Real Weddings | Alexandra & Matt | First Anniversary
A seamless fusion of traditional and modern, Alexandra and Matt Hering’s take on a garden wedding couldn’t have been more perfect. Recalling their stuffed avocado bar, floating glass seating chart, and the most luscious florals you’ve ever seen, a year later these two lovebirds remember their wedding day like it was yesterday.
We know brides-to-be everywhere will be inspired by their wedding day details. Many thanks to Alex for sharing all about what went into their beautiful day. Enjoy!
From Alex:
Matt and I met through mutual friends in college at the University of Texas. We dated for about four years before getting engaged. He knows I don’t like surprises, so he dropped a few hints leading up to [our engagement] day, which I was very thankful for! After he proposed, we celebrated surrounded by friends and family, and we left feeling so loved!
It was very important for our wedding to be polished without being too formal or stuffy. We wanted to achieve a level of tradition and refinement that we believe a wedding day deserves, but also wanted to create a comfortable atmosphere where all guests felt welcomed like family.
I’ve always loved fresh flowers, so a garden wedding felt like the perfect fit! This style enabled us to incorporate some formal and traditional details, like the shades of white and bright green in the flowers and the traditional invitations. However, it also created room to incorporate lots of fun details, like linens with a fun pattern on the cocktail tables outside and a unique menu that included a stuffed avocado bar (our favorite!).
I love sunshine and greenery, but I also didn’t want to worry about the weather on our wedding day, so an indoor wedding made sense. The Chapel at the Laurel was the best of both – it was big and airy with the beautiful center window that light pours through, and the beams in both the chapel and reception hall make you feel like you’re outside. I’m sure our guests also appreciated the air conditioning in May in Texas!
I started to get nervous right as the ceremony started, when all the bridesmaids had already entered the chapel. I turned to my dad and joked with him that he wasn’t allowed to cry because he’d make me cry! Thankfully we both held it together, but those were just a few very sweet moments with him.
Matt and I are Christians, so our ceremony was designed to be the initiation of a Christian marriage that mirrors the love that Jesus Christ has for his church. We loved the words that our officiant shared with both us and our guests, and we also got to share our first communion and prayers together as a married couple. That moment was special and unforgettable because those things are the foundation of our entire relationship.
We loved the vision that our planners and florist co-created and brought to life! [Our seating chart] was a beautiful archway decorated with greenery and white flowers (traditional) but our guests names were etched onto a big glass circle that hung from the arch (modern).
It was also so fun to get ready in the Laurel’s amazing bridal suite with all my bridesmaids, my mom, and my future mother-in-law. We played music, had mimosas, and all got our hair and makeup done, and I had just as much fun getting ready as I did at the actual wedding!
The dance floor was the best! I was so glad we invited kids to our wedding because they quickly became the life of the party, showing off their dance moves. The whole wedding party was invited on stage at the end of the night for a few songs, and I had this surreal moment where I just was so amazed and grateful that people from all stages of our lives were together in the same room, celebrating such a happy occasion, and having the best time. We felt so incredibly happy and loved!
When asked what advice they would give to couple planning their wedding, Alex said:
Make time for each other, both during the wedding-planning process and on the actual day! Wedding planning is stressful, and engagement is a strange season of waiting. Take time to enjoy it, and don’t take for granted how much you love each other or how excited people are to celebrate you!
Huge thanks to our incredible team of vendors! Their imagination, attention to detail, and brilliant execution made our day so special!
Thank you, Alex and Matt, for sharing your wonderful day with us. We wish you a happy anniversary and a very happy ever after.
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