These high school sweet hearts finally tied the knot this past December! It was everything you could imagine and more! We had the privilege of working with the Keels for all three daughters’ weddings, and Laura was the final one. It was an emotional day for all of us to say the least! All three girls have such distinct taste so it was fun to create something for each girl different than the last. Laura chose a color palette of silvery greens accented by deep colors. Definitely a winter vibe, but not Christmas-y was our goal — and I’ll say I think we nailed it! The design had so many layers and textures and we just loved seeing it all come together! The custom color bar is still being asked for! It was SUCH a good color green. We asked Laura a few questions for her to share more with you all about her big day. See below for more of what she had to say!
HBD: Tell us about your engagement!
Laura: “It was around Christmas time of 2019 and Miller had told me that we were going to a Christmas party with some doctors so he could network (he's in medical school). I was truly not looking forward to it since I would know no one there and have to pretend to be enjoying myself as Miller schmooze some doctor. In hindsight, he just did this so I would be dressed properly instead of my normal sweats/tshirt. That night, he picked me up from work and told me we had to stop by his church, Canterbury, to pick up some flowers for his mom on our way to the party. This isn't completely out of the ordinary for the Sisson family as they are very involved in their church and his mom was throwing a brunch for the church the next day. Looking back, I'm a little afraid of how well Miller pulled off the lie. He made it a perfect lie because it was so feasible. Pulling up to the church he said that we didn't really have permission to take some of the poinsettias so we had to be sneaky; he was even relieved that the door to the church was unlocked (like he hadn't called the maintenance people weeks ago to make sure it would be). I was ready to run in, steal some poinsettias, and hit the road. As soon as I got my hands on the first flowers I saw, though, Miller looked at me and said, "hold my hand." It was then that I realized exactly what was about to happen. We were both silent as we walked up to the front of the church, hand in hand where the ring was under the Christmas tree; my favorite Christmas gift yet. He picked it up, said some very nice things that I only vaguely remember because I was so shocked, and he asked if I would marry him. I believe I said "Hell yes".... in a church. And I think the next thing I said was "so we don't have to go to this party???" because I was dreading it. Two good surprises in one night!! We ended up going back to his parent's house to celebrate with both of our families and some of our friends. Truly a night I will not forget (even if I have already forgotten all the things he said to me).”
HBD: Wow! That is so special! We have chills. I’ll never forget your mom texting me when it happened, while we were in the middle of planning Ginny’s wedding, to say “another Keel wedding in 2020!” Any other little details about that night? Tell us about the ring!
Laura: “He proposed at the church he grew up going to, Canterbury, because he knew it was important to me to get married in the church I grew up going to where both of my older sisters had gotten married. He said he wanted to incorporate both churches into the beginning of our marriage. I love that he took the time to be so thoughtful about the location. The ring was special because the band was his great-grandmothers and the diamond was the same diamond his dad used to propose to his mom on the same day many years before. It had fallen out of her setting and while they looked and looked, they realized it was a lost cause and she got a replacement. It was years later when Mrs. Sisson pulled out one of her serving pieces that she saw something shiny in the bottom of the cabinet. Sure enough, it must have gotten caught on a dish she was putting away something and she didn't noticed until a few hours later when she had done so much in between. When I heard the story behind the ring, I was shocked that they would give something of such sentimental value to me! It was then that I realized that they were truly accepting me as one of their family just as they would have offered to their own daughter. I really didn't see it coming because my sister was getting married 2 months later. I just assumed he would wait until after her wedding to ask so as to not impose on her fun engagement time. He apparently called her before to ask and make sure she was okay with his Christmas time plan, and she was so kind about it. She said that she did not mind sharing the time and that she just thought it was awesome that he wanted to marry me (I think so too!)”
HBD: What was your favorite part of wedding planning??
Laura: “I feel like I am very uncreative so I was really worried about planning a whole wedding and having to make all the decisions. Beyond the band and the bar, I really had no big opinions. So I really enjoyed seeing it all come together the day-of and seeing how the decisions I made (that Handley REALLY helped guide me) come together. I was so impressed that with just a few suggestions/ pictures of things I liked Handley, the florist and photographer were able to put together the venue in a way that I thought was BEAUTIFUL. I am just so thankful for people that are much more creative than I am and to have had their help in the wedding planning!”
HBD: What was your favorite part of working with Handley Breaux Designs?
Laura: “This one is easy. It was the ease that Handley and her team made the planning. Like I said, I feel like I don't have a creative bone in my body so I was worried about making all the decisions. I am also pretty Type A so I was afraid I would miss a detail because I didn't even know I would have to make the decision. However, HBD put all my worries to rest. I loved the meetings where Handley would just give me options, show me pictures, talk me through the pros and cons of each decision so I could understand what was important and everyone lead me in a helpful way to each decision. Also, having HBD there on the day of the wedding was amazing. We were put in this dark room to get ready and we didn't really know what to do, but as soon as Handley got there she knew what to do. She talked to whomever she needed to and made sure that we got the locker room that was SO much better (sorry to the Bridge Ladies that we had to kick out). Things like that happened all day. On the way to the church I started freaking out because I realized I left the rings in my bag. I called my mom and she just said "Handley's got it. No problem." All day, she was 5 steps ahead of me, anticipating the needs of Miller, my parents, the staff, and me. I did not have to be stressed because I knew Handley had it under control. No problem.”
HBD: We loved your donut tower! Tell us how you came to that decision.
Laura: “This was all my husband. We never get really excited about the cake at any wedding. The dancing always seems too important for us to leave and go get cake. So when I asked Miller what he wanted, he said he didn't want a cake. I think it was his mom that prompted him that it didn't have to be a cake. If he wanted any dessert there what would it be? Donuts were the easy choice. He LOVES donuts so it was fun to have it be a part of our day.”
HBD: What were your favorite parts of the wedding day?
Laura: Nothing will be able to beat the moment that we said our vows. We were both super teary but it was because we realized the gravity of what we were saying. I wouldn't have been able to promise something so big to anyone else, and with Miller it just made me the happiest. We also really enjoyed the first look! In the words of Miller "I liked it, because I got to see you!" I was more hesitant about it at first, because it was against the traditional idea. However, I became convinced because I realized how much more time it meant that Miller and I got to spend together. I mean it was OUR wedding day so why not spend as much of it as possible TOGETHER. That way, too, we got to take a lot of pictures before the ceremony and just focus on the dancing and celebrating.
Miller: “I loved getting to dance with my bride. We've danced together so many times before, but it just felt different on our wedding day. The first dance was a blast, but it was even more fun to get to dance with our friends and family the rest of the night. When the band started to play the last song, Laura grabbed my hand and we made a quick boogie-circuit of the dance floor to say bye to our friends (and show off our dance moves one last time) before we left. It was the perfect way to end the night.”
HBD: Looking back, do you have any advice to future brides?
Laura: “Stick with your groom! This was advice that we got the week of our wedding. It was so sweet because when we collectively look back on our day, we remember it the same way. We are able to remind each other of different conversations we had, people we saw, and songs we danced to. It would have been so easy to slip away from each other, say hello to people independently, but it was so difficult to come back together whenever we did. I am so glad we were together all night. I know that not everyone can afford a wedding planner, but if they can I would encourage every bride to get a planner. I have heard so many horror stories of the stress of planning a wedding, but I truly did not experience it. As I said in my favorite part of working with Handley Breaux Designs, it was extremely helpful to have the Handley Breaux Designs team with me every step of the way. I did not have to worry about missing a detail in the planning or worry about what was going to happen next on the wedding day. She took away SO much stress and let Miller and me really enjoy the day. I will forever be appreciative to her for that.”
HBD: Where did you two honeymoon?? Would you recommend it to other brides?
Laura: “We went to The Excellence Playa Mujeres in Cancun. It was great! I would definitely recommend it to other brides. It was all inclusive and the food was actually really good. There were so many different options, too! We had fun at the pool, on the beach, at the bar, and in the spa. We had a great time, and we got to celebrate the New Year in another country! Good times all around.”
