Alison + Brian

How did you meet?

Brian and I met on a rainy Thursday night in April at an iconic Blues Music Bar in Chicago. The day before we met, I was at dinner when I ran into an old high school friend from Mexico City who I hadn’t seen in 10 years! Her and I decided to rendezvous a couple nights later at Kingston mines (the blues bar). We listened to blues, and caught up on 10 years passed, when -just like magic- a young man by the name of Brian appeared at our table, dressed to impress in a shirt and tie. He invited himself to join our two-person party and took a seat at our table. Brian’s out-of-town college friends had also been the excuse for a late night Thursday outing for him. Before Brian could ask me, another man asked me to dance. About 5 seconds later, Brian and my friend were also on the dance floor. Thankfully for Brian, the other guy left for the bar and he was able to swoop in and spin me around a couple times. As soon as there was a break in the music, Brian told me: “My friends and I were leaving when I saw you and I knew I had to talk to you.” He explained that not having a wing man made approaching two ladies “tricky” (LOL). After conversation and dancing, I was flattered when Brian asked me for my number, and then offered to hail me a cab home (no Uber yet). A couple weeks later we met and had a ten hour date!! The romance has kept building ever since, leading to our engagement two and a half years later in September of 2017, and our wedding this past February 16th, 2019 on the beach in Mexico.

When did you know they were the one?

I knew Brian was the one the first time he met my grandmother Helga (Omi) a fiery women. I remember anxiously warning him about her politically incorrect ways. Once we left er home, after the first meeting, I turned to Brian and started apologizing in her behalf – just in case she had said anything out of place. Brian turned to me and said “She’s great, and not everything she says is too far from the truth” – JAW DROP FOR ME. Then he proceeded to describe how he liked the way she described things, the way she spoke, and the jokes she made. It was then that I realized that it is the man that can sit and listen patiently to my Omi for hours and show her love and respect -without complaining about it after- was the man for me. It takes a special soul to be kind, to care enough not only to put on a “good face” for me because I was his girlfriend, but to sincerely appreciate the moment we had shared with my Omi

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

HIs “squishy” loving soul above all, his integrity, and intelligence!

Who proposed and how?

Brian proposed to me on September 4th 2017, the night after a good friends wedding. We were at a beautiful venue on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. The moon and stars were shining. After the wedding festivities were over he asked me to go outside and we sat under the stars by a roaring fire. Over the weekend he had given me a series of greeting cards (for the record I LOVE CARDS!). So as we sat outside and spoke about our love, he said he had a last card to give me. I opened it and read a beautiful message about our life and love together, expressing that I was so many things wrapped up in one person and he love me so. As I finished reading Brian got on one knee in-front of me and opened up a little back box that had a shining little light over a beautiful ring. He said he wanted to bend the knee (Game of thrones reference) and pledge allegiance to one queen forever 🙂 I said yes (of course!), we cried, we kissed, we hugged, and we had some Tattinger Champagne.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

Bella Bleu Bridal in Winnetka Illinois was where I found Harper. I had seen the MWL brand before on Instagram and I had originally fallen in love with Stevie. I did some research on which stockiest in Chicago carried MWL and found Bella Bleu an adorable boutique bridal shop. One rainy Sunday in May my mom and I road the train to the shop where I tried on some different MWL dresses. I did try on Stevie which I still loved, but Andra (the bridal consultant helping me) picked out Harper to try on. I had not seen Harper before, but as soon as she was on me I knew she was special. I couldn’t stop felling the velvety French crepe material under my palms, the way the material hugged my body, the crisp white color, the long glorious train, all simple, yet elegant. Harper made me feel like a beautiful goddess, and most importantly I felt like myself! I had always imagined myself in something different, bigger, but once Harper was on I realized that I wore the dress and not the other way around. Harper is timeless, classic and modern all at the same time, every part of her is special and also VERY comfortable. The quality of Harper was top of the line and I knew she was the one. That afternoon I said “yes to the dress” I toasted with some champagne (again) with my mom at Bella Blue.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

For me that was the ceremony. I wanted to remember everything about our ceremony … the feeling of the sea breeze on our faces, the music, our rituals, the passages read my friends kind words, and our sweet vows. It is imprinted in my heart forever.

What advice would you tell other brides?

Be present and true to you. The day goes by in a flash and everyone needs you in some way….but it is your day! Take time to pick at least one event during you wedding where you are going to slow down and be FULLY PRESENT. I also suggest making sure you tell your photographers who you want photographs with. Whether it be family or friends make sure you get all the pictures you want with all the people you love. Be specific and show them examples ahead of time.