Their Story
Joey and Emelia met 9 years ago through a mutual friend as teenagers and quickly became good friends. Romance doesn't always happen right away. They were both dating other people and went their separate ways as they grew older. Years went by without any communication when Emelia saw a photo her brother had taken with a group of friends and noticed her old friend, Joey. Curiosity got the better of her and she looked him up on social media where they reconnected.
At that time Emelia and her family had fallen into unfortunate circumstance that made her feel sad, isolated, and distressed. She reached out to Joey to get her mind off of things. In the first night they had spent with each other since teenagers, she immediately feel in love with his heart. He was compassionate, kind, and loving. She felt fulfilled spending time with someone who would not only listen, but understand and empathize with her. And at the end of the night, Joey leaned in for a kiss.
With new feelings forming between them, they began to spend as much time as they could with each other. But it seemed their budding relationship would be short lived with the unexpected news that Joey was offered a job in Hawaii. Something he had been working toward for four years was finally going to happen, but at what cost? She assumed that would be the end for them as he moved on to his new home. Except Joey decided he wanted his new beginnings to involve Emelia and see where their time together would take them, and asked her to move with him.
He was everything she wanted, but with the hardships with her family it wasn't as easy as just jumping at the opportunity. But in the end she followed her heart, and in less then a month packed her bags and headed to Honolulu. That decision would set the course of their lives together. This was the first time she had left her home and family behind. That can challenge a new relationship, but instead they thrived and they knew they wanted this life together forever. On their next trip home to Vegas for the holidays to visit family he proposed...
The Wedding
Emelia knew she wanted an autumn wedding the following year. She thought ten months would be plenty of time for planning, but the amount of time and from another city ended up being a bit overwhelming. And a few months into planning things continued to change for the couple as they moved to Oregon and found out they were expecting their first child. With her hands full and a short timeline to get everything done she decided to hire event coordinators and have her creative mother help with everything.
The Doyle was the perfect venue. It is a converted 1940's warehouse turned event center, and while it has classic Vegas charm, it is also a blank slate for brides. She knew that she wanted each element of her wedding to have meaning and full of personal touches with a modern boho aesthetic. Each centerpiece included books since they both love to read. A photo on each table to depict her love of photography. Greenery instead of flowers to remind them of the time spent in Hawaii surrounded by nature.
Emelia's Mexican heritage is an important part of her life and she added elements of this into her special day. The guests were served authentic street taco's for dinner. Between the ceremony and reception guests were treated to a Mariachi band and Jarabe Tapatio dancers, a form of traditional Mexican dancing, for entertainment. During the reception she opted for a water color artist to paint portraits instead of a photo booth.
From the Bride
"I was so happy with the way everything and everyone came together. From the decor to the cake and the music. Everything was so perfect! My wedding day was exactly what I had imagined. From the tacos, to the take away wine, everything had a personal touch and meaning. Setting the atmosphere up with that in mind, I believe, made it more beautiful and an overall tangible vibe of love!"
Venue: The Doyle Las Vegas | Wedding Coordinator/Decor: Lucille & Doug Kramer-Star Entertainment Worldwide & Veronica Lopez-Medrano | Photography: Mayhew Photo | Videography: Francisco Garcia | Floral: Paola Flowers Las Vegas | Cake: Cakes by Tiani | Catering: Garcia Catering | Dancers: Ixela Gutierrez-Mexico Vivo Dance | Officiant: Diana Moran | Watercolor Artist: Oh Hey Sif | Bridesmaid's Jewelry: What the beads?