How did you meet the love of your life?

I met Rob while I was working at Trasca & Co Eatery in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida in the spring of 2016. Rob became a regular customer who always ordered the same blue cheese blues salad with a beer. I always found myself blushing when Rob came into the restaurant. After a few months he wrote his phone number down on a coaster and asked me to reach out to him sometime after work, but of course I never did because who does that, right?! In July of 2016 I went away to Ireland for a month to study and when I came back, Rob told me that he was so relieved because he thought I had left for good. At some point Rob told me that he really needed someone to watch his dog Randy while he went away for the weekend. So, due to my fluttering heart and positive gut feeling, I said yes. As they say, "The rest is history"!

When did you know they had stolen your heart?

The first time I ever saw Rob walk into the little restaurant that I worked at, I knew. :)

Tell us the story of the proposal.

In December (2018), we were visiting my family for the holidays and Rob scheduled a sunrise fishing charter. I didn't think anything of it because we always go fishing together and I know Rob loves to go on fishing charters. We stopped at Dunkin' on the way and my brother asked the person working for 3 plastic cups. I asked my brother why we needed so many cups and he said so we can share the coffee...Little did I know those cups were actually for the champagne we popped after the proposal on the boat! The boat captain happened to be a family friend and my brother accompanied us on the charter. I loved how natural the proposal was and that we were surrounded by great friends and family.

How long was your engagement? What went into the decision about date and location?

We were engaged for almost two years! Knowing that Rob had a lot of military travel in fall of 2020, we knew we wanted our wedding to be in early 2020. Our original wedding date was May 08, 2020. We chose May 08 because it so happened to be a full moon. There were not many full moons in the first half of 2020 that happened to fall on a weekend. Full moons are beautiful and bring light and good vibes, so we thought it would be perfect. The weather in early May is also beautiful in Florida. We knew we wanted to have our wedding in Florida because it's where we met and we wanted our family and friends to surround us in our favorite place. Also, who can go wrong with a vacation/destination wedding in Florida? Although we had planned so hard for the May 08 date, we had to reschedule to October 09, 2020. There wasn't much thought into that date, only that we knew almost all of our vendors were available too. We still had a blast in October!

How would you describe your personal style?  What were the most important factors for you as you considered how you wanted your bridal look to manifest?

The most important part of our wedding was to be by the water in a beautiful place with our very best friends and families. We weren't attached to any traditional wedding traditions. We wanted everyone to be comfortable, eat good food, laugh, dance and drink some good drinks. I wanted to include as many hand-made aspects as I could to our day. I wore Rob's mother's veil (my mother-in-law), my cousin's wedding jewelry, a hair piece that my best friend made me and handmade floral lace sandals. My bridesmaids wore sea glass earrings that my Aunt made. I designed our invitations, save the dates, and signage at the venue. Our driftwood centerpieces were passed down from a friend. These are all of the things that made our day really feel ours, and I feel proud to have had so many people help!

How did you find Wear Your Love?

When I started looking at dresses, I knew I wanted something unique and comfortable. Since my family and friends live in multiple states around the country and we were constantly moving around with the military, I realized it would be tough to get everyone together to try on dresses at bridal stores. I eventually found Wear Your Love via Google search and was obsessed with the style of all of the dresses!

When did you know you had found your perfect dress?

Once I found Wear Your Love, I knew that I would be wearing a dress from here. Initially I tried to make changes to some of the existing dresses that had long sleeves and a low back.... but then The Bree dress was released and it was literally perfect!! It was the dress that I was trying to create from the others. I wanted a sleeveless, low back, unique dress with a beautiful train. I knew it was the one.

What went through your mind when the Wear Your Love box arrived at your doorstep, and you pulled out your dress for the first time?

Since we were moving around a decent amount, I sent my dress to my parents' house in FL. I couldn't wait to try it on! While I was in Florida visiting my family over Christmas in 2019, I tried on my dress with my sister, future sister-in-law and my step-mom. I felt sooo beautiful and comfortable! AND it fit perfectly. I was so happy and so was my family!

What is the name of the dress, and did you request any custom aspects?

The lovely Bree Dress, no customizations

What was your wedding theme or style?

Our wedding theme & style was beachy, neutrals and earthy tones to play off the waterfront venue that we chose. We also wanted to play off of the full moon and earthy vibes that come it, so we chose a color palette of light tan, steel blue, sage green, and navy blue. We also wanted to incorporate succulents into our florals. Our initial floral arrangements had dried lunaria in them to play off of the full moon vibe and our arch was a full circle too.

How involved was your love in the planning? Did your families help with planning? Did you hire a co-ordinator, planner, or event stylist?

Rob wanted to be involved with every vendor phone call (even the florals!!). I thought it was really sweet that he cared so much about those details. We planned 99% of the wedding on our own. We were required to hire a day-of coordinator at our venue.

Let's show your wedding venue some love! What is the name of the wedding venue you chose and why did you choose it for your special day?

Our wedding venue is called River House. We chose it because it's on the water with a few of boats, dolphins, and a light house across the river. It has a big outdoor terrace where we could have our ceremony, a dock for photos and first look and a big inside space for the reception. Our cocktail hour was also held on the outdoor terrace. The venue is everything we could have asked for: peaceful, elegant, romantic and waterfront!

What was on your wedding soundtrack playlist, aisle, reception, and first dance?

Music is a very important part of my life and I wanted to add as much of my style as I could, while keeping our families dancing too! We had music by artists like Ben Howard, Flume, Tove Lo, Goo Goo Dolls, Judah & the Lion (their early music), Oh Wonder, Lumineers, Bon Iver, Kid Cudi and a little bit of Luke Combs. Bridesmaids: Angel by Jack Johnson Me walking down the aisle: Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran Our recessional after the ceremony: You and Me by Dave Matthews Band Intro music (when we walked into the reception): Memories by Kid Cudi and David Guetta First Dance: Bones by Marren Morris and Hozier (Hozier version all the way!!) First Dance song with my Dad: You'll Be In My Heart by Phil Collins Last dance song with my new hubs: Xavier Rudd - Storm Boy

What was your favorite moment of the day?

My favorite moment of the day was opening the doors and walking down the aisle. I saw my best friends and siblings standing at the aisle in our wedding party, and my handsome guy Rob in his uniform. It was the definition of a dream, with the water in the background and our families watching too. To be honest though, the entire day was amazing. :)

Who was involved in your special day? We'd love to shout out to all your favorite vendors! Add all social media information, so each person gets the credit they deserve.

Venue: River House, @riverhouseevents Photographer: Daybreak Photo Co @daybreakphotoco Florals: Malia Floral Design, @maliafloraldesign DJ: Beachside Entertainment, @beachside904 Bar Service: The Perfect Pour, @the.perfect.pour

Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for anyone planning a wedding?

Don't forget about what a wedding is all about: being with the love of your life! Surround yourself with people who love you and are excited to celebrate that moment. If something isn't going right in the planning process, forget about it and move on. Stay true to yourself, slow down and enjoy the day when it comes!

Now that you can look back with 20/20 hindsight, was there anything you'd do differently?

Well, we ended up inviting 150 people to our initial wedding date. I always wanted a small/intimate destination wedding... it's funny how things work out because when we had to reschedule and cut our guest list down to 50 and then only 34 could make it, we had our dreamy small intimate wedding. Yes, everything works out as planned, and it was an absolute dream, BUT I might have chosen a smaller, more intimate venue for a smaller guest list if I would have known that 2020 would be so uncertain.

What's your favorite thing about being married so far?

Waking up every day next to my husband!! Also knowing that he is always there, no matter what. 

Allison is wearing The Bree with ivory lining and a full 28 inch train.

Rachel Ferreira