Married September 28, 2019
Bridal Prep: Hampton Inn
Ceremony: Notre Dame Chapel
Reception: The Rose Garden
Videographer: Tim Mcaskill
Florist: Nosegay
Bakery: Haydel
Hair: Flawless bride
Makeup: Flawless bride
Bridal Boutique: Town and Country
Tuxedo Store: Tuxedo to Geaux

How did you meet?
We met at a Halloween party. He was dressed up as a cow and I was a vampire. This was back in 2011 but we were friends. We started dates early October of 2015.

Include a little bit about yourselves. What do you do?
Amanda– I’m very family-oriented and love sharing time with friends and family! I am a pharmacist.

Julio- He is well respected and mellow/shy when it comes to being the center of attention. He is a dentist.

How did the proposal go? Who proposed to who, were you surprised?
On November 24,2018, Julio secretly met Mr. Armando at a coffee shop while Amanda was working out. He asked for Amanda‘s hand in marriage. Mr. Armando approved and advised Julio to trust in God. That same day, Amanda & Julio decided to spend the afternoon in the French Quarter. After riding a horse carriage through the Quarter, the couple made their way back along Moonwalk Riverfront Park. Julio all of a sudden dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring. Caught completely off guard, Amanda‘s first words were “What are you doing?” She then said yes to the proposal as both of their parents cheered from their nearby hiding spot. They asked a passerby to take a photo of the moment. During the photo, the St. Louis Cathedral bells began ringing, and they knew it was a sign that this union was meant to be.

Where was your ceremony held and why did you pick this site?
Ceremony- we originally had gone with St. Rita Catholic Church but one month before the wedding, they called and said their a/c is broken. They said it would take 6 weeks to fix.
They suggested and helped us get with Notre Dame Chapel. They only have had two weddings in the past 20 years. I always wanted to get married there, but never thought in a million years that would happen. Julio and I passed it so many time and I would tell him, I would love to be able to get married there. We had the pleasure of having two priests which was an honor for us.

What unique or special things did you do at the reception? 
Our signature drink was a frozen rośe called Just Marin’d.

Pick one moment in the day that was your favorite thing?
I, Amanda, was so worried about our first dance because Julio hates dancing. However, It was one of the greatest moments we shared.

Did it really go by as quickly as everyone says?
It went by so fast! Wish I had more hours in the day.

What was the inspiration behind picking the color palette and decor that you picked?
I love Rose gold color and my ring is rose gold. Also, lavender has always been one of my favorite colors.

Who was your baker, what was the flavor of your cake? Was it delicious?!
Haydel’s bakery. It was truly amazing.

Did you have a coordinator or did you plan everything yourself? If you didn’t have a coordinator any advice for brides planning their own wedding?
I coordinated the reception myself, I picked out all my centerpieces and all of the touches at the reception. All the small touches from rescue flats to rose gold tree and candles.

What was your first dance song? Why this song?
First dance- My girl by Temptations. That was the first song, Julio and I danced on our first official date. That was the moment I realized I would marry him.