1. How did your husband pop the question?
Tony made reservations at The Boathouse. After we were finished eating he picked up a cooler he had secretly packed with glasses and a bottle of champagne. We headed for the row boats!! We were told there was only one boat left, but it had been reserved. The gentleman begin explaining how he didn’t understand how one could be reserved they never allow people to reserve the row boats. After going on and on, Tony informed the gentleman he was the one that had reserved the boat. After rowing us out to the middle, among all the beautiful fountains, Tony began reading me a long letter. (I was sobbing after the first couple of pages.) He gracefully got down on one knee in the boat and asked me to marry him. I was crying even harder by this point and unable to catch my breath (like a small child), I managed to say the word “yes!”. He placed the ring on my finger and shortly after we noticed the applauding audience on a park bench nearby!
Michelle’s note: Kayla and Tony had a great idea of doing the engagement session at the place they got engaged. See here!
2. How far in advance did you start planning?
I started planning right away. We were engaged on July 26th 2008 and married July 18th 2009-so about a year in advance.
3. Where (if anywhere) did you go on your honeymoon? Maui, Hawaii for 10 days
4. What elements of your wedding were DIY (if any)? Programs, all decorations (i.e. ceremony and reception), fairy wands, flower girl’s flower ball, ring bearer pillow, and unity candle (‘R’ in diamonds).
Michelle’s note: Kayla had lots of lovely little girls in her wedding. They all couldn’t be flower girls, so she invented a new position for them: Fairies! They all got DIY fairy wands to wave down the aisle.
5. What about your wedding caught you by surprise? How soon the reception was over!
6. Now that you are a wedding planning veteran, would you change anything if you had to do it all over again? I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
7. Describe the moment you remember most fondly from your wedding day. Oh, there are so many! But the moment that makes me feel warm and cozy inside is when the doors opened to walk down the aisle with my mother and there my future husband was waiting for me!
8. List any helpful links/websites/vendors you used during the planning stages.
www.theknot.com, www.undergracephoto.com, www.barijay.com, www.carlsoncraft.com
9. What advice would you give to future brides? Create a binder for yourself! Create sections: “Caterer, Church, Photographer, Videographer, Bachelorette Party, Marriage Prep, etc. At the back of the binder three hole punch a large envelope-great for keeping receipts!
Thanks Kayla!
