Today’s real wedding story comes from a sweet couple who met in high school, didn’t start dating until after graduation, yet somehow ended up getting engaged before the prom (read on for the cute and creative proposal story)! Our thanks and congratulations to Jenni and Brooks for sharing their special day. Check out the DIY touches and gorgeous photos (by Patrice Kelly) of their ceremony and reception at Benvenuto Caterestaurant in West Palm Beach, FL.

Susan: Tell us about the proposal.
Jenni: I’m a teacher at a high school and had volunteered to chaperone at prom. BJ was going to come with me and we were excited to have a chance to dress up. He came over that night and since we looked nice, we decided to take pictures in my parent’s backyard beforehand. As we were in the midst of our picture taking, BJ suggests that we try out some different poses, because we always do the same one. I obliged and next thing I knew he was on one knee. I looked down and said “What! This is going to be a weird pose!” I didn’t quite know what he was doing down there. I actually think I told him to get up and that it wasn’t funny what he was doing. He then pulled out the ring and asked me. Then of course, I said yes!

Susan: Why did you choose your particular wedding location?
Jenni: We loved how we could have the ceremony and reception in the same place and they just made everything really easy at Benvenuto.

Susan: What were your thoughts as you walked down the aisle?
Jenni: I wasn’t nervous at all… until this point. I just tried to look ahead at my handsome groom and forget about the large amount of people staring at me.

Susan: Were there any particular elements of your wedding day that you considered unique or personal touches?
Jenni: We made our escort “cards”. We bought synthetic gerbera daisies in various colors and attached a small silver leaf with the couple’s name and table number on it. We also had seedpackets custom made for our favors.

Susan: What was one delightfully unexpected moment on the wedding day?
Jenni: How amazing our wedding cake turned out! I had given the baker (Sugar Chef in Delray Beach, FL ) a picture but just wasn’t quite sure how it was going to look. It was gorgeous.

Susan: Based off of your experience, would you share some advice for other brides and grooms who may still be planning their weddings?
Jenni: I would just remind couples planning to focus on the end result. All of the stress and craziness of planning means nothing. What matters is the person at the end of the aisle waiting to love you forever.

Susan: What was the most memorable part of the day for you and your spouse?
Jenni: Dancing the night away with our closest friends and family.

Thanks again to Jenni and Brooks for sharing their gorgeous wedding with us! Do you have a real wedding story to share? Contact us if you’re interested; you could be the next couple featured!

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here on the wedding blog or send me an email to susan(dot)southerland(at)pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook (search: Susan Southerland Secret) or follow me on Twitter (@Susansoutherlan).

Your partner in perfect planning,
Susan