REAL NASHVILLE WEDDING: Laura and Rick -- Florida, Dolphins, and the Engagement That Almost Didn't Happen

BRIDE: Laura


GROOM: Rick
WEDDING DATE: May 21, 2011


WHERE ARE YOU BOTH FROM ORIGINALLY?: Laura is from Wisconsin and Rick is from Tennessee.


WHAT DO YOU DO?: Laura works in accounting and Rick works in IT.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER?: 9 years

HOW DID YOU MEET?: (Laura) We met at Blockbuster -- he was an assistant manager and I was a lowly worker-bee. It was NOT love at first sight for either of us. We actually didn't like each other much, but that obviously changed!

WHAT'S YOUR ENGAGEMENT STORY?: (Laura) We were on vacation in Florida with some friends. Among all the activities we had planned, I had planned on swimming with the dolphins because it was something I'd wanted to do forever. Our friends took pictures of me and the dolphins with their camera. Later in the evening, before we went to dinner, we decided to walk down to the pier to take some pictures. We were walking back, and the camera bag was slung over someone's shoulder and accidentally fell into the water. Everyone starts to panic, and I think it's because of the camera, but I had no idea that Rick had hidden my ring in the camera case and everyone knew he was going to propose, so everyone thought the ring was gone! They were able to fish the camera out, and after dinner we took a walk on the beach. It was then that Rick got down on one knee and grabs my hand, and he had the ring in his other hand. The first words out of my mouth were, "Are you serious?!" I honestly thought he was playing a mean joke on me until I saw the ring in his hand and started crying. So that was my most perfect day ever!

WHAT ARE YOUR WEDDING COLORS AND/OR THEME?: Black with yellow, orange, purple, and pink

IS THERE A DETAIL ABOUT YOUR WEDDING THAT YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR YOUR GUESTS TO SEE?: My dress. The beadwork looks like Cinderella's carriage.

IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL YOU'RE DOING TO PERSONALIZE YOUR EVENT TO MAKE IT UNIQUELY "YOU?": Probably the music. The rest was very simple and traditional.

WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU'VE LEARNED AS YOU'VE BEEN PLANNING YOUR WEDDING?: Get a 12-month planning book and follow it, but don't get ahead of it. Also, get a day-of coordinator, whether it's someone you hire or a friend / family member.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?: We would highly recommend Embassy Suites to anyone! Everything we were promised was delivered, and it was an all-around enjoyable experience.