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I absolutely loved our simple, Mexican-inspired wedding suite! We worked with Anne from The Girl General out of San Antonio to create our custom logo and colors that we thought resembled San Miguel de Allende. I loved how unique everything was!
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Elliot and I made it a point to take portraits ahead of our rehearsal dinner on Friday night and I'm so glad we did! It was great to have a few moments with our photographers where we weren't rushed and could just have fun.
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The Rosewood in San Miguel de Allende, one of our favorite hotels in the world, made the most incredible backdrop for photos. It had actually just started raining here, but we were able to find a perfect spot that was still dry.
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"Mojigangas" are traditional oversized puppets that are used in wedding celebrations across Mexico and are really popular in San Miguel de Allende. They are meant to resemble the bride and groom and mark the start of the wedding weekend. Normally, they are used in street parades, but we decided to have them at our welcome party instead!
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My aunt and uncle hosted an amazing party on the rooftop at The Rosewood and my mom, Laura, surprised us with fireworks at the end! It was such a fun addition that everyone loved.
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I decided to have a more intimate bridal party made up of four cousins and my two best friends from childhood. We now live all over the U.S., so I loved getting to spend the morning together getting our hair and makeup done. Of course, we had lots of champagne and laughs. Other family members stopped by throughout the morning to say hi and hang out—it was the best way to start my wedding day.
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The last moment before we all started to get ready! I was so happy and excited to finally put my wedding dress on!
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I actually didn't give my bridesmaids too much direction with their dresses, but they are all so stylish that I knew they would make it work. I love how all the colors and prints turned out.
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Getting ready with my mom was truly one of the most special moments of the day. She looked beautiful! As she zipped me into my dress, among other things, she reminded me that honesty and communication are so important to a successful marriage—and to always have fun together, especially today!
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I loved how my mom looked in lavender. It's not her usual choice, but I'm so glad she picked something unique like my bridesmaids!
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I took bridal portraits at the beautiful Luna Escondido outside of San Miguel earlier in the week. The property is out of this world and Christian and Mariana made the whole process so fun and relaxed.
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This location was an absolute dream. My mom and I couldn't even believe we were in Mexico. I think we overstayed our welcome by a few hours but it was so worth it!
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Very glad that I had a glass of champagne prior to taking these pictures!
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A moment for the dress! I tried so hard to keep the pictures of myself in the dress a secret so that people could see it for the first time on the wedding day. I had let it slip to one or two people but almost everyone was surprised!
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My favorite girls in the world with a special appearance from another favorite little girl on the way! Barbara was seven months pregnant—so glad she was able to travel and be there with us!
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Caroline, Audrey, Elise, Erin, Leslie, and Barbara—I wouldn't have started the day with anyone else!
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The girls did a great job of trying to hide me as we went through the hotel taking pictures!
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My first look with my dad was another extra special moment! He is not usually emotional at all, but when he got teary-eyed after seeing me in my dress it all started to feel real.
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My dad said he was very impressed with my dress choice! Guess he is a big Oscar de la Renta fan! Thanks Dad!
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Ay ay ay! Elliot and his groomsmen were hanging in the bar and apparently doing a photoshoot haha. This is actually one of my favorite pictures of Elliot ever! I just love it.
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Elliot's mom, Laurel, looked radiant in her blue off-the-shoulder dress.
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I debated during a first look or not, but I am actually so glad that we decided to do it. I think we were both a bit nervous, but after seeing each other for a few minutes before heading to the church our nerves turned to excitement! We also were able to take some great photos ahead of time.
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Elliot and his groomsmen all had artisan suspenders that were handmade in San Miguel de Allende. We actually took the idea from a friend of ours and I am so glad we did! They added a bit of fun to everyone's formal tuxedos.
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A few months prior to the wedding, my mom pulled out my grandmother's wedding dress and we knew we had to do something special with it. I worked with Texas-based designer and friend Manuel Tiscareno to create my custom veil that incorporated pieces of her dress. Manuel was able to take the lace and pearl flowers and scatter them throughout the veil, genius!
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The glass dome at Luna Escondido is spectacular. It would make for an amazing wedding or dinner venue.
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Mariana Barbosa on our photography team was an expert at styling my veil! She knew exactly what to do to make it look effortlessly placed.
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This is another favorite of mine! We had about two minutes to snap this picture at The Rosewood before friends, family, and guests all started to descend for the wedding but I'm so glad we got it!
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I hope that my veil is something that is passed down for generations. I would love for my younger cousins, future daughters, granddaughters, and even great-granddaughters to wear it down the aisle one day. It would mean so much to me.
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I'll never forget how I felt entering the church with both parents at my side. The priest didn't let Elliot turn around until I was halfway down the aisle, so I was just so eager for him to see me! Also, looking around at almost 200 of our friends and family was the best feeling in the world. I couldn't believe it!
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Right before my parents gave me away. The aisle at the cathedral was extra long and I think we were all ready to sit down for a moment!
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We loved our Priest, Father Dante, who gave a meaningful and lighthearted Catholic mass.
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Little Iker staying cool in the church.
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Father Dante actually went a bit off script and asked Elliot and I to recount how we met in front of everyone. It was very unexpected and I couldn't help but laugh a bit.
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Elliot's younger brother, Oliver, brought the rings up to the priest for a blessing right before we said our vows.
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My mom's three sisters, Victoria, Melissa, and Tina, helped with the "Blessing of the Lazo," a Mexican tradition that places a rosary around the couple to bind them together. This was actually the same Lazo that my grandparents, Roy and Aida, used on their wedding day.
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Finally, the first kiss as Mr. & Mrs. Stephenson!
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We did it! And a high-five from Rusty.
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After a wonderful mass, we were both so excited for the party to begin!
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We couldn't leave without a quick kiss in front of the beautiful church. I love how my bridesmaids all threw their bouquets up in unison!
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Our full wedding party following the ceremony. I'm sure all were very ready to get to the reception at this point!
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Right after the mass, our photographers took us to a beautiful hidden street in San Miguel. The weather and lighting worked in our favor finally! A perk to the rainy season was that all of the flowers were so colorful and in full bloom.
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We had to dodge a few cars and people who were all stopping to congratulate us!
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We were blown away by the beautiful table settings, flowers, and lighting! The venue, Casa Cien, had so much natural foliage that we really wanted to keep things on the simple side and now overshadow it.
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Our tables were close together so that it felt intimate and inviting—like one big dinner party with friends. For the seating chart, a friend of mine told me to use poster boards and post-its which was the best advice. Highly recommend it!
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Our monogrammed napkins by my aunt, Tina of Sew Crazy Designs, in San Antonio, were made to match the wedding suite. Also, for anyone that comes over for dinner this year—you will have an I&E napkin!
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We used maracas for the table assignments which people used on the dance floor later on. Some of the maracas were still shaking at the nightclub at 3:00 a.m.!
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My parents, Laura & Faruk, gave a welcome toast and pre-dinner blessing for our guests.
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We had the hardest time deciding on a song to dance to! It's actually so much harder than they say it is to find something fun with an easy beat. About two weeks before the wedding, we decided on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and went out there without even practicing.
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Elliot and his mom, Laurel, dancing to "Days Like This" by Van Morrison.
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My dad loves Luis Miguel, so it went without question that we would dance to one of his songs. We chose "La Media Vuelta" which was sung so beautifully in Spanish.
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Funny enough, I hate all cakes! I let Elliot do the tasting, and he selected Mexican vanilla with fresh berries. It was actually pretty good, and we did a semi-decent job with the cutting!
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My lifelong friends from grade school in McAllen, Texas. We hadn't all been together in years so this was extra special.
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Our friends kept shouting for "besos" all night (Spanish for kiss!) so we obliged.
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My family doing what they do best—drinking and dancing!
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Best night of our lives!
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Elliot getting a lift from the boys, as usual! This is what happened when I was changing into my second look.
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Confetti marking the start of the real party! The DJ started around 11:30 p.m. and completely changed the vibe. We made sure to have flip-flops for all the girls so that they could keep the dancing going.
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Having the time of our lives together and feeling very relieved to have changed into something more comfortable! I actually had a hard time finding a dress that was easy to dance in, but the sequin mini by Halpern was perfect!
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Pulling Elliot to the dancefloor for one last song (probably in Spanish) before heading to our after party at Duke Nightclub. Sorry, no photos allowed there!!