Classy Red, White & Black December Wedding
The Love Story of Kayla and Alex – 12/28/11
Alex and I met at the Air Force Academy. We were both in the same squadron, but it wasn’t until second semester of my sophomore year that we began to date. Alex would tell you that he pursued me many times, and I played hard to get and continued to turn him down. He was about to give up, until I basically invited myself to his junior year Ring Dance (a tradition at the Academy where you receive your class ring…it is an upscale ball with a formal dinner and dancing to follow). That was our “first real date,” and everything after that just fell into place. We knew within weeks that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. What we love about each other and what makes us such a great couple, is that we are opposites and we are a perfect balance to each other. Our base is our common values/morals and relationship with the Lord, and the things that we differ on give us perspective and make us better people. We are each other’s best friends, and we are loving finally being in the same state together, experiencing “married” life!
Fondest memories of our wedding day…
I can’t pick out one moment that stands out over the others. The best part of our wedding was that we were able to celebrate our love with people close to us. We enjoyed every minute of the day. The reception was full of laughter and dancing; I didn’t even want to leave when they told me I had to go get ready to go. Our wedding was kind of a destination for Alex and I, since we both weren’t living in CO at the time. Flying in early, spending Christmas together as a family, getting ready for the big day, going on our honeymoon, coming back to more presents than we could imagine, and then reliving all of it through pictures and video made our wedding celebration the best day (or week) of our lives!
My brother and his friend filmed our entire day and put together our wedding video. They did guest interviews, and everyone just had a blast. They all seemed so happy to be there and happy for us! I think one of the coolest things about weddings is that they bring back memories for those who are already married. It makes them remember their own journey of love, and it makes them excited to share to their story and give the newlywed’s advice!
My “something borrowed, something new and something blue”…
My something old was my grandmother’s handkerchief. I wrapped it around my flowers as a “just in case” I cry during the ceremony. My something new was my beautiful dress that I feel in love with after trying on only four dresses. My something borrowed was my aunt’s pearl necklace. My something blue was my leg garter…my mom sowed on a small blue bow.
Favorite moment…
My favorite moment was our first look. It was just he and I, seeing each other for the first time all dressed up, and it was a chance for me to let out some emotion.
Our parents…
My mom lost her dad when she was young. Alex lost his dad when he was young. I have had multiple friends who have lost their dad in recent years. When you see others lose someone so dear to them it makes you take a step back and appreciate how blessed you are to still have those loved ones around. So I think that is why I was most emotional with my dad at the wedding. I cried during our dance and then during his speech. Alex doesn’t have a very large family, yet the family that he does have came to our wedding. They all came from out of state (his cousin traveled from London with his baby boy) to help celebrate our special day and we were so appreciative of that!
Planning our wedding from out-of-state…
I could not have asked for a better venue. Being out of state made it more difficult to pick out the décor, talk about the details, send money in, etc. However, Bella Sera helped me through every step of the way. They always took the initiative to get in touch with my mom or me. My parents were able to go do the food tasting and finalize details. Bella Sera 100% worked with me to make it “me and my husband’s” special day! I felt like I was their only client. Not only did they do all this wonderful planning beforehand, you should have seen them on the wedding day. Everything was perfectly timed. They continually kept me in the loop, let me know how much time I had, made sure I had what I needed. I am a perfectionist and worry a lot, yet I didn’t have to worry about a thing with Bella Sera, because they took care of it all! So thank you Bella Sera for all your hard work!
I loved the elegance of the Bella Sera. I wanted a classy, red, white, and black event and their facility was the best for it. The grand staircase is beautiful and great for pictures. The centerpiece options I had to choose from were great. The total package was reasonably priced and included everything we wanted for our special day.
Photographer: Mark Alison Photography
Venue: The Bella Sera Event Center
Décor & Design: Bella Sera / Elisabeth Montoya / Randi Paradisa
Cake: Das Meyer
Flowers: The bride’s cousin is a florist in Chicago, who did such an amazing job!
Dress Designer: Vera Wang