Rustic Elegance: Alyssa & Nic's Wild Winter Wedding at a Charming Winery

ALYSSA WEARS OUR VOW BOOTS

Photography by Angela Flack Photography

How was your experience as a Forever Soles bride?

It was amazing. I have never been one to obsess over new shoes (I do a lot of thrifting) but these are my all time favourite shoes I have ever owned. They are stunning and so comfortable and they made me feel so beautiful. When I got the shoes, I was blown away at how nice they were (and how good they smelled! Lol)

Which shoes did you wear for your wedding?

The Vow boots! I knew a January wedding in Michigan meant I needed some cold-weather options. I didn’t know I was gonna get married in a legit blizzard but the shoes were perfect for the occasion.

What was your favourite thing about your shoes?

The heel was the perfect height for me, and I’m a dancer professionally so they were perfect for our first dance and for the party dancing that followed. My feet never hurt all night and I was never afraid of tripping in them.

How did you and your husband meet?

We met through a ministry school at our church!

How long have you been together and how did he propose?

We were together for a year and three months before we got married and he proposed in the sweetest way ever. Before getting engaged, we had talked about getting married in January and there’s a song I like by the Avett Brothers called “January Wedding“ that we would listen to and dream about our very own January wedding. When he proposed, he took me out to a nice sushi restaurant and then we went for a walk through some trails at a nearby park. It was a really hot muggy summer day and there were tons of mosquitos out so I kept smacking the back of his neck as we were walking to the spot. We came around a bend on the trail and I saw his guitar sitting there on a blanket with a bouquet of flowers from my friend who has a flower farm. I started crying and Nic was like, “That’s so weird, why is my guitar out here?” Trying to not cry himself. He grabbed his guitar and played “January Wedding” and made it like he was singing the song only to me. He told me all the reasons why he loved me and asked if I would marry him. I said yes and we both cried happy tears! We then went to my best friends house for a surprise engagement party with our friends and families. By this point, I was so excited, freaking out and showing off the GORGEOUS ring! Nic was still crying. He says to this day that it was the best day of his life other than our wedding.

What is the most amazing thing about your man?

Nic is so selfless in the way that he cares for me and loves me. In everything he puts me first and is so patient and kind and understanding when I’m struggling. He always tells me what I need to hear and encourages me to do the right thing.

How would you describe your wedding in one word?

Perfect. Our wedding wasn’t perfect in the sense that nothing went wrong - it was perfect in the sense that no matter what happened, we had fun and felt connected and loved by the people around us.

What is your favourite memory from your wedding?

My favourite memory was walking outside in the snow storm for pictures. It was fun and crazy. We both looked so good and the snow didn’t even ruin our hair! It was cold but I didn’t feel cold at all. Second favorite would be my maid of honors speech. It was SO funny.

Where was your wedding located? What made you choose this location?

It was located 30 minutes from where we live in Kalamazoo, MI at an old winery. We chose it because we liked the rustic/outdoorsy feel but knew we couldn’t do an outdoor wedding in January. The stone all around made it like a castle and the aesthetic was so beautiful. When we toured it, we just felt so much peace and we knew that was where we wanted to start our forever.

Who created your gorgeous gown?

It’s a Willowby Galatea dress from Watters Designs.

You're a wife now! How does it feel to finally tie the knot?

It’s kind of crazy to think that I’m a wife now. A lot of to process such a big change that (more or less) happens in just one day, but it is so sweet having Nic by my side every morning and every night.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We went to Bahia Principe in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was beautiful and sunny and 85°F while we were there (and because of the blizzard it was -15°F back home so we missed almost all of the bad weather)!!

Any advice for our brides-to-be?

Be okay with how things work out and take a day off from wedding planning once a week! After a certain point in wedding planning, I realized that I just had to stop caring exactly how things were going to work out. It became pretty stressful at times and then we ended up having a blizzard anyways so a lot of plans changed. Our friend that was going to DJ for us got sick two days before the wedding and we had to figure out how to make it all work out but at the end of the day, we got married and went on an awesome honeymoon and now live in our own house and the stress and drama from the wedding doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t let the planning process or trying to make other happy steal from the joy of just being engaged because that is the last time you’ll be on your own and not-married. So don’t let your relationship in during engagement be focused only on wedding planning. Go on cute dates! Spend time with the girls! When looking ahead to your wedding and especially now looking back, choose to focus on the good moments and retell the stories of what you loved - not what you wished was different.