At Bella Bridesmaids, we can never pass up a good occasion and, well...tis the season! We want to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you with this festive Real Wedding!

Molly and David's fairy tale farm wedding, complete with Cranberry colored bridesmaid dresses, is one for the holly, jolly and uber fabulous books!

How did you meet your Fiancé?

In May of 2009, just after we finished our freshman year of college, David and I met through mutual friends during a girl’s night out! We both immediately felt fireworks! We spent the whole night awkwardly trying to gain the other’s attention, but we were nudged in the right direction and given the others phone number.

We nervously texted back and forth for several days, then finally planned to meet up. We spent two and a half hours at the restaurant just talking. When we finally felt like we had to leave, we went for a walk in the park and continued to talk non-stop. That day pretty much sealed the deal. We were head over heels!

Tell us about the proposal!

In April of 2014, David and I traveled to Hawaii with a few friends. The trip was planned rather quickly, so between that and David’s sneaky hints that he couldn’t afford an engagement ring, I was sure that Hawaii would not be where we got engaged. We got to Hawaii and immediately starting looking into what hikes to go on. One that kept popping up was the Haiku Stairs, also called the Stairway to Heaven. Though this technically an illegal hike, we were all desperate to do it and get to the top of the mountain. The first day we tried, we got lost in the jungle (the directions to the trailhead are spotty at best). I was furious that we were lost and took it out on David, while our friends couldn’t stop laughing because they knew he planned to propose if we ever made it to the top. We finally had to give up for that day, but David was adamant about us doing that hike so we tried again the next morning.

We had better luck the second day and began the hike around 4 that morning. It was terrifying climbing up the side of a mountain in the dark while rain drizzles down on you, but after many tears from everyone in our group, we made it to the top. We recovered from our experience while waiting for the sun to rise. As soon as it peaked through the clouds, David got down on one knee and proposed. It was such an amazing adventure and made for the perfect proposal story.

How did you choose the location for your wedding? What type of venue were you looking for?

Growing up in the country, I always felt a connection with the outdoors. David and I both love to hike, explore, or just be outside, so I knew I wanted to have an outdoor wedding if possible. Based on wanting to be outside, and wanting to be close to family and home, we decided to have the wedding on my family’s farm. It is a special place to me, where I’ve spent many years exploring and enjoying space away from all the noise of everyday life. I think it has become more special since I now live in the city and struggle to find a quiet place where I feel grounded.

On one side of this property, facing the county road is an old metal red barn that my grandparents bought years ago that we’ve used for birthday parties, holiday celebrations, graduation parties, sleepovers, and everything in between. It is almost as special as the land. We decided to use the barn for the reception and have the ceremony in the pasture behind it. We needed some extra room for tables for our guests, so we rented a large tent to butt up to the barns back porch. We also ended up renting a tent to put the guests under for the ceremony because there was a chance of rain on the wedding day, but we still wanted to move forward with our original location. In the end, it was perfect. Every single detail was absolutely perfect.

How did you decide on your bridesmaids dresses? Tell us about your experience at Bella!

I have a friend who has been a bridesmaid in multiple weddings recently, so I asked for her suggestion on the best place to find bridesmaids dresses. She highly recommended Bella, so we decided to schedule an appointment at the Dallas location to find the perfect dress for all my bridesmaids!

We had so much fun shopping at Bella! My bridesmaids are somewhat scattered across Texas, but we finally found a time that 4 out of the 5 were able to come join, including my mom! We had brunch next door to Bella before our appointment time then walked right over. We were greeted warmly and all the girls there helped us search for a dress that came in the color I wanted.

At the end of the day, we found a dress that worked for everyone in my group (all of whom vary in body shape, height, and style). The dresses looked stunning on everyone, and the color against the fall sunset was breathtaking. We were all very pleased with the final result.

Who designed your bridal gown? Where did you get it?

My bridal gown came from Bridal Boutique in Lewisville, Texas. The designer was Jade by Jasmine.

What was your favorite part of the day?

It is almost impossible for me to pick my favorite moment. Everything about that day couldn’t have been more perfect. Overall, I think my favorite moment was getting to hear my husband’s vows. He typically doesn’t express his emotions verbally, so it hit me hard hearing him promise to fight for us for the rest of our lives. I loved that we wrote our own vows because they were unique and personal for us.

What inspired you when you were planning your big day?

We really tried to focus on our personalities, our love for the woods, and keeping things simple and not too showy. It’s so easy to go overboard (and I’m sure we did) but it’s good to not focus too much on what elaborate weddings you can find on Pinterest, but more what expresses the love everyone is coming together to celebrate.

What advice do you have for other brides?

Surround yourself with your closest and most dear friends and tell them how loved they are continuously. I tried to do this with my five bridesmaids, and it made for the best morning of ever! I tried not to pressure them or ask too much of them, because all my girls have busy, happy lives and it’s hard to squeeze in all the activities that are expected of bridesmaids. They all told me that I was such an easy bride (personal goal of mine!) and then I got to spend all Saturday morning with 5 women who knew how loved they are and who told me how loved I am. I couldn’t be more proud of these girls. They seriously kept me grounded through the whole wedding planning process and it wouldn’t have been near as amazing a day without them.