It was all so chic and romantic. Rows of wine bottles went all the way up to the ceiling like an old world wine cellar with a modern twist. Katey had spent the weekend at her friend’s ranch while Paul was a busy man getting ready for the big moment. They were having dinner at Grace in downtown Fort Worth when Paul had a sparkling diamond ring burning a hole in his pocket. He’d initially planned to proposed couple months later, but he knew there was no way he could wait to propose to Katey with the beautiful ring he had made for her. “I’ve never felt more excited and anxious, aside from our wedding day, then I did when I proposed to Katey,” Paul said. He got Katey’s parents’ and sister’s blessing and planned an evening that would truly surprise his future bride. Katey was also anxious about the pending proposal. “I was that girlfriend. Snooping through drawers. Bugging his sister. Constantly trying to find out when he was going to propose,” Katey says. With her “type A” personality, she didn’t think Paul could surprise her, but he did. At dinner that night, he pulled the stunning diamond ring from his pocket and asked Katey to spend the rest of her life with him. “I think growing up as a girl you always envision that moment and how you’ll feel and all the details that will be in the atmosphere. But I couldn’t even hear what he was saying. I just kept crying and thinking, ‘Thank you, Lord, for allowing the most loving person to love me in return,’” Katey remembers. With an excited “yes,” Paul slipped the gorgeous ring on Katey’s finger. To celebrate that night, the couple joined family and friends at another restaurant, Joe T. Garcia’s, where Katey and Paul had their first date. “[This plan] took considerable hiding as Katey is by nature a very curious woman,” Paul says.
At the top of the priority list for the couple was choosing the venue. They knew the guest list would be long; the original guest list was 650! After looking over their options, Katey and Paul decided her parents’ country club would be the perfect venue for the reception. The large space would accommodate their guests and serve as a gorgeous backdrop for the gold and ivory décor. A large dance floor would also give them plenty of space to celebrate. It would be elegant and classic after a beautiful ceremony at Broadway Baptist Church in downtown Fort Worth. “In planning the wedding, I realized the only thing important to me was making sure Katey was happy and received everything she wanted to make our wedding day as special as she has always dreamed of it being,” Paul.
One of the most fun memories for Katey was shopping for her perfect wedding gown. As a fashion blogger, it was a daunting task to decide on just one gorgeous dress. Fortunately for her, she got to pick two! Unfortunately for her, there was a little drama that transpired because of a wardrobe malfunction with the original gown she chose. Katey had that giddy, whimsical feeling brides do when she had the opportunity to show off her dress. It was bridal portraits time. But, as fate would have it, it wasn’t the dress she would wear when she walked down the aisle. Katey had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something would go wrong, but she thought it would first be her makeup or her nerves. Instead, when her dad was buttoning her dress up in the back, the delicate fabric split. Thankfully, Katey had a light-hearted spirit about it. “I had to laugh! I knew that was what was going to go wrong. And I was just incredibly grateful that didn’t happen at the actual wedding,” Katey remembers.
The day of the wedding, Katey had breakfast with her parents and got ready with her bridesmaids. It was a fun, girly day drinking champagne in their matching silk robes. As for Paul and the guys, they watched football in their hotel rooms!
The sanctuary was stunning with its stained glass windows and beaming faces. Loved ones were thrilled for the beautiful bride and groom so in love with each other. “[Katey] is undoubtedly the kindest, most giving person I have ever met, and this has had a large impact on me as a person,” Paul says. “My favorite thing about Paul is how selfless he is. He never thinks of himself given the option. It’s such a rarity, and you can’t help but want to do the same when you’re around him,” Katey says. The bride was stunning in an incredible alabaster beaded Hayley Paige gown with a full, tiered skirt and long, flowing ivory tulle veil. The couple exchanged traditional vows and rings. Instead of a unity candle, they did a unity prayer. Both of their parents prayed over them while Katey’s pastor who had dedicated her as a baby and baptized her as a child prayed over them. Katey remembers that as her favorite part of the ceremony because she was able to grasp that she and Paul were at that moment their own family. “We had such a loving foundation, and now we were going off together to spread that,” Katey remembers.
For the reception, Katey and Paul wanted a fun, light-hearted evening of dining and dancing. Magnificent arrangements of creamy hydrangeas and rose crowned each table dressed in gold. Gold chiavari chairs surrounded each table, and candlelight glowed from pillared glass candlesticks. Glimmering under a spotlight, the six-tiered cream and ivory cake was both elegant and decadent. The gold on the edges glittered like a staircase with each tier. For the groom, there was a fantastic Texas Tech cake and even Texas Tech cups. The bride danced with her dad to “My Little Girl,” and the groom danced with his mother to the classic “It’s a Wonderful World.” Katey and Paul shared their first dance as man and wife to “Shelter Me” by Ray Lamontagne. Although they didn’t practice, they definitely impressed the crowd with their dancing skills!
The evening was filled with heartfelt speeches, plenty of champagne toasts, and lots of laughter and celebration. One of the couple’s favorite parts of the reception was sharing their first meal together as husband and wife cozied up together on an ivory tufted love seat. After hours of dancing and mingling with guests, the couple made their big exit through a sea of bubbles, and climbed into a classic 1960s Bentley waiting to whisk them away. What an amazing night it had been from the music to the delicious food and the incredible chic décor. But through all the glamour, Katey and Paul never got distracted from the most beautiful thing that night – they’d each married their best friend.
Brides of North Texas Featured Vendors
bridal gown / DE MA FILLE
decor / POSH COUTURE RENTALS
florist / R LOVE FLORAL & EVENTS
jewelry / KENDRA SCOTT
other local vendors: Ridglea Country Club • Leah’s Sweet Treats • Debbie Consedine • Simply Music Events • Britany Marshall Beauty • P.S. The Letter • Madison Bradley • Jojo Pangilinan Photographers • The Traveling Photo Booth • Romantic Remembrances • Marc Roberts Videography • Alicia McMillan
Other Local Vendors:
De Ma Fille, POSH Couture Rentals, Ridglea Country Club, R. Love Floral, Kendra Scott
