Maddie and Brock had one of the sweetest stories we’ve heard in a while. Their passion for each other and their loved ones was felt in every single detail and moment in their bid day. Maddie chose a stunning lace and tulle A-line wedding dress from Australian designer Martina Liana and looked ever the picture-perfect bride.
The Proposal
Brock began driving to the same restaurant we had planned on eating lunch at on our first date. We pulled up to the little blue building and were met with a sign that read closed. We both laughed, and in that moment I just knew. I knew where it was heading, and I think Brock knew that I did too. So following this Brock says, “Darn, who knew that this place is closed on Sundays, I guess we can go eat across the street at this other Mexican restaurant.” We both giggled, and Brock continued on to replay the first date. As the day continued we redid our first date, laughing and talking about memories and years that had passed as if we had just met. We brought up applying to college, prom, Brock’s first fender bender I witnessed, our passions, our families, truly we touched it all. After driving around and laughing, we ended up at a gate that was all too familiar. This gate lead to a paved road, and at that moment I remember it got real- I’m pretty sure both Brock and my hearts were racing 100mph. As we pulled down the bumpy dirt road, we came to a dock that was strung with beautiful flowers, and overlooked the lake.Â
My heart was smiling SO big, yet my hands were shaking. As Brock, walked me to the end of the dock, all we could do was smile and laugh. We had dreamed about this day, prayed about this day and talked about the future for so long, yet at this moment it seemed surreal that it was a reality! (Like, Jesus is just SO gracious.) At the end of the dock, Brock grabbed my hands and told me that, “out of all of the places that he could have chose to propose, this was the one he always came back to. The property was where it all began, a place where we got to sing, laugh, smile, and be free. He reminded us that the property was a place in our relationship that we could to come back to and remember just how sweet and faithful our Lord is. At this piece of land we had sat in the back of his truck and watched the stars, belted our lungs out with an acoustic guitar, laughed our hearts out in the summers when jet skiing and tubing, come to have talks that were sometimes easy and sometimes hard, but overall – this place was a constant in the midst of every season of our relationship. The mountain tops, the valleys and in between, it was a place that always seemed to bring us back to the joy and childlike heart of our Heavenly Father.Â
So – after telling me the “why” behind choosing the property – I remember Brock telling me one more thing, and I’m pretty sure this will stay in my heart forever, because right before Brock got on one knee he got out, “Today at church, I was trying my hardest not to look at you, to look at you worshipping, because if I did – I knew that I would’ve lost it. Because this morning, I knew that the person I was standing beside, worshipping with her full heart – is the person I want to call my wife.” and at that moment, amidst some teary eyes and HUGE smiles, Brock Andrew got down on one knee and I don’t even think I gave him time to ask “will you marry me?” because in the pictures I immediately reached down to grab his sweet face, answer yes, and kiss him! The rest of the day consisted of taking photos with one of my best friends who’s a photographer, driving back to College Station where Brock had gotten about 100 of our closest friends and family together to celebrate, and ending the night by sharing a bottle of wine with Brock as we read through the letters, and encouragement notes that people had written us at the engagement party. We laughed, we cried, and we dreamed about what was to come!
Finding the perfect Martina Liana wedding dress
I remember thinking that I wanted to incorporate lace, a romantic styled dress, and a long veil on my wedding day. I went into the dress shopping experience with the expectation that I would end up choosing a dress that was fitted and had a long train. When I looked at my first two dress places I liked a lot of dresses, but never felt like I had found the one that I would wear on the day. I had booked my 3rd dress appointment at Brickhouse Bridal in the Woodlands, and had heard great things about this bridal shop. When I arrived at Brickhouse Bridal, I was with my mom, maid of Honor, and two younger sisters. I began by picking out seven dresses from the entire store, which was difficult because there are so many and they are all beautiful.
I ended up choosing many dresses that were fitted and full of lace. When I got in the dressing room, my bridal consultant from Brickhouse handed me a dress that she had chosen herself off the rack. She said, “I know this isn’t the exact style you are imagining, but I think this dress may fit differently than you think and would look so good on you.”
 
So I tried it on first, thinking that it wasn’t going to blow my mind, and wow I was just so wrong. This dress made me feel so empowered, beautiful and still embodied the romantic qualities I had envisioned. I continued trying on dresses, but could not find a dress that made me feel as free and radiant as the first dress. I was so grateful for Brickhouse Bridal, and for my consultant who was brave and kind enough to share her ideas with me! I adored my dress and my experience so much.
The wedding details
Our wedding took place in Montgomery, Texas at Big Sky Barn. In high school, I had heard incredible things about this venue and would have never imagined that it would get to be the place that I would get to get married. It consists of a beautiful wooden and glass chapel with a large reception barn next to it. Not only was the inside of the buildings gorgeous but the property they were on was just as stunning. My colors were neutrals that consisted of taupes, blushes, champagnes, and lots of greenery. So, in the chapel, we had a wooden flower arch that contained an array of neutral colored blooms, as well as simple greenery on the pews.
In the reception barn, we incorporated the neutral-colored flowers, with a lot of greenery and natural elegance. From the gold chargers with little details to the 60ft long Eucalyptus garland for the head table, the barn was full of soft neutral colors that were warm and inviting. Though the details were so fun to plan and bring to life, the wedding was so personal to Brock and I’s story because it was filled with the people that got us there. Each of the 300 people that were there to celebrate alongside us was a testament to how faithful The Lord is. From meeting Brock at a mission trip to Costa Rica in 2013, we had people that were apart of our day that had been there from the start. From our youth pastors, worship leaders, small group leaders, high school friends, fraternity and sorority friends, and so on. Brock and I have always been passionate about people, and we believe that this day was so special to us because of how Jesus and people-centered it was. Because at the end of the day, the flowers died, the cake was eaten, and the dress was hung back up – but the words, feelings, and emotions from experiencing our wedding surrounded by our people is a feeling that we will never forget.
There are so many memories that stick out to me from the day of, but hands down the most special memory still has to be when the doors opened in the chapel and I got to see Brock as I walked down the aisle. This was so special to me because it felt like we had been waiting 6 years for that very moment, and seeing him all teary-eyed and giddy left me even more emotional. Another special aspect of this moment was the man that was walking me down the aisle. I have always been the person who weeps during anything father/daughter – so it being my time to walk down with the father who had taught me the kind of man I wanted to marry, brought me peace as I walked from one man I love’s arms to the man I would now call my husband. The final thing that made this memory so special were the faces that filled the room, from the couple that played live music that had known us from the start of our relationship, to the officiant smiling that was in the room when Brock and I first met, to the people from near and far that stood there joining in on this moment that seemed to stand still.