Alexa + Ryan

Alexa and Ryan’s wedding takes attention to detail to a whole new level… I can’t get enough. Seriously though. Alexa was FLAWLESS. That Martina Liana wedding gown is perfection… her hair and makeup… her bouquet and floral hair piece? All of it is a solid #YESPLEASE from me.

Here is what Alexa had to say about their wedding:

1. Do you have any sweet or quirky stories about how you and your husband met/ got engaged?

My husband Ryan and I met freshman year of college in Cedar Falls through mutual friends. We became super close and considered each other best friends. A few years later we drifted apart as college was ending and he began teaching in a different town. Then a few more years later we ran into each other at a friend’s wedding, and it was as if we hadn’t missed a day. We realized we were both living in Cedar Falls and made plans to start hanging out again. We started doing bar trivia every Tuesday (which we took VERY seriously!) Over the course of 26 Trivia Tuesday’s in a row, our romance began to blossom. Eventually, Ryan got a job in Des Moines. I was bummed to see him go but I knew this was what he wanted. He moved to Des Moines on a Sunday, drove back to Cedar Falls that Tuesday for trivia. He said that as happy as he was to be in Des Moines, his first night there he realized how much he already missed me, and asked me to be his girlfriend that night. While the distance wasn’t ideal, he still drove up to Cedar Falls every single Tuesday for trivia. Oh, and to see me too! About five months later I got a job in Des Moines, so we were finally reunited!

We got engaged in my hometown, Dubuque. It happened at the gorgeous Eagle Point Park. I remember being slightly irritated that Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off his phone. I remember telling him to quit texting and to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Little did I know he was texting my brother trying to figure out where he was so that he could film the proposal! Ryan got down on one knee next to a beautiful fish pond, surrounded by waterfalls and limestone ledges. It was perfect!

2. What was your favorite part of planning your wedding?

I think my favorite part of wedding planning was picking out the details. I love design, so I had a lot of fun picking out the color scheme, the tux combo, the hair pieces, the flower girl and ring bearer ensembles, and of course the décor.

3. How would you describe the “vibe” of your wedding?

I would describe the vibe of our wedding to be “vintage glam”. My husband and I lived in the East Village when we first moved to Des Moines, so the area really holds a special place in our hearts. We were ecstatic to find the perfect wedding venue in that area and decided that the East Village would be sort of a theme for the day. We adore the historic architecture and details of that area and decided we wanted to incorporate that into our wedding theme. My bridesmaids and I got ready at the Teachout Building in a gorgeous loft with the most amazing view of the East Village. We had our first look there as well. The original wood floors, old textured walls, and somewhat dilapidated structure made for the most amazing background in our photos!

4. Tell us about your favorite parts of your dress shopping experience.

The day I went dress shopping was eventful to say the least. I got into a car accident literally as I was pulling into the parking lot of Pure Bridal, and totaled my car. Needless to say, I was not in the ideal headspace to be picking out the most important dress of my life. I was shaken, sweating, and really upset. I pretty much just grabbed any dress with long sleeves that was in my budget and reluctantly went to try them on. The instant I put on the first one, all those bad feelings went away, and I knew right there, that was my dress. It was the most beautiful wedding gown I’d ever seen, and it was confirmed when I stepped out the dressing room. My mom and my maid of honor’s jaws hit the floor. They knew just as well as I did that this was the one.

5. How did you find most of your wedding vendors?

I found most of my wedding vendors through photographers that I follow on Facebook. I love looking through their wedding albums so from there I started following the vendors that I saw pop up a lot on their posts.