Real Wedding Week: Nashville Couple’s Destination Wedding
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Today's wedding isn't a Nashville wedding (surprise, surprise). But, the couple recently moved Nashville and decided to have a destination wedding in Ecuador. Because we have some of the greatest photographers around, they hired Myrick Studios, a Nashville wedding photographer, to accompany them! (Please visit his site for larger, high resolution wedding images.)
Their wedding was all about family, vibrant color and family. I learned so much about weddings in their culture. I hope you too will enjoy this international, destination wedding - a first on ABG!
About us: Steven and Veronica met at their University in Texas. They have been dating for about 2 years when Steven proposed on July 6th of 2007. They both decided to move to Nashville where Veronica works at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital while Steven works towards his PhD in Chemistry at Vanderbilt University.
Bride - Veronica C. of Quito, Ecuador
Groom - Steven Combs of Canyon, Texas
Our wedding details - July 18th, 2009. Ceremony 4pm, Reception 6pm
Ceremony location - El Condado
Reception location - Hotel Dan Carlton, Quito
Guests - 130
Planning a destination wedding overseas
I would say it was a lot of fun and with hard moments because you depend on e-mails, messenger, Skype and all sorts of technological devices to connect with your vendors and in my case my family. It requires tons of communication in order to explain your dream wedding to them even though you are not meeting them face to face. The vendors/ venue people must be committed to work with you in that way, and when I was first selecting vendors the way I would evaluate them depended on how soon they would respond to my questions, and how open they were with the idea of exchanging pictures of their work with some pictures that I have previously selected from other weddings. You need to have someone you trust and that is familiar with the city/place you're hosting your wedding; in my case I had my mom and bridesmaids and they were simply awesome! It is hard not be a bridezilla, there is just so much stress, but when you have people that are truly committed to help, you the best thing you can do is trust them and let them do their work.
Wedding Style:
I wanted my wedding to be timeless, romantic, and more than anything fun.
My colors and why I choose them For my bridesmaids dresses I picked a sapphire blue, with a silver band to accentuate their waists and silver shoes; the combination looked great! Since I like color, all the flowers and roses (except for the ones in the church that were white) had lilac, fucsia, ivory, and rose pink.
My theme In Ecuador we don't choose themes for weddings. Favors We chose the little bride and groom boxes filled with sweet almonds. Gifts for bridesmaids / Groomsmen My bridesmaids and best man got personalized buttons that they wore to "differentiate" from everyone else. Personal touches Since American weddings are a little different we decided to incorporate what we liked from the US weddings into the Ecuadorian wedding. For example, in Ecuador they don't cut the cake or toast , so we brought that tradition. That is something people don't usually see in Ecuador's weddings.
Most special moment for me? Saying the vows that we wrote for each other. I was crying! What I did for the kids in my wedding I heard what kids hate the most about weddings is the food. So, we talked to the hotel and they were able to create a kid's menu. I think it was pizza and french fries, they loved it!
Wedding wow factor Based on the fact that I heard a "wow" when it happened, I would say that they love the fireworks that came out while Steven and I were dancing our first song: "The way you look tonight"
My Wedding Vendors: I didn't have a planner, my mom and bridesmaids were my planners/helpers/savers. The cake and caterer was all provided by the hotel, they did an amazing job. You have to make sure they'll let you try the food though. Ours did and we suggested a few changes in the menu. Our photographer was Myrick Cowart, he's awesome, great photographer and very flexible too, in fact, he even came to Ecuador early in the week to do our engagement shoot! We got my ring from Jared's Jewelry and Steven's ring was a present from one of my uncles. My bridal gown was from Casa Blanca Bridal and I got it from A Bride's Storey. We decided to buy the fabric for the bridesmaid dresses and have them made by our seamstress; she did an amazing job! Steven's tux was rented at D'Novios (Quito) and altered by the same store. My faves The Hotel Dan Carlton IN Quito, Ecuador, our photographer, Myrick Studios, and my mom. How I found my vendors Most of our vendors were suggested by the venue. Weddings are very common events for them and they were able to suggest names and top picks for everything from the flowers to the DJ. My Wedding Rewind: What I would do differently if planning again? I'll travel to Quito earlier to have time to relax before the wedding. Biggest waste of time or money? Nothing, weddings require both. Best value for the service/product? Our flowers and roses. Neatest find My handmade garter. Advice for other Nashville brides? Don't leave anything to the last minute or the day before.
About the Author:
Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Happy Planning.
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Posted on August 23, 2009 |
Filed under: Photography, Real Nashville Weddings
