down, telling him that I couldn’t wait to be his wife.” 

Throughout the day I realized that this is the look that Michelle and Greg share. This was the perfect moment to capture it too, the “did we just do that?!” look!

After seeing how sweet their day was, I’ll just leave you with a little advice from Michelle!

“My biggest piece of advice would be to enjoy every moment of not only your Wedding Day, but the months/year leading up to it.  There is so much planning that goes in to it and then BAM! it’s over that quick.  Try not to stress, just enjoy it and remember to have fun!  Stay true to what you want and don’t let anyone steer you any other way.  There will be opinions coming at you about everything! But this is YOUR day so it should be how you and your future hubby want it!  Involve your fiancé as much as you can (and as he is willing) because it’s much more fun to do it with him!

I would also take a moment on the day of, and just soak it all in.  The moment I had by myself before the wedding was so valuable to me. It was a quiet moment I had to myself during the last few minutes as a single gal.  Greg and I also had a moment at the reception at the sweetheart table, to just look around and really take in what was happening!

Last and certainly not least…get a wedding planner!  I could not imagine doing all that work without my two planners (Bella Luna Bridal)!  They were such an instrumental part of not only the planning process, but also the wedding day.  There is so much to do on the big day and they really helped keep us on track.  Lisa & Brandy made sure we did everything that we planned to do that day!  They also helped with all my questions and brought my vision to life!””

Vendors

Planning: Bella Luna Bridal | Venue: Balmorhea Events. | Florist: Dream Bouquet | Strings: Third Floor Strings |
DJ: LG Entertainment | Catering: Cafe Natalie | Linens: House of Hough | Video: For Two Productions