Emily Stewart & Barrett Brooks

A Love Worth Waiting For

Married

Nov 2, 2018
Highland Village , Texas

Photo Credit

Joanna Krueger

Style Guide

Color Palette

Style

Casual, Rustic

Season

Fall

The Proposal

Barrett had just graduated college and moved back home, and I had just come home for summer break. Barrett asked me to spend the day with him at the Dallas Arboretum. We wandered through a couple of floral exhibits and had brunch at a café. Next, Barrett took my hand and walked me into a field overlooking a lake. He said he promises to always love me, and the next thing I knew he was on one knee asking me to marry him. I happily said “YES!” When we returned home, our family had gathered to celebrate our engagement.

In Preparation

We got engaged in August 2017 and planned our wedding for November 2018. We preferred a longer engagement to give ourselves plenty of time to plan. I knew immediately which venue and which photographer I wanted, so Barrett and I made plans to book those vendors the very next day. That was all we planned until after I graduated college a few months later. We went to several open houses at our venue where we met some of our vendors. I also searched through our venue’s Facebook page to find the rest of our vendors. Our families helped make some of the décor, signs, and party favors. Barrett and I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful team of vendors and incredible support from our families to make our wedding day a dream come true.

The Big Day

The wedding day was a long time in the making – six years to be exact. Barrett and I began dating when we were seventeen years old and were married on our sixth anniversary. I started the day with fresh manicures and brunch with the ladies. Barrett started his day with a haircut and lunch with his groomsmen. After spending the afternoon getting ready, Barrett and I shared the first look and read our handwritten vows to each other in private before our ceremony. At the ceremony, we read them again along with traditional vows, and our parents prayed with us as we lit our unity candle. We were finally married, and it was time to party! There was plenty of food, drinks, and dancing at the reception. We are so grateful to have had our friends and family there to celebrate with us. It truly was the best day ever.

The Retreat

After spending the past fifteen months planning a wedding, we wanted to relax on our honeymoon. We chose an all-inclusive resort on the beach in St. Lucia. We spent a week laying in the sand by the ocean, soaking up the sun by the pool, and enjoying the unlimited food and drinks. We went on an excursion in the middle of the week. We got to learn about the cocoa plantations and make our own chocolate by hand, take mud baths, and snorkel near the Piton mountains. It was a fun way to spend our first week as husband and wife!

Contributing Vendors

CATERER

Milestone Catering

CEREMONY VENUE

Hidden Pines Chapel

CAKE

The Jenny Layne Bakery

ENTERTAINMENT

LeForce Entertainment

EVENT PLANNER

Willner Floral & Event Designs

FLOWERS

Willner Floral & Event Designs

GOWN

The Blushing Bride Boutique

HONEYMOON ACCOMMODATIONS

Sandals Resort

INVITATIONS

Event Paperie

PHOTOGRAPHER