1. Real Weddings

A Traditional Wedding in Houston, TX

Catherine knew that she wanted to marry Josh just six weeks after they started dating. She even played with the calendar on her phone and saw that Jun

Catherine knew that she wanted to marry Josh just six weeks after they started dating. She even played with the calendar on her phone and saw that June 7 -- her parents’ anniversary -- fell on a Saturday in 2008, and thought how perfect that date would be for her own wedding. Never mind that it was only 2004 at the time! The Bride Catherine Conlon, 27, medical office worker The Groom Josh Sanders, 27, home builder The Date June 7 After dating Josh for more than two years, Catherine still wasn’t thinking about a proposal -- especially not when doing the dishes! But keeping with the couple’s laid-back style, Josh proposed right in the middle of the kitchen one night. To celebrate, the two went out for burritos! And as Catherine hoped, she and Josh got hitched on her parents’ anniversary.

The girls Catherine babysits and her goddaughter, Alicia, carried yellow cymbidium orchid pomanders and wore matching wreaths in their hair. “They were so precious, and took their jobs very seriously!” says Catherine.
The bridesmaids chose their own dress styles. The yellow hue and the knee length tied the look together.
The bridesmaid bouquets surrounded the vanilla cake with amaretto-flavored buttercream. Although the real dessert favorite was the groom’s cake -- a replica of Josh’s guitar.
At the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed Italian limoncello martinis, a nod to the lemon theme, while a jazz group got the party started.
Around the reception area, baskets of Old Navy flip-flops in the wedding hues encouraged guests to kick off their heels.
Low arrangements in the signature hue sat along the patterned table runners. Tall lemon topiaries added texture in the large reception space.
Votive candles filled in the space between arrangements of roses and lilies running down the center of each table.
Catherine walked down the aisle with a quarter in her shoe -- the same coin her mom and grandma had used for good luck. The tradition started when the grandma realized she didn’t have “something old” at her wedding.
The crowd rose to its feet when the band played “I Will,” by The Beatles, for the couple’s first dance.
Tall, glass vases filled with lemons, bells of Ireland, tulips, lilies and calla lilies created a dramatic backdrop for one of the outdoor bars.
Made from moss, the couple’s initials hung on the doors between the indoor and outdoor reception areas.
Bright calla lilies jumped out of a ring of cymbidium orchids, coordinating with the groomsmen’s bouts.