Melissa & Caleb said their “I Do’s” in Southern Oaks Plantation, New Orleans, Louisiana on Oct. 29th, 2017. We love Caleb’s precious reaction on Melissa’s first bridal look, we love Melissa’s surprise performance for Caleb at the reception, we love Melissa’s gorgeous look with wearing the off-the-shoulder wedding gown! Everything from their wedding totally got us smitten, can’t wait to share all these sweet moments with you guys!
All Photos were taken by Maile Lani Photography.
Wedding Dress Style: #h1pn0352
Q: Any advice or tips for future Mrs.?
Trust the process! And especially be organized!
Q: How did you meet? And where did he propose?
We met back in 2007. We originally met in a random lobby on an online video game about shooting zombies called Left 4 Dead. It was all fun and games until we started dating in 2012! We are big nerds. His proposal was simple and he did it after dinner in our room after we had a serious talk about something. I forgot what the serious topic was because it was overshadowed by his sweet proposal! It was cute how he was stumbling over his words when he was trying to propose because he’s usually so well spoken. But he still managed to make me cry over his speech and proposal.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme?
We wanted a romantic wedding that would represent our relationship. Since he’s from Louisiana and I’m from San Diego, we decided to have a long distance/travel theme since we were in a long distance relationship at the very beginning of the relationship and also 2 years into it. We had a destination wedding in New Orleans since he had a larger family so there was some traveling involved by family members as well. We figured it would just make sense!
Q: Did you enjoy the wedding planning process? Why or why not?
Yes and no. It was definitely stressful because I didn’t hire a wedding planner (yes I know :P) AND it was a destination wedding, but Southern Oaks Plantation kept me trusting the process and everything went without a hitch! Like I mentioned above on my advice, BE ORGANIZED. I made a timeline for the day of and had all the information of vendors, bridal party, parents, etc. It really kept us on time and NOTHING went wrong on my wedding day! It was a blessing for sure.
Q: What was the best/most memorable part of the day?
I really have 2 moments that I could name were the most memorable. The first was when the owner of Southern Oaks Plantation, Mr. Bobby, surprised Caleb and I and the whole wedding with fireworks at the end of the ceremony! Before the ceremony he promised me he would give me “pixie dust” for my wedding and at the time I had no idea what he was talking about, but I thanked him anyway. It was so magical and was such a wonderful gift from him! My second most memorable moment was when I surprised Caleb with a performance at the reception. I had written him a song on the ukulele and I played and sang for him and he was so surprised. I feel it definitely made him feel the love that night!
Q: What did you love most about your #Cocomelody dress?
It had everything I wanted and the fact that I was able to customize the beading was even better! It honestly was the most stunning wedding dress on me and made me feel like a million bucks! I got my veil at Cocomelody as well and that was just the icing on the cake. It really fit well with the romantic theme!
Q: What do you think about Cocomelody and the customer service?
THE BEST! I would not have gotten the dress had Puey not suggested it for me! I thought I had an idea of the dress I wanted and while Puey allowed me to try on the one I wanted, he also suggested some dresses that fit some of my vision. It was a great process: he asked me my theme and where I was having my wedding, what color I wanted, etc. I would try on the dresses and for each one, he let me put on a veil to see a complete look. Him and his partners were all very attentive and made me feel so important, but never rushed me or pushed me to buy right away. Near the end of the appointment I thought I wouldn’t get a dress that day but Puey had one more suggestion that he thought I should definitely try before leaving and VOILA it was THE DRESS! I have Puey and all of Cocomelody to thank for my beautiful dress and ultimately beautiful wedding! Customer service was top notch throughout the whole purchase, fitting, and alteration processes. I ALWAYS refer all my friends to Cocomelody because of the customer service, quality, AND the prices are just unbeatable. I love you Cocomelody!
