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When Brooke and Erik met, they were both living in the same apartment complex in downtown Huntsville, Alabama. Erik moved in just 6 doors down from Brooke and one night was taking out the trash at the same time Brooke was taking out her dog Piper. They literally bumped into each other as Erik opened the door to the trash shoot room (it had no windows so he had no idea that that love of his life was on the other side of the door). And though Erik insists that she totally blew him off, Brooke just didn’t want her dog Piper to have an accident! Obviously it worked out because eventually, they fell in love!
For Erik, it was after their first trip together that he knew Brooke was the one. For Brooke, it happened when she was having a really tough week at work but came home to an apartment filled with flowers and a running bath.
Brooke: “I knew I had found a man who truly cared for me and would always do his best to try and make every day a good day.”
Take notes friends, this is how you can earn some serious brownie points with your partner! Go Erik!
Brooke thought Erik could possibly pop the question during their trip to California, but after being there several days, she was convinced it wasn't happening.
Brooke: Because who in their right mind would travel with and hold onto a ring that long?! ... Spoiler, he did.
They had already spent several days in San Francisco and were headed to Sonoma. After parking their car at the hotel in Sonoma they caught an Uber to their first stop on the schedule. Brooke had been looking up places for months and had become obsessed with Ledson Winery & Vineyards. It looked like it was straight out of a fairytale book! Knowing how much Brooke wanted to go there, Erik set up a private tour. They started their tour of the grounds where Brendon, tour guide extraordinaire, suggested a picture in front of the house. Before Brooke could get her arm around Erik to hide the wine glass in her hand for the picture, Erik dropped to one knee and asked Brooke to marry him. Of course, SHE SAID YES!! Once they both pulled themselves together they continued their time at Ledson with a private tasting inside. On the table in the private tasting room was a gold-etched wine bottle with their names and their engagement date.
Way to go Erik for crushing this amazing surprise engagement! And honorable mention to Brendon for being in on the whole plan!
Brooke: I could honestly go on and on about that day…
And so began the wedding planning! Following the enchanted vibes from their engagement location, Brooke (Erik’s response to this question was “I don’t do colors” so we know this was mostly Brooke’s vision coming to life…) chose soft and romantic with subtle Cinderella vibes. She wanted a real-life fairytale without being cheesy or over themed. And bonus: blue is Erik’s favorite color!
But where to find the perfect venue…
Believe it or not, before Covid, Brooke and Erik had originally planned to get married in Italy. Unfortunately, like so many 2020 couples, that just did not work out… so next best place? Why not Brooke’s favorite place in the states - Disney World!!
Brooke: Erik and I frequent Disney and always have the BEST time there. I mean...doesn't every girl dream of getting married at Disney?!
They inquired and it totally worked within their budget. And it just so happened that Disney had brought Italy to Orlando JUST for Brooke and Erik in their Epcot park at the Italy Pavillion! How special!
Everyone has one or two things that are their must haves for their big day. Even if it’s the simplest momento or song that needs to be played - we always like to ask what a couple’s must haves are and try to work them into the budget for their day. Brooke’s must haves were a good photographer to capture their special moments and an open bar for their guests to party on! Erik’s was that he wanted a DJ over a live band. All totally reasonable requests and we were happy to deliver!
They both agree that the best part of the day was during their first look. Brooke was a complete ball of nerves but once they saw each other all was well and, I mean, you can just tell from Erik’s priceless reaction that this was his favorite moment of the day.
No regrets were had, but looking back they might have tweaked a few things. Brooke said that she would have had ushers to ensure that people didn’t leave any empty seats along the aisle. She also said that she felt like she had such a tight schedule that she wished she had made more time for everything. She felt spread thin and wished she’d had cut some things out of the day to feel more relaxed. And Erik? Erik just wished it hadn’t rained during their dessert party. We feel these things guys. We wish we could have controlled the weather that day too! We're just so glad the fireworks went off without a hitch! P.S. We love a good reception outfit change!
Brooke came upon Seas Your Day Events through a local friend’s recommendation and after talking to Chelsea, she knew that our team would be a great fit for them. We were so excited to work with Brooke and Erik, I mean, who doesn’t love an opportunity to work at Disney, let alone for a fairytale wedding!
If you’ve gotten married, or heard about getting married, you know that even though you can plan to the finest detail, you are likely to be at least a little bit stressed that day. We asked Brooke how she dealt:
Brooke: There is so much happening around you, and things WILL happen. I can't stress enough how important it is for you to have a planner/coordinator to handle things. I wouldn't have survived the day without Chelsea and her team. I wish I had pulled her into the planning process earlier.
We hear you Brooke! We love coming into the process at any point but the earlier the better. We can help guide you and save you a lot of stress. We know that this might be your first time planning a wedding but we do this all day, every day so we would love to help share our knowledge and tips and tricks to get you on the right path.
And some final advice from the couple:
Brooke: Try not to stress too much. Just enjoy the day/time with your partner. Take it all in because the day will go by SO FAST! Also, don't fall into the pressures of having a Pinterest-perfect wedding or what you think your parents or friends envision your wedding to be. It is YOUR wedding.
Erik: Enjoy the moment. It goes by fast!
Well said, you two!
We hope you enjoyed Brooke and Eriks’ fairytale wedding. We had so much fun with this couple and honestly, we can’t stop staring at their photos (shout out to Jessica Thomas!). Are you looking to do a fairytale wedding? Let’s chat details!
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