Q&A with Bride and Groom: 

How did you meet?

I (Tori) had just moved into my new apartment before starting my junior year of college. That night one of my roommates told me she was having some friends over, one of who turned out to be Sam. I had never met him before but we instantly hit it off, which I know sounds cliche, but is true. We all hung out on our balcony until late in the night and exchanged phone numbers and snap chat. We starting talking almost daily and hanging out all the time with out friend group. It was a few weeks later when Sam asked me on a date and truly the rest was history.

What is your proposal story?

I had absolutely NO idea!! I have no idea how Sam pulled it off. Since we have been dating we always go to Colorado on our school breaks, summers/spring breaks! We were going to Colorado in June 2019 and I really didn't think anything about it. We were up at his parents cabin with his dad, him, and me just enjoying Colorado. One morning we had finished breakfast and Sam's dad asked if we could help with the fence. So I put my boots on, some old jeans and a tank top and head up the mountain to help. We get to the top and Sam's dad gets a phone call from work so he tells us to hang out while he was taking care of some business. We were hanging out, enjoying the view, when I notice Sam getting really nervous. He started talking about us and our future and that was when I finally figured it out. He got down on one knee and asked! I cried and cried. His dad was hiding behind a bush taking pictures of the proposal. I was amazed!
But it didn't end there. As we come down the mountain I tell Sam that I had to go call my parents. I am an only child and really close with my mom and dad. I walk into the cabin...and MY MOM AND DAD ARE SITTING ON THE COUCH!!! And of course, I cried and cried again.
I couldn't have asked for a more special proposal. We enjoyed our new engagement showing my parents one of our favorite places!

Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).

Steele blue, blush pink, hint of gold, with greenery

Honestly, with Sam's parents having a house with enough land with national monument it the back it hard to pass up!

What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?

We truly wanted the day to be special- for us, our family, and our guests. Sam and I wanted the wedding to be a day we always will look back on and cherish- and it exceeded those expectations! We wanted a day that celebrated our love and our families coming together as one. We also wanted to make sure our guests had a great time. They traveled all the way to Colorado so we wanted to give them a night to remember filled with good food, drinks, and dancing!

Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.

One of my favorite handmade detail at the wedding was something our wedding planner, Chelsea Cholas, made. We had mentioned wanting to display wedding photos from both sides our family somewhere for our guest to see. We knew we were where we are today because of the strong marriages we both grew up seeing. Chelsea went above and beyond and designed a large wooden board that said "Generations of Love" for use to display all the photos. This was one of my favorite details at the wedding and something many guests commented on how much they enjoyed looking at!

Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?

My wedding bouquet also had a flower from my mom's bouquet, a ribbon from my aunt's bouquet, in addition to a cross necklace that Sam's grandma gave to me the morning of my wedding. Having these on my bouquet as I walked down the aisle meant so much!

Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?

Everyone always told us how fast your wedding day will go by, but wow it was faster than I could have imaged. Make sure you take time to noticed the little details, time to talk with family and friends, and most importantly enjoy the day with your new spouse!