Real #Azazie Wedding | Julie & Ryan

Q: How did you and your partner meet, and how did you know they were the one? 

Ryan and I met during orientation week of medical school. By some divine intervention, we wound up in the same anatomy lab group, so for 18 weeks we saw each other almost every day. Somewhere among these 18 weeks, we decided to go on a jogging date and breakfast and ended up dating a few weeks later. In April of our third year of school, Ryan proposed to me, and we got married a week after we graduated from medical school! I knew Ryan was the one when I realized he was the one person I was most excited to talk to and see at the end of each day. He is the most kind, patient, thoughtful, adventurous, and caring person I have ever met and once we started dating, I couldn’t imagine life without him.

Q: How did he propose to you?

In April 2018, Ryan drove down to Washington D.C. from Cleveland and surprised me with a Cherry Blossom proposal during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. His mom and sister came with him from Ohio, where we were both going to medical school at the time. I had flown home just a few hours before he made the drive down, thinking I was just going to visit my parents for a few days before going back to school. I had no idea Ryan and my parents had planned any of this or that Ryan was coming to DC that weekend. He proposed to me in front of both our families and a very large crowd of tourists at my favorite monument, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Needless to say, it was one of the best surprises of all time.

Q: Who was the most nervous on the big day?

Definitely Ryan. He was so nervous that something would go wrong, which he worried would make me upset (that’s the kind of person he is). Fortunately our wedding went off without a hitch, and it was the most incredible day!

Q: If you could relive any moment during your wedding day what would it be?

There are so many moments I want to relive, this was so hard to choose! I think I would want to stand at the altar and recite our vows to each other again as we held hands and laughed and cried.

Q: Celebrating your big day means making tons of decisions. What was your favorite part of the planning experience?

Dress shopping and food and cake tasting!

Q: What inspired you to choose your wedding colors/theme?

I wanted something bold and spring-like, and something that would pop against metallics and golds. I ended up picking mauve, gold, and green as our wedding colors. The green was the easiest part – our wedding venue was lush with springtime greenery!

Q: How did you decide on your wedding venue?

I wanted to go with something unconventional. A close friend of mine had just gotten married at a historic mansion in a nearby city and I absolutely loved the vintage vibe of the event. I picked Glenview Mansion because there were so many different rooms and dining halls and dance halls, and every event of the wedding (the ceremony, the dinner, the cake cutting, the dancing) felt like a separate event and was much more memorable and unique than the traditional ballroom venues. Plus, the springtime greenery and beautiful blooms in the garden made for an absolutely breathtaking and unforgettable ceremony!

Q: Why did you choose Azazie to be a part of your special day?

Oh gosh, where do I begin? I chose Azazie because I was looking for an easy way to get my bridesmaids to pick a dress style they liked. My 4 bridesmaids were scattered all over the country so it was much easier to coordinate an online shopping/searching party than an in-person event. I loved how many different styles Azazie offered- each of my bridesmaids was able to find a dress that was flattering on them. I love that the dresses came in samples and that my bridesmaids could try them on at home before committing to a style and that they could try multiple styles before they made their decisions. I also love that Azazie offered a custom size – two of my bridesmaids ordered custom sizes and ended up saving a ton of money on custom tailoring! I even ended up ordering matching ties and pocket squares for the groomsmen and a roll of Rose Petal fabric for my arch (which made the arch look stunning!) Overall, I was so pleased with the service, responsiveness (I had asked the customer service folks so many questions via chat and they were always so patient with me) and ease of using Azazie for my bridesmaid and groomsmen outfits!

Bridesmaids Dresses & Groomsmen Accessories | Vintage Mauve Color

Q: What was your favorite part of your Azazie experience?

How beautiful my bridesmaids ended up looking in their dresses!

Photos by Jessica Nazarova Photography