Allisence Wearing The Ari Dress

It was a classic story of awkward guy meets awkward girl (online). Jon tried to win "most awkward" by having his best friend text me stories of how awkward he is even before we met. So, of course, I had my bestie send him some stories, too.

When did you know they were the one?

I mean, did you read the previous paragraph?? Hahaha :-)

Jon had planned out everything and even arranged for two of my sisters to fly in to surprise me. For some reason, I was hellbent that weekend to plan a billion things we needed to get done so he worked extra hard secretly canceling everything I was planning! He ended up popping the question at a park near where we live, but I wouldn't let him get down on one knee because … awkward!How long was your engagement? What went into deciding your wedding's date and location?

Our engagement was less than 7 months long. I really wanted either a spring or fall wedding that would allow me to wear a dress with sleeves! Our first choice for a wedding location was somewhere in San Francisco, but with all the pandemic rules, we settled for an inn about an hour away. Everything was planned "COVID-safe", but the state still wouldn't let us have the celebration so we ended up having a minimony at one park and our "reception" at another two days later back in San Francisco. Maybe we ended up getting what we wanted in the first place!How would you describe your personal style?  What was most important to you when you were planning your bridal look?

I'm a teacher who works with students with disabilities. I try to wear fairly similar and simple outfits everyday so that it doesn't distract my students' learning. That's bled a bit into my personal life so I wanted a simple A-line dress. Of course, I wanted the dress to haves sleeves and reflect my true outdoorsy boho self, too!

How did you find Wear Your Love?

I started going down the #longsleeveweddingdress rabbit hole and found WYL on Instagram because of that hashtag.

True to my nature, I created a spreadsheet for wedding dresses, but soon deleted it because it was all useless! I just couldn't get the Ari out of my head. It was love at first sight.

Which dress did you choose, and did you request any custom aspects?

I chose the Ari with no custom aspects.

I watched that tracking like a hawk and made sure to actually answer the doorbell since I usually leave that up to other people in my building! I was so nervous about the dress fitting since Jon had helped me with the measurements. In the end, it was perfect!Did your wedding have a theme or style?

Boho and outdoorsy where nothing truly matches but everything works together.How involved was your partner in the wedding planning? Did your families help? Did you hire a coordinator, planner, or event stylist?

Jon was fully involved. He's a designer (tech, not clothes) so he had strong opinions on how things should look. He likes things more classic and I like things more boho so we tried to meet in the middle. My family was all hand on deck when it came to helping the week and day of because we didn't hire any other help with the planning or coordination.Let's show your wedding venue some love! What is the name of your venue, and why did you choose it for your special day?

We ended having our wedding in three parts: 1. Taiwanese Tea Ceremony at home 2. Wedding ceremony that my dad officiated at Lovers' Lane in San Francisco 3."Rolling reception" or drop by picnic at Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco. Since these were the result of last-minute changes less than a month out, they were chosen more out of ease, convenience, and location, but it all worked out.

Thanks to the pandemic, we didn't have a wedding playlist, no walk down the aisle, and no first dance. #covidbrideWhat was your favorite moment of the day?

I loved looking around during the minimony and seeing our families standing with us in a circle. It gave me all the feels.Who was involved in your special day? We would love to shout out your photographer, favorite vendors, and anyone else who made your day magical.

Photographer: @sfcityhall.photographer Makeup/Hair: @urbanbeautyloft.fiona

Do you have any advice or helpful tips for others planning a wedding?

Be flexible! We went in knowing that things might all change at the last minute due to the pandemic. Knowing that ahead of time helped out shift gears quickly when we needed to and not get bogged down with the disappointment that our wedding wasn't as we had originally planned.

What has been the best part so far about being married?

Just being able to relax and settle in our new home because all the craziness of wedding planning and execution are over!

Allisence is wearing The Ari with natural lining and a floor length skirt.