Tori + Erik

How did you meet?

Erik and I met my freshman year of college. He was a junior and we were both college athletes. I played soccer and he played baseball. I always found Erik attractive but with me being a freshman and him being a junior I didn’t think I had a chance! It wasn’t until my sophomore year when I started to pursue him more. We ended up spending New Year’s Eve together in 2016 and that is also when we shared our first kiss! After that we continued dating one another through college and then after I graduated in 2018, I moved to Savannah, Georgia where Erik is from.

When did you know they were the one?

Like a lot of other women, we have all been in bad relationships. A habit I picked up from mine was always apologizing even when it wasn’t called for. Erik picked up on the habit and from the beginning told me to stop saying sorry. He gave me a confidence that I didn’t have before and helped me realize what a healthy relationship looked like. It was then when I realized I was in a relationship that I wanted to stay in for forever.

Erik knew I was the one when he realized I was his biggest fan. He was a minor league baseball player for the Angels Organization for 2 years and now he owns his own business that has him travel a lot. With travel comes compromise and understanding. He believes everything he does is to benefit us, even though sometimes long distance can be hard at times I will always be his #1 supporter!

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

My favourite Attributes about Erik is that he is ambitious, he is confident and competitive!

Who proposed and how?

Erik proposed to me. I had just gotten a new job and we were celebrating our 4-year anniversary. We went to our favorite restaurant in Downtown Savannah, Alligator Soul. After dinner I suggested going to the new roof top bar on the river and on our way their we walked on the river front and we were talking about buying a house. His famous line “well before we buy a house we have to do another thing first” and he got down on one knee and proposed! He even got a professional photographer to capture the moment:) After the proposal we continued our way to the rooftop where I was surprised with all of our family and friends! The next biggest surprise of the night was that my mom and 7 best girlfriends from home were also there. They live 10 hours from us, so it was amazing they made the trip down! With only 2 days’ notice.

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

I fell in love with my dress at Ivory and Beau in Savannah, GA. I remember looking at Ivory and Beau’s website and they just highlighted that they got a new dress in the store. The Penny:) I loved the lace detail, and the fact that it wasn’t all white. I knew for a fact that I did not want a “white” dress. I was a little skeptical because it was a form fitting dress and I didn’t know if that was what I wanted. When I got to the store, I told them that I specifically wanted to try the Penny on. We pulled probably 20 dresses but the first one I put on was The Penny. I also went to try on dresses by myself at first because I didn’t want a billion opinions right away, I wanted to see what I liked first. So, I try on the Penny for my first dress and I start crying and couldn’t believe how beautiful I felt. After that I tried on more and came to a top 5 conclusion. About a month later is when I came back with my “crew” and I tried on the 5 dresses but I saved The Penny for last and it really was in that moment that all the feelings I had the first time I tried it on were 100% accurate and it was best decision I made! I loved the fact that it had the lace back as an option and knew right away that I wanted that. I also loved the fact that I felt sexy and confident in it. Another reason I loved this dress was because I didn’t feel too “bridal” in it. I didn’t feel like I was playing dress up for my wedding, I genuinely just felt the most beautiful I’ve ever felt.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

The best moment of the wedding is when me and Erik said “I do.” I know that sounds cheesy but I will explain why! Erik is not a sensitive person, which is fine haha but because of this I knew I wasn’t going to get the overly emotional first look that everyone loves. Back track to the morning, I was calm and relaxed while getting ready and everyone kept asking me how I felt and every time I would say “I’m fine, cool as a cucumber” because I really was! We got ready, we did our first look, took all of our photos before the wedding and no tears. Now I am a crier, I cry over everything. So, people thought it was weird that I hadn’t cried yet but again I was cool as a cucumber. It wasn’t until when we were saying our last few words during the ceremony but we were getting excited because we knew we were about to have our first kiss soon and right before then Erik started tearing up and, in that moment, I had finally lost it and the tears just poured from my face. I was so happy, I was so overwhelmed, and I was so in love that in that moment Erik shed a tear because he too was also so happy.

What were your favourite details?

Some of my favorite details from the wedding were definitely our wedding we definitely our flowers, our color scheme, our venue itself, and the whole vibe of the wedding in general. I got my dress from Ivory and Beau but they also did all the coordinating and florals! I was very particular that I did not want a lot of white in my flowers. I also did not want eucalyptus anywhere. I wanted a purple wonderland and they delivered! Our wedding was Oct 1st which is in the fall, but in Savannah it still feels like summer. They did an amazing job combining fall and summer colors like raspberry and Lilac along with navy and gold.

We got married at a small concert venue “Victory North” and when I tell you it felt like a concert… It was so much fun! The second the dance floor opened up it was flooded. Young people, old people, grandparents, everyone was on the dance floor the whole time! They created an amazing light show for us that created such a fun environment.

We also did a lot of coordinating in the sense of detail. We consistently used “T&E” for our invitations, our wedding topper and our glass blown light for people to take pictures in front of. We also continued with using the design from our invitation that we then used for our cookie favors, koozies and our gobo. It was nice to see consistency everywhere!

What advice would you tell other brides?

My advice to any bride would be to enjoy it. It is supposed to be the most exciting time in your life, so make it fun! Also, people always say “let the bride do what she wants because it is her day” I say include the groom as much as possible because then you can say your most magical day was planned together with both people in mind!

I would also advise you to do what YOU want. This day and age we are going away from traditional weddings. A wedding is so much more than that one traditional song that everyone has to dance to or who “has” to be invited or if you wanna wear a pink dress instead of white. The day is about you and your partner to celebrate the love you have for one another. It is a day you are going to remember for the rest of your life and even though at times you might have to compromise, just remember that if you compromise other too should be willing to compromise.