Married: May 11, 2019
Bridal Prep: Westin
Ceremony: St. Joseph Church
Reception: Pavilion of Two Sisters
Band / DJ: Countdown Sound
Coordinator: Cathy Kercheval
Florist: Iris
Bakery: La Louisiane
Hair: Leslie Costello
Makeup: Makeup by Meggan
Brides: Martina Liana
Bridesmaid Gown designer: Amsale Bridesmaids
Bridal Boutique: Town & Country
Tuxedo Store: John’s Tuxedos
Stationary: Scriptura

How did you meet?
We first met at one of our mutual friend’s birthday party 7 years ago and became friends. When I started nursing school at LSU six months later, Stefan was in medical school there, and he would ask me to go to coffee shops and study with him or have lunch in the Allied Health school cafeteria. We met friends for the Bacchus parade on February 10, 2013, went out for dinner and drinks after, and the rest is history.

Include a little bit about yourselves. What do you do?
We have both spent most of our lives in New Orleans, but moved to Shreveport a few years ago for Stefan’s residency. I have worked as an RN taking care of tiny humans in the NICU, and Stefan is completing his final year of residency this June. He will be starting his Cardiology Fellowship this July in Shreveport.

What is your favorite thing about each other? Share a personal story.
While we are both professionals at work, we are both pretty quirky, and the longer we are together, the weirder we get. It is never an uninteresting day in our home.

How did the proposal go? Who proposed to who and were you surprised?
For my 25th birthday in April, Stefan was going to take me on a hot air balloon ride. Due to the nasty weather that day, the hot air balloon ride was postponed to May. When the day came in May to go, the ride was canceled again due to high winds. Stefan rescheduled it for July, and on this third attempt, Stefan proposed to me while we were high up in the hot air balloon. Unbeknownst to me, he had been holding onto the ring since early April due to multiple canceled hot air balloon rides. When the balloon landed in the middle of a field, there was champagne and breakfast muffins waiting on a picnic blanket. It was perfect.

Where was your ceremony held and why did you pick this site?
Our ceremony was held at St. Joseph Church on Tulane Avenue. We picked this site since my parents, my grandparents, and many of my aunts and uncles have gotten married at this beautiful church. At my parents’ wedding almost 31 years prior, lightning struck the church, the power went out, and my parents got married in the church in the dark. Thankfully, that did not happen for our wedding.

Where was your Reception held and why did you pick this site?
Our reception was held at City Park Pavilion of the Two Sisters. We picked this site because it had both an indoor and outdoor reception area, the gardens and event space are gorgeous, the food is yummy, the drinks are strong, and it is a traditional New Orleans site.

Pick one moment in the day that was your favorite thing?
My favorite thing was when I was waiting in the back of the church, and they opened the doors right before I walked out. I saw Stefan and his big smile and all of our friends and family who have been so supportive of our dreams throughout the years. The amount of love and happiness I felt in this moment was unlike any other moment of my life.

Did it really go by as quickly as everyone says?
It was the fastest and busiest day of my life hands down.

What was the inspiration behind picking the color palette and decor that you picked?
My favorite color is navy blue, so the groom and the groomsmens’ suits were navy. I like to be glamorous when I am not in scrubs, so the bridesmaids wore gold matte sequoin dresses, and the bouquets accented the gold with blush roses and dark blue delphiniums.

From the Bride – When you first saw the groom, what were you thinking/feeling?
I was thinking how handsome he looked and how excited I was to be marrying him. In that moment, I was thinking what a privilege it is to be spending the rest of my life with someone who makes me feel beautiful and awesome just by being me.

From the groom – When you first saw the bride, what were you thinking/feeling?
I was thinking how beautiful she looked, and with the combination of the music and Chelsea walking down the aisle, I started to get emotional. I was so happy to be marrying her.

Who was your baker, what was the flavor of your cake? Was it delicious?!
La Louisiane baked our cake, and it was delicious! I love chocolate, and our entire wedding cake was chocolate with white icing and many different fillings including pistachio, hazelnut, and raspberry.

Did you do a first look? If so how did you feel about it? If not, do you wish you had?
We did not do a first look because I am superstitious about the bride seeing the groom before the wedding. We both enjoyed seeing each other for the first time that day in the church because our families and friends were there, and the music made the atmosphere very romantic.

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 planned everything myself, and, for the most part, enjoyed it! The last few months got a little hectic, but it all worked out. I would say if you are a bride, delegate day of duties to other family members and friends, or, if possible, hire a day of wedding coordinator so you only have to focus on getting down the aisle and not the other little details of the day. All of my vendors were wonderful though so it was a great day.

What was your first dance song? Why this song?
We picked “I’m Gonna Be” by Sleeping at Last. It is a slow version of the “I would walk 500 miles” song. We picked it because this man sings about how he will love and support his woman not just in big life events, but in everyday moments, like coming home from work and waking up every morning. We think in marriage it is so important to find daily happiness with each other, whether it be cooking together, telling each other your work day stories at night, or waking up in the morning and (quickly) drinking morning coffee together. My personal favorite line of the song is, “And if I grow old, well I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s growing old with you.”

Band or DJ? Did they rock it?
DJ Phil from Countdown Sound was the best! I sent him such a long list of songs we definitely wanted played and songs we did not want to be played, and he nailed all of them. The dance floor was packed all night!

We want to hear YOUR advice for future brides.
The biggest thing that helped my Type A personality was sitting down about a month beforehand and making a “week of” wedding schedule that mapped out what my plans were for each day of the wedding week, especially for all the events and timing of the wedding day. That way the logistics of who needed to be where and when were already worked out, and the week of the wedding all I had to do was follow my handy schedule. If you are not OCD like myself, you will be just fine, but it helped ease my nerves a little bit.

Anything else you want to say?
Have fun! At the end of the day, the most important thing is you are marrying the man/woman you love, so be excited!