Lizz Wearing The Wyn Dress
So tell us, how did you meet the love of your life?
Luis and I met technically met in nursing school but did not get to know each other until we were forced to sit next to each other on a road trip to Joshua Tree! We did not know at the time this roadtrip was going to change our lives! Stuck in the car sitting in the front seat with him driving for a few hours turned into 500 questions, and the rest is history :)
When did you know they were the one?
I knew Luis was the one after one month of dating. We went on a camping trip for the weekend to the beautiful Sequoias. My car ended up breaking down and we had to spend the weekend in Fresno, CA. We faced so many obstacles, one major one being I had lost my phone and left all of my stuff in the camping tent when we drove down the mountain to get the car fixed (thinking this would only take a few hours and we would be back). There was a country concert going on that weekend as well so all of the hotels in the area were booked. His phone had <5% left and this is all we had to find a hotel, Uber etc. He somehow figured out an Uber back and forth to the grocery store to get us food, but most importantly my contact solution and a toothbrush! I definitely knew at the time he was "the one".
Tell us the story of the proposal!
My favorite day ever!!! Along with my wedding day. So Luis had planned a weekend in Joshua Tree for me and my sisters because it was my birthday weekend. We stayed in the cutest air bnb and I was excited to see my sisters and spend all weekend with them. On Saturday night, we all decided to go to dinner after a fun hike that day, and some of my best friends were at the dinner when I showed up. I didn't think anything of it, just that Luis had planned this for my birthday weekend. When we got back to the air bnb, there was a huge setup in the beautiful backyard and this is where he proposed! He has always been so thoughtful with all of his surprises and this was the best one yet!
How long was your engagement? What went into deciding your wedding's date and location?
Our engagement was a whopping 4 1/2 months! Luis had to go off to school the end of August for three years and we wanted to do it before he left for school. We knew we wanted to get married outdoors, as we love nature's beauty. We visited a venue in Big Bear, CA and fell in love instantly!
How would you describe your personal style? What was most important to you when you were planning your bridal look?
My personal style ranges from laid back to dressing chic and attempting to keep up with today's style! Most of the time I am either in scrubs or comfortable clothing so when I get the chance, I definitely like to dress up in the latest styles. When planning my bridal look, I wanted everything natural and I wanted to feel comfortable in what I was wearing whether it be the dress, shoes or makeup. I didn't want to feel unnatural so my goal was to feel confident and comfortable in whatever I was choosing.
How did you find Wear Your Love?
I found Wear Your Love after my best friend got married during the pandemic and found Wear Your Love on the internet! She told me about it and I remembered it a year later and thought, YES. I had a short period of time to plan the wedding, along with planning during a pandemic, and I was never really interested in taking the time to go find the "perfect dress". This method worked well for me and it ended up being perfect!
When did you know you had found your perfect dress?
I knew I found the perfect dress when the New Bloom Collection came out in March. This was right around the time I was looking for a dress and when this collection came out, I fell in love with the Wyn dress! I always though I would get a dress with long sleeves and lace but when I was this dress I fell in love. I was having a summer wedding so this dress seemed appropriate and looked so amazing on the model! I have darker skin and so did the model, so the Wyn won me over right away!
Which dress did you choose, and did you request any custom aspects?
I chose the Wyn from the New Bloom Collection. I didn't request anything really custom about it. I kept it as natural looking as possible and it was perfect.
What went through your mind when the Wear Your Love box arrived at your doorstep and you tried on your dress for the first time?
My dress came one afternoon when I was out running errands. I think my mom had texted me saying my dress arrived and I actually did not try the dress on until a few weeks later! I just kept staring at the box and did not want to open it! I knew it was going to be perfect and I felt like waiting to open it because I enjoyed just staring at the box (as weird as that sounds). The day I finally decided to try it on, I was in the living room with my mom and two dogs and the second I scooted the dress up, my mom instantly started crying. It fit like a glove and it was so comfortable and beautiful, I didn't want to take it off! I knew I made the right choice as soon as I put the dress on. My dogs laid on the train of the dress, so I knew they loved it too and were protecting the dress with all they had. They even fell asleep on it!
Did your wedding have a theme or style?
The style of my wedding was at a Ranch, outdoors, with boho and greenery everywhere.
How involved was your partner in the wedding planning? Did your families help? Did you hire a coordinator, planner, or event stylist?
Luis was very involved with the wedding and we made almost all of the wedding decisions together. He is pretty laid back so it wasn't hard to convince him with anything, but he stayed involved from start to finish! Our families did help, my sisters were a huge help during the process as we had just bought a house and went back to grad school. We were both so busy during this time and couldn't have gotten this done in the short time frame we had without our families. We had a day-of coordinator (@willowtreeweddings) and she was AMAZING. She made the day go so smoothly and was attentive to all of our needs during the whole wedding process. I also had a makeup artist and hair stylist.
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?
Shay Meadows Ranch & Resort @shaymeadowsranchandresort We chose Shay Meadows for our venue first off because it is BEAUTIFUL! We wanted something outdoors and we love Big Bear so it was perfect. They are one of the few venues in Big Bear, and originally thought we wanted a small wedding but ended up having a larger than expected amount of guests, which worked out anyway! The owner, Frankie was an amazing host and a big reason we picked this venue. Also, they had 3 separate Air bnb type places on the venue site where we were able to house our friends & family for the weekend included in the venue package. We got to stay there all weekend from Thursday-Sunday and even had our rehearsal dinner party here. We had the ceremony, reception, dinner, and everything included in the venue so it was very convenient and accommodating, let alone so beautiful!
Tell us about your wedding playlist! What song did you walk down the aisle to? Did you have a first dance song that was meaningful to you?
We literally played anything from Spanish music to rap music to oldies but goodies! We walked down the aisle to the typical wedding song, but the two songs previous to this while I, the bride, was walking up was Somewhere Over the Rainbow and River by Leon Bridges! Our first dance was so much fun. We actually made up a dance two days before the wedding and it worked out so perfect. We slowed danced to Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer, then went into our own Salsa dancing to Suavemente by Elvis Crespo! My husband is Guatemalan so we definitely wanted to incorporate Salsa dancing in our dance. And we both just love John Mayer!
What was your favorite moment of the day?
I have two favorite moments during the day! The first was our first look. This was a very intimate time for both of us and it hit us both that were actually getting married! My second favorite part was right before I put my dress on, I sat in the bridal suite alone for about 5 minutes, just in my bridal robe with a mimosa and looked outside and was able to just take everything in!
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.
Photography: @encompass.weddings @madlovemedia__ Florals: @thenatureofthings churros: @thechurrocart Venue: @shaymeadowsranchandresort Wedding Coordinator: @willowtreeweddings Hair: @the.hairigician Cake: @acakecreations Ring: @princessbridediamonds DJ/photobooth: @secondsong_official
Do you have any advice or helpful tips for others planning a wedding?
Stay organized! Try to get a binder or book to stay organized and buy a calendar to keep track of dates of everything related to the wedding! Also something that helped me was to create a wedding email. That way you and your significant other can access anything related to the wedding via email and all wedding related things are in one place.
What has been the best part so far about being married?
Sleepovers every night!!! And continuing to learn new things about my partner every day. My love for him continues to grow even when I thought I already loved him so much, there's more!
Lizz is wearing The Wyn with ivory lining and a 16 inch court train.