Lauren & Paul in Austin, TX

Lauren and Paul wanted a wedding celebration that reflected their personalities. And with a lot of help from a wedding planner (and support from family), they were able to achieve just that. The first step came with choosing a palette to pull it all together -- pink, pink, and more pink. THE BRIDE Lauren Cullen, 26, general sales manager for an Austin radio station THE GROOM Paul Cooley, 29, a teacher and coach THE DATE July 3 When Paul was ready to propose to his girlfriend, Lauren he worked hard to create a proposal that fit their personalities. He chose Christmas (their favorite season) and decided to build an elaborate wooden jewelry box to place the ring in -- since he had worked in his father's cabinet shop growing up. There was just one problem. Because the football team I was coaching made it to the state quarterfinals, I had less time to make the box than I had anticipated, Paul says. I had eyeballed the size of the ring box instead of measuring it, and it didn't fit anywhere in the jewelry box I'd made! When the couple celebrated together the day after the holiday, Paul improvised -- pulling the engagement ring box out of his sock (where he'd stashed it so she wouldn't notice a telltale bulge in his pants pocket)! Fortunately for Lauren and Paul, when it came to planning their wedding, all of the pieces fit together perfectly.