This week’s WeddingCrushWedneday is a couple I adore. They both have awesome personalities and most importantly to me have God in the center of their marriage. I met Denise and Desmond through my sister in law where we all are now members of TheUpper Room Christian Cathedral in Manassas, Virginia. Denise did my hair, for the first time, for my baby shower and I had a blast hanging out with both her and her husband, Desmond. The two, high school sweethearts, moved from Rochester New York to Virginia and have a beautiful home with two beautiful children. The couple are investors and Denise also holds her Realtor license. They were more than willing to share their wedding experience with me and I hope that you take the time to enjoy.
How and when did you two meet?
“We met in 2000 and it was at my brother’s house even though we went to the same high school. We never saw each other until that day at my brother’s house.” -Denise
“You know you saw me.” -Desmond
“I never saw you.” –Denise
“She’s lying. She saw me around school. That’s what I remember, but we finally met at her brother’s house.” -Desmond
How long did you date before you got engaged?
“I proposed on Valentine’s Day of 2005, so about 5 years.” -Desmond
How did you know that Denise was the one?
“Ummm… My gut told me. I don’t have a good romantic answer for you.” -Desmond
How did you propose to her?
“This is how it went down… She was working at Blockbuster and she was supposed to come home around 9 or 10 o’clock, but she ended up coming home late. What I did was ran some bath water for her and put the little round candles on CDs. There were probably around 15 to 20 of them and they ran from the front door to the bathroom. I put rose pedals next to them leading them to the bathroom. When she got home, the candles and rose pedals led her into the bathroom and I gave her a bath. I pulled the ring out and asked her to marry me in the bathtub.” -Desmond
Did you cry Denise and did you have an idea that it was coming?
“Did I cry? I don’t remember. I think I did cry and no I didn’t know anything was about to happen.” -Denise
Wedding Date: June 9, 2007
Indoor Ceremony & Reception (Edgerton Community Center and Park in Rochester, New York)
Approximate Expense: $7,000
What were your wedding colors and/or theme?
Ivory & Periwinkle
Where did you get the inspiration from for your wedding colors?
“I think it was because we had that same combination from our prom.” -Denise
What was the most helpful while planning the wedding?
“I would say having my sister help me. She wasn’t a wedding planner, but it was just something that she likes doing and she helped with coming up with ideas.” –Denise
“I would say the most helpful part was having a frugal wife. I didn’t have to do and or say anything and she did what she did without spending too much money.” -Desmond
Did Desmond help with the planning process or did he just say tell me when and where to be and I’ll show up?
“No he was involved as much as I guess he could be.” -Denise
What was the most stressful while planning the wedding?
“I guess not being where the wedding was going to be at because we were Virginia and the wedding was in New York. I got there the day before the wedding so it was a little difficult.” –Desmond
“The most stressful part was that I was here by myself so planning in another city was hard. My best friend was there and my bridesmaids were there so it was frustrating because I was doing so much by myself. I didn’t have any of them here with me.” –Denise
Why did you guys decide to have your wedding in Rochester when you both lived in Virginia?
“We’re both from there. We went to the same high school so all our friends and majority of our family was there. It just made sense to get married there.” –Denise
Comparing the cost from there, in New York, to here, in Virginia, do you think it was also cheaper, more or around the same as far as wedding costs and expenses?
“It was absolutely cheaper there.” -Denise
What was your best or favorite memory from your wedding day?
“Hmmmmm… what was my favorite memory from the day? Hmmmmm.” –Denise
“Dang she has to think hard. I must’ve not given her any good memories.” –Desmond
“Her vows were my favorite. I didn’t cry, but my eyes were sweating.” –Desmond
“I think that was one part of my favorite memories was that he cried.” –Denise
“No, my eyes were just sweating.” –Desmond
“I think another thing was that our daughter was two at the time and she was the flower girl. To know that she was there, because I didn’t get to see her come down the aisle, was a good memory.” -Denise
What was your worst memory from your wedding day?
“Okay… Mine was that my vows sucked. I didn’t want to write anything down and be corny so I figured I would just come off the top of my head and speak from my heart, but it didn’t come out right and it was whack.” –Desmond
“Things just weren’t right and things weren’t falling into place. I can’t really explain it, but I think it was just a lot of people trying to be in charge. I felt that’s where a wedding planner would have been beneficial to take some of the stress and responsibilities off of my family.” –Denise
How many people did you have in your bridal party?
“It was four bridesmaids, the Maid of Honor, four groomsmen, the Best Man, and then we had two flower girls.” –Denise
Was your wedding day everything you expected, more, or less?
“I guess it was what I expected. I didn’t really know what I expected, so I think it was what I expected.” –Denise
“I think it was what I expected.” -Desmond
Looking back on that day and everything that went into planning your wedding; would you do it all over again and the same way?
“If we get married again, will you be our wedding planner?” –Desmond (Of course I answered “YES!”)
“Well we got money now so we’re good.” –Desmond
“It’s different now. We were young then…” –Denise
“... And broke!” –Desmond
“To have money now, we can do things a lot differently.” –Denise
Do you think that you will be renewing your vows in the future?
“Yup! We want to do it next for our 10 years.” –Desmond
Comparing weddings then and now, do you see a difference and which do you think was/is better?
“I feel like we know more now and have more resources.” –Desmond
“I see a difference, but I see it more as a show now. It’s so much more now than it was back then.” -Denise
What was your most wasteful purchase?
“I think our DJ was kind of whack, but we didn’t pay for it, so I guess that’s why he was whack. We ended up getting a hook-up, but he was kind of whack in my opinion. I guess we didn’t really have much waste.” -Desmond
What would be the best advice you would give to a couple planning their wedding and also for them to remember while they start their new marriage?
“As far as planning the wedding I would say to spend the least amount of money possible that’s going to make you happy. It seems like a lot of people want to break the bank and do a bunch of thing, but at the end of the day it’s one day. You can take pictures and remember it, but not many people are going to really be talking about your wedding and how great it was 10 years down the line.” –Desmond
“For marriage, it might sound corny, but I think it’s to put God first. I mean at the beginning of our marriage wasn’t as good because I didn’t put God first. Once we put God first our foundation was set and it’s been solid.” –Desmond
“For planning I would say that it does take time. Some people try to do it fast and they don’t realize how fast even a year can go by. I would just say that time is a great factor for planning.” –Denise
“As far as advice for marriage I would say ‘Happy wife, Happy Life’. I honestly thought that’s what he was going to say. I agree with that, but I would also say communication. I won’t say it’s the biggest because what he said is the biggest, but I think communication is very important. You have to have open lines of communication.” –Denise
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this week’s #WCW and I hope that you tune in every Wednesday for new couples, stories, advice, tips, and guidance. Also, if you or someone that you know is interested in being featured as a future WeddingCrushWednesday couple, please email me at: alluringdekor@gmail.com
Happy Planning Folks!