Tyler + Michael

How did you meet?

At a bar! I was there for a girls night, and Mike was with his friends. I remember seeing him across the room, and him seeing me. After what felt like hours and hours of staring at each other, I decided to go up to the bar alone and give him a chance to approach me (which if you knew me, is the exact opposite behavior I typically exhibit to random men in bars). Mike came and stood next to me, and let me buy my own drink while he mustered up the courage to say something to me. While I fully expected a basic “Come here often?” or effortless pickup line used by the average loser guy in bars (to which I was prepared to roll my eyes at and proceed with a flirty conversation, resulting in absolutely nothing), Mike caught me entirely by surprise and as I was signing my receipt for the drink that I bought myself, he hit me with a “I like your signature”. As embarrassed as he might get at that, I’m not sure if he realizes how much it showed me, that he had pretty much nothing to say, no practice, proving that he probably hadn’t hit on a random girl ever, and that he wasn’t like the average douchey boy that would usually approach me or my friends at a bar. I knew he was different immediately, and had a feeling that this was going to be the first of zillions of conversations with him.

When did you know they were the one?

I really don’t know if I have an exact answer to this, because I really think I knew the day after I met him. We spent the entire day together with my friends and his friends, and everything felt entirely natural, like I had known him my entire life. I said to my friends that day “I’m going to marry him”, and obviously everyone laughed at me, but I really felt like he was different, and like what we had from day one was different. There have been moments probably every single week for the last 3+ years that have solidified he’s the one – slow dancing in our tiny kitchen, listening to me and helping me grow, laughing until my stomach hurts, bringing home flowers for no reason, little thoughtful things every day – but I really think I always just knew.

I will say, there was a night my mom had picked me up from the train station, and we were talking about me potentially moving back to the city with friends. It was shortly after I had met Mike, like probably before we were even officially boyfriend/girlfriend, and I remember telling her that I had a feeling about him, that things were different and likely to progress, and that I’d probably be living at home with her and my stepdad until I moved in with Mike. I guess that’s the first time I seriously expressed out loud that I could see myself growing into the next stage of my life with him.

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

1 – He has the biggest heart of anyone I know, and is so thoughtful and selfless. He cares so
much about the people he loves, and even people he barely knows. There is nothing he won’t
do for people he cares about.
2 – He makes me laugh.
3 – He is very responsible and never forgets anything, is always on top of things, and has taught
me to be more responsible.
4 – He’s genuine. I picked up on this from the first conversation we ever had.
5 – The way he loves me. I’ve never felt unconditional love the way I feel from Mike. He’s
patient, kind, and has never once tried to change who I am.

Who proposed and how?

Mike proposed on August 20, 2021. He told me we were going out to meet some friends, and that we were meeting my sister for a drink beforehand. We met her down by the water in the city around sunset, and she suggested we take some photos. Rather than snapping a quick photo, she hit “record” as Mike got down on one knee. I had absolutely NO idea it was happening when it did, but I really think I would have said yes to Mike if he has proposed the day I met him, so I was definitely ready for it. I hated my nails, hated my outfit, was totally unprepared, and literally none of that mattered to me. It was better than I ever imagined, even though my reaction was more comparable to a stroke than anything else. For me it wasn’t even about the proposal, my outfit, or any of the little things that I always thought would matter to me when I got engaged. My best friend asked me to marry him and all that mattered to me was how happy I was that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

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

I saw a photo of Archie probably 3 years ago on Instagram and fell in love with it. Since I first saw it, it was the only dress I could ever picture myself getting married in. I always wanted something simple and timeless, but with some standout details, and that’s Archie! When it came time to go wedding dress shopping, I heard so many people tell me “you never end up with the dress you think you want”, or “it’s beautiful, but brides never love the dress they think they’re going to love”. I took all of that with a grain of salt, and tried on about 10-15 dresses that day. Archie was the ONLY one that felt right. I put it on and had “the feeling” everyone hopes for when wedding dress shopping. It felt like me, and I absolutely loved it. It ended up being even better than I could have hoped for!

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

There are SO many, honestly the entire day was perfect. I wish I could relive it a million times over. If I had to choose a favorite, I’d say our first look. I had been nothing but excited all day – no nerves or stress – and when it was finally time to walk to meet Mike, butterflies filled my stomach. When I got to him and his back was turned, I was so excited and already tearing up. And when he finally turned around, he dropped down and started crying, with the biggest smile on his face. You don’t get many one-on-one moments together as a couple on your wedding day, and this was such an intimate and just really amazing moment. I would recommend a first look to any bride – it’s SO special, and both of us still cried when I walked down the aisle (another favorite moment).

What were your favourite details?

Of the dress? Of course, Archie’s back is everything. For such a simple dress, the details really made it stand out. I love love love the buttons down the back, the cowl, and the thin straps. I also LOVE the train. Everything about this dress makes it my favorite dress ever.

Of the wedding? I love our venue, it’s a new winery/estate/vineyard in Rhode Island, USA, and it is breathtaking. It didn’t need much when it came to decor, so we stuck with very classic signage, and added florals. We just did baby’s breath and white roses, which was classic and elegant, but also felt very modern/trendy/fun at the same time. It all tied in so well together and I could not have been happier.

What advice would you tell other brides?

Do what YOU want. Get the dress you want, the venue you want, the hair/makeup you want. Something that was really important to us was that our wedding felt like us, and exhibited who we are, and I could not have been happier. I know that a lot of brides have to deal with opinions of others who are less than excited about what the bride wants, and my advice is not to listen to anything other than your own heart/head, especially when it comes to your look. You are truly the star of the show on your wedding day, and you want to feel as confident and beautiful as you deserve to feel1 You want to feel like YOU, and when you finally look in the mirror all ready, you want to love everything about the girl staring back at you, especially her outfit.

Also, surround yourself with people who make you smile so much your face hurts. With friends and family you love so much you feel like your heart could burst. Surround yourself with positive, upbeat people who make you feel nothing but loved and beautiful all day. Surround yourself with friends who will sing their hearts out and cry a little to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” because they know you’ve waited your whole life to dance with all the somebodies who love you on your wedding day. Be with your friends who will fix your dress, hold your lipstick, and carry around tissues without you even asking. Surround yourself with friends who will shred air guitar with you, and will grab the nearest chair or clear off the closest table because you need an elevated surface to dance on. Surround yourself with the people who make you feel like the best version of yourself (every day – but especially on your wedding day). Tell them all you love them, and never stop.

Also, hire the best DJ you can find.

Any standout vendors?

Photos: Julie Wong (is now going into makeup artistry, ours was one of the last weddings she’ll do as a photographer, but she is AMAZING) Second Photographer – Justin Malphrus / Justin Malphrus Photos
Video: Kyle Boulay / Backstory Films
Florals: Terri Pantini / Fleur Soiree
DJ: Jason Citrone / Music Mixers
Cake: Isis Brighton / Cakes by Isis
Venue: Shepherd’s Run (Coordinator Jackie Sahagian), South Kingstown, RI, USA
Hair: Sarah Depault / Sarah Depault Beauty
Makeup: Ashley McGuire / Snatched Beauty Bar