Real Weddings
»NULL
Home

Ana and Brian and Grand Marquis

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Corey Salva


We met spring 2013 in college. After seeing him in our math class, we spent a few days exchanging looks until he moved his seat closer to me. We started talking, and realized we were both horrible in math. One day he asked me to meet up at Barnes and Nobles to study and I said, jokingly, that I would only accept to study with him if he brought me Pastel de Nata (a Portuguese custard cake). With that being said, he brought me a dozen Pastel de Nata. After the study date, he asked me out to dinner and I said no. Why? I don’t know, but I thought it was the right thing to do. After a few days, he asked me out again and I said yes; We went out bowling, then grabbed dinner and the rest is history! A month after our first date, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Brian and I have grown so much since then. We went through tough times that served to strengthen our love and to bring us where we are today.
We graduated in May 2015. Brian knows how much of a party planner I am, and he insisted that I plan a graduation party and also my birthday party, since my birthday was four days after graduation. I planned our party and invited a few friends and family, not knowing that he would give a speech in the middle of the party, or that he would pop the question. This is not his personality at all so I can imagine how hard it was for him to propose in front of everyone, since he is very reserved and private. He said so many sweet words and made me feel so special.


I wanted to keep it simple, classy and elegant since  Grand Marquis is already such a gorgeous venue, I didn’t want to overdo the decorations.My colors were shades of pink, navy blue, dusty blue and rose gold. Since I was having a spring wedding, I decided to go with spring colors for my bouquet. Obviously, I had my favorite flower in my bouquet, peonies. They were so dreamy, I wish my flowers could have lasted forever.  Although I chose bright colors for my bouquet, I kept the bridesmaids’ flowers white. Greenery was a must for me, so I had it on our bouquets, arch and centerpieces to enhance the romantic and elegant look I was going for. I have always pictured my wedding with a flower arch and that was one of the highlights of my decor. I was so in love with my flowers!

I bought lanterns for the centerpieces. I didn’t want to overspend on centerpieces, only for it to go to waste once the party was over. My idea, instead, was to have beautiful and simple centerpieces that our guest could also take home. I explained my vision to our florist and she brought it to life. As I mentioned before, greenery was a must, so much so that I had an extremely long eucalyptus garland for our rehearsal dinner. Another must for me was fairy lights, so there was nothing better than greenery with fairy lights for our sweetheart table plus the flower arch. Brian and I chose wine bottles from “Your Own Winery” with a customized label. We wanted our wedding to show our personality, adding the wine bottle as favors was a great addition to our party, since we both love wine.


Grand Marquis was the first venue we visited. Brian and I were in awe of how gorgeous the place was. We checked probably 10-15 other venues but we couldn’t stop thinking about Grand Marquis. The venue was bright, beautiful, elegant, and the food was out of this world. The owner and our Event Specialist were always prompt to reply to my emails and to accommodate our needs, which to me, was very extremely important.

The cocktail hour at Grand Marquis is simply endless. Our family and friends could not stop talking about how delicious the food was and how vast the food choices were. For our main dinner, we wanted to have the best of both worlds, so we chose a duet: salmon with balsamic vinaigrette and ribeye with roasted veggies and au gratin.

I fell in love with my dress the moment I tried it on. My mother in law and I saw the dress on the mannequin at the same time and we both knew I had to try it on. That dress made me feel so beautiful, I felt like a princess. I wasn’t looking for a dress with lace but Martina Liana has an unique way to create lace, which I loved. I tried my dress 14 months before the wedding, and initially, I decide not to buy it since we was so far from the big day. But throughout that week, I could not stop thinking about the dress. As people say, “finding the dress is like finding the man, once you find the right one, quit looking for another one” so I went back a week later to buy the dress. The lace patterns created such a beautiful shape. The gown also had a layer of sequin tulle, which added subtle shimmer to this stunning gown. The side of the dress was sheer and I added detachable off-the-shoulders sleeves. The back of the gown has crystal buttons. I am still in love with my dress.

My favorite moment of the day was our first look. I was on the fence about doing a first look but I am so glad I did it. I had so many emotions piled up and I couldn’t wait to touch his shoulders and see the look on his face. It was such a special moment to me! It was only the two of us sharing that moment.

My veil and my flowers were two details I could not picture my wedding day without. I was so obsessed with my veil, it added an extra layer of elegance. My flowers, especially my bouquet, added so much joy to my heart. It seems such a small thing, but my veil and my flowers made a big difference.

Thankfully, nothing major went wrong, but my advice for all the future brides is that even if something goes wrong, try to take a deep breath and soak in every second of your day, it is supposed to be the most special day of your life, don’t allow any negativity to get to you.

“I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz. Even though Brian and I had some rough moments in our relationship, we never gave up on each other or our relationship, it seems like that song was made for us.

Unwanted opinions, suggestions, and comments might come your way throughout the wedding planning process but no matter what, keep you and your fiancĂ© as priority. At the end of the day, you know what will make you and your fiancĂ© happy. Don’t try to please everyone, it’s impossible and you will end up upsetting yourself. Being engaged is fun and time will fly by, so enjoy every second of it. Enjoy your wedding day as well, take a moment to dance, hug and kiss your spouse. The day is all about you!

The Maldives- Sun Aqua Vilu Reef.

the details

Hometowns

Somerville

Reception Location

Grand Marquis

Photographer

Fabiana Skubic

Officiant

Pastor Matt Bartgis

Bride’s Gown

Martina Liana

+ more