When Sarah and Nemesio decided to tie the knot, they knew they wanted their wedding to be as magical as their love story. So naturally, they chose Moody Gardens for their big day – a place that’s just as whimsical as it is romantic. And can we talk about that sunset ceremony? Talk about setting the mood! As the golden hour hit, the two lovebirds exchanged their vows under the blazing Texas sun. It was a moment straight out of a romance novel! Let’s just say, Sarah and Nemesio definitely picked the right spot to start their happily ever after.
How did you meet?
We are both church musicians, so that is how we ended up meeting.
What is your proposal story?
Nothing too excited as we both just sat down and had a discussion about it being time to get married! I don’t even think he got me a ring until a month after we discussed it… He did a good job choosing one though!
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding
I love nature, so I always wanted an outdoor, whimsical wedding. I also have always wanted to get married in October. Phipps was perfect because we were able to have almost everything taken care of in-house on top of it being a beautiful, nature-filled venue. For the colors, I found a bouquet online that encapsulated what I thought were the perfect colors of fall and ran with it!
Tell us about your attire choices.
For the bridesmaids dresses, I wanted them all to be comfortable, so I told them the colors, fabric, and length, and then they got to choose their preferred styles. The colors were burgundy, dusty rose, peach, and sage. I had eight bridesmaids, so it worked out perfectly for two of each color. For myself, I wanted long sleeves and lace, a long veil, and to walk down the aisle barefoot. The groomsmen all wore charcoal which set them apart slightly from the groom wearing black.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
We really wanted a vegetarian wedding, and we also wanted everything to be in-house as much as possible so as not to deal with a ton of different vendors. We did splurge on lighting for a chandelier-like lantern fixture that was above our sweetheart table at the reception. It was beautiful!
What were your favorite parts of the day?
The whole day was honestly such a joy! If I had to pick a couple of standouts, here they are: I absolutely loved getting ready with all of my friends and family. It was so fun and relaxed. My partner and I walked down the aisle at the same time and met at the end together, and I will never forget seeing his face—pure joy and love in his eyes.
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
My bridesmaids and I did all of our bouquets, centerpieces, aisle decorations, and flower crowns with Karen Toole at &flowers, and we had so much fun! We used dried and live flowers. It was a great way to bond before the wedding and rehearsal. Karen then did the sweetheart table and archway with some beautiful arrangements that tied everything together.
Tell us about your wedding cake.
Our wedding cake was also very special because it was vegan-made with an almond buttercream and blueberry compote filling. One of the first things my partner and I did together was make a blueberry pie when we were courting, so this cake was one way to put another piece of us into the day.
What did you do for favors?
One of my best friends and bridesmaids made candles for our favors which were amazing. I got to pick out all of the scents, and the reception area smelled like fall! My mother also got pens with our names and wedding date on it.
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
For the reception, I got all of the bridesmaids, flower girls, and myself custom converse to wear. I loved designing them. As good Pittsburghers, we also had a cookie table that family and friends made cookies for, and they were all delicious! We also had a memory table to honor those who couldn’t be with us which we both felt strongly about having.
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
I did the “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” tradition and got to wear my grandmother’s pin which was very special for me.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Break in your shoes the week before and have fun! Things are going to go awry no matter how much you plan but try to remember those things won’t really be important when you look back on it. Roll with the punches and just remember that you’re there to celebrate your love for one another.