We are so excited to introduce Katie and her real bride story. It’s been 3 years since Babydoll Weddings provided hair and makeup services for her back on October 19, 2013 – the day that Katie married her handsome prince. Katie and Chad have known each other since childhood and we still can’t get over the fact that they built their own venue for their big day! It was the perfect combination of romantic, country, and vintage styles. Just look how gorgeous this venue is! Read more below!
How did you and your groom meet? My husband and I met when I was about 8 years old. He was good friends with my sister and, as a result, he became a good family friend. Later in life, we reconnected at his parent’s New Years party, and that was the start of our dating relationship.
The #babydoll tribe is dying to know, how did he propose?! We went camping, and right before we were getting ready to drive home he surprised me with a romantic picnic. Sitting, overlooking this beautiful valley as the sun was setting, he dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife!
What were your wedding colors and why did you choose them? My colors were blush pink/gold/ivory. I wanted soft, romantic colors as I was going for a country vintage vibe.
Where did you find your dress? Would you say that finding your dress was relatively easy or difficult? I found my dress at Suzanne’s Bridal, and it was relatively easy… I narrowed it down to 2 dresses; one was this BEAUTIFUL lace gown that had a long train, and the other was a light organza gown, with subtle blush colored flowers. I ended up getting the organza dress because when I was in it I just kind of “glowed”.
Where did your ceremony and reception take place? Was there any special meaning behind the choice of the venue(s)? When my husband and I went to look at venues, nothing really “spoke” to us – and everything cost SO much – so we decided to take the money we would have spent on a venue and built our own. 🙂 My husband bought property out in Maricopa years ago, and we designed and built exactly what we wanted, which means we planted over 300 trees, trenched and installed irrigation lines, planted grass, and erected a “pole-barn”. What a special day it was, when we were actually enjoying the fruits of our (and friends/families) labor!!:) As a result, we now have a place that will be in our family forever.
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? We had 4 or 5 different flavors. Shoutout to Sugarlips Cakery!!
What kind of flowers did you have in your bouquet and at the ceremony/reception? Roses, Hydrangeas, Baby’s Breath
Did you provide favors to your guests? If so, what were they? Yes, my cousin made these BEAUTIFUL boxes, and we put little seed packets in them.
What details from your wedding that made it unique to you? Everything:) we built it from the ground up! One thing that we especially loved was that my dad built us a picture wall. When we sent out our thank you cards, each family received their photo, too.
Other than marrying your husband, what was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day? Fireworks erupted during our first dance as husband and wife… it felt like a fairytale!
Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where did you go? Hawaii (Big Island)
What is one piece of wisdom you learned from your planning experience that you would like to share with future brides? Don’t stress out too much… no one will remember those “little things” that didn’t get done. Have fun!! Remember, you are throwing the biggest party of your life, and you are marrying your best friend, so all will be well!
Who were some of the other vendors that were a part of your dream team? Jessica Q Photography!
Our stylists are frequently asked how to create the perfect wedding day eyes. These simple tips will insure that your eyes are bright and beautiful whether you choose a classic, romantic or dramatic look.
Erase Dark Circles
Did you stay up late dishing with your bride tribe? Dark circles are an easy fix with the right concealer. First, apply foundation and then gently pat your concealer in the corner of your eyes working outward. Gently press concealer onto your skin – never rub. To add staying power, top with a translucent powder.
The Brows Have It
Consider having your brows shaped the week prior to the wedding by a professional that uses tweezers. Waxing and threading don’t remove individual hairs and you want to make sure that your shape is clean and near perfect. To enhance your brows, select a powder with the same undertone as your hair color but be sure it looks natural in the daylight. Outline the natural shape of your brows with an angled brush designed for this application then lightly fill in with powder and pencil if needed. We love Urban Decay’s brow box.
Expert Eye Shadow
Create the perfect canvas for your shadow by applying primer to your eyes. This will keep your eyeshadow from creasing and extend the wear time. When applying color, opt for soft, subtle, neutral shades to enhance your eyes. A creme base, layered with matte powder, will extend the life of your shadow from your first look all the way through your last dance.
Liquid or Pencil Liner
Liquid liner can look heavy, especially in photos so our experts recommend a pencil liner in charcoal, navy or mahogany to enhance your eyes. While black is a popular go-to, you may find it is too severe. Consider amplifying your liner by applying a bit of shadow over the top (be sure to use a slightly damp brush to apply).
Bat Your Lashes
False lashes are popular additions to your wedding day beauty regimen but if you are a big crier you may want to rethink them. Shedding tears of joy will cause your lashes to lift. You can create a dramatic effect with your own lashes. Start by curling the lashes, starting at the lid to create lift. Follow this with a volumizing mascara (note, you can swipe a small amount of baby powder across your lashes to help the mascara grab thus creating more volume) but be sure it is waterproof! Now you are ready to face your groom and the camera.
We love showcasing Babydoll Weddings real brides and their romance stories! This issue features Christina Koch and John Koch dishing about their favorite wedding moments. Would you like to be considered for our Real Bride Series? Send an email to bridal@babydollweddings.com and we will send you the information.
What is your name and your groom’s name? Christina and John Koch
What was your wedding date? Saturday, November 1, 2014
How did you and your groom meet? Plenty of Fish website and met for the first time at Ah-So Sushi in Tempe. Needless to find out later he didn’t even like sushi but remembered that I love it.
We are dying to know, how did he propose?! After a dinner in San Diego and a walk on the beach he proposed on the balcony of our ocean view top rise hotel. I was a balling mess.
Where did you find your dress? Would you say that finding your dress was relatively easy or difficult?David’s Bridal had the dress that I fell in love with but I couldn’t afford it so I bought a less pricey one at Strut. I kept going back to David’s website to look at my dream dress and one night it was on clearance in my price range! Needless to say, I bought it right away and was so thrilled! I still have both dresses but the first one I loved was the one.
Where did your ceremony and reception take place? Was there any special meaning behind the choice of the venue(s)? We chose the Manor at Catlin Court because it was small and cute and had everything that we wanted. I grew up in Glendale and Phoenix so for me it was a no brainer.
What kind of flowers did you have in your bouquet and at the ceremony/reception? I chose orange and teal as my colors so we chose orange roses with orange mini flowers and teal ribbon and added yellow calla lillie’s tinted with orange for John and me. The flowers were gorgeous.
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? My dad made my cake. It was a perfect small cake in lemon with lemon curd filling and rosette swirl orange icing. So cute.
Did you provide favors to your guests? If so, what were they? We had a photo booth for our guests which also turned into our guest book it was a blast and everyone loved it!
What details from your wedding that made it unique to you? We had our vows made traditional and funny. We had a plant that our mothers watered and then we watered together to feed the roots and symbolize our growing family.
Other than marrying your husband, what was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day? All the songs I picked for individual people. When they played each person got super emotional. It was just perfect!
Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where did you go? We did a small honeymoon in Phoenix at West Gate and took our official honeymoon 3 months later in Jamaica!
What is one piece of wisdom you learned from your planning experience that you would like to share with future brides? Just go with the flow as nothing’s worth crying about unless it’s raw chicken.
Who were some of the other vendors that were a part of your dream team? We did most ourselves. Glendale Florist was fantastic and hand delivered everything.
Charly, our DIY queen has another great tip for us! Using beets as a lip and cheek tint.All you need to do is simmer coarsely diced pieces of a freshly peeled beets in 6oz of water for about 5-10 minutes. Strain the pieces of beet out of the water and then transfer the water into a small jar or a glass vessel. Charly suggests adding a tsp of rubbing alcohol for preservation.We learned from trying out this method for lip and cheek tint it was a little light for our preference. If you prefer a darker red like we do you can simmer the beet pieces longer to reduce the water and it intensify the color.
Jessica & Alex were wed on August 24th, in a magical vintage Disney themed celebration. Babydoll Weddings loved getting Jessica and her girls all dolled up for the wedding and recently caught up with Jessica to hear more about their “happiest wedding on earth”!
How did you and your groom meet?
Oh technology! We met on an online dating website. Our first actually ‘real live’ date was at the Az Science Center to see a Van Gogh exhibit. I was so excited to not do the played out dinner and a movie business.
We are dying to know, how did he propose?!
Funny Story…We were in Vegas and just kind of decided here we are, let’s do it! We of course ended up having our wedding 1 year later to the day we decided we didn’t want to spend the rest of our lives apart.
What were your wedding colors? Did you have an overall theme?
We went vintage Disney all the way! We were all red, yellow, ivory and black. We didn’t miss a detail, from the main street Disney music playing when our guests arrived, to the ride themed tables. It was absolutely magical!
How large was your wedding party?
We had 5 bridesmaid, 4 groomsmen, 2 flower girls and, 1 ring security (ring bearer)
Where did you find your dress? Would you say that finding your dress was a relatively easy or a difficult process?
I ended up getting my dress at David’s Bridal. We actually had just gone in to start looking at styles and I ended up finding my dress! It was the 3rd dress I tried on and when I saw the water works from my mom and maid of honor I was sold. I really didn’t have a strict concept of what I wanted-I knew what I didn’t want which I think made it easier. Trust the people working in the store!!! They do this for a living day-in, day-out! They can help fit your body type perfectly!
Where did your ceremony and reception take place? Was there any special meaning behind the choice of venue(s)?
We lucked out by finding this place and it was the very first place we looked! We went quite a few places after Aldea and realized everywhere we went we compared to Aldea. We were married and held the reception at Aldea at Tlaquepaque and there are literally no words to how incredible not only the venue is but the staff there. All of the fairy godmothers making sure your vision is perfection. Aldea includes EVERYTHING in one price and then you just pick and choose. When I say everything I’m talking food, decor, planner, officiate, flowers, dj, cake….I mean…it’s incredible!
What kind of flowers did you have in your bouquet and the ceremony/ reception? We had so much going on as far as personal items brought in to decorate we didn’t have many flowers other than bouquets and boutonnieres. The bridesmaid had pure red rose bouquets tied with yellow and white satin ribbon. My bouquet consisted of red anemones, red dahlias, oberon freesia, orange tulips, red roses, cymbidium orchads and, a little greenery-all wrapped in an off white sash.
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? Our wedding cake was a gold run. Our top layer was a double chocolate which we are saving for our first anniversary. We also had a pretty intense dessert bar including mickey mouse head funfetti cake pops, mini nutella banana cupcakes, chocolate dipped mickey mouse marshmallows and, mini apple and cherry pies. It looked just like the old main street bakery!
Did you provide favors to your guests? If so, what were they?
Yes! 100% homemade-best kind right? We made awesome magnets out of glass stones and Disney pictures from gold books. you just cut out whatever little part of the page you want to see through the magnet and mod podge it onto the stone. After that dries, you use heavy duty glue to adhere the magnet to the back and there ya go! Total cost for 120 people was about $45 and it only took about three days off and on between drying and what not. Super easy, Super fun!
What details from your wedding that made it unique to you?
Laundry list:
My groom and I wore our grape soda Elli badges from up!
We played a room from the tiki song and made a unity cocktail. We also made sure it was a sing along by giving everyone lyrics in their programs!
We personally designed each table individually-Instead of each table being a number it was a ride from Disneyland and had lots of decor based on the ride.
We played the actual music from mainstreet Disneyland for guests as they arrived
We had tons of 1960’s Disney memorabilia here there and everywhere without making it look cheesy or ‘childish’
We had a Mickey Mouse Bakery desert area
We had Jack Sparrow and he danced The Hora
We had a photo-booth with tons of Disney props
We were us-nothing stuffy-just a big old fun party!
Other than marrying your husband, what was your favorite moment from your wedding day? Seeing my dad in a tux! I know that has to sound a little funny but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything but jeans and *a hopefully not* faded out old t-shirt. haha I bet I’m not the only bride saying that one! One other thing that really stick out in my mind was looking out at our guests during our tiki song and just thinking wow – these people all took time and crazy amount of travel to just come here to be with us – It was overwhelming really.
Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?
We did take a mini honeymoon to Palms Springs/Los Angeles-Just a long fantastic weekend!
What is one piece of wisdom you learned from your planning experience that you would like to share with future brides?
I personally didn’t let myself stress…even when my dress arrived the wrong size and we had to reorder for deliver 8 days before the wedding haha oh what a week…. Just take a step back every once in a while during your planning and soak it in! Remember this is about the two of you. Love the experience!
Who were some of the other vendors that were a part of your dream team?
Ceremony & Reception: Aldea at Tlaquepaque
How did you and your groom meet? My husband and I met when I was about 8 years old. He was good friends with my sister and, as a result, he became a good family friend. Later in life, we reconnected at his parent’s New Years party, and that was the start of our dating relationship.
Where did your ceremony and reception take place? Was there any special meaning behind the choice of the venue(s)? When my husband and I went to look at venues, nothing really “spoke” to us – and everything cost SO much – so we decided to take the money we would have spent on a venue and built our own. 🙂 My husband bought property out in Maricopa years ago, and we designed and built exactly what we wanted, which means we planted over 300 trees, trenched and installed irrigation lines, planted grass,
and erected a “pole-barn”. What a special day it was, when we were actually enjoying the fruits of our (and friends/families) labor!!:) As a result, we now have a place that will be in our family forever. 
What kind of flowers did you have in your bouquet and at the ceremony/reception? Roses, Hydrangeas, Baby’s Breath
Consider having your brows shaped the week prior to the wedding by a professional that uses tweezers. Waxing and threading don’t remove individual hairs and you want to make sure that your shape is clean and near perfect. To enhance your brows, select a powder with the same undertone as your hair color but be sure it looks natural in the daylight. Outline the natural shape of your brows with an angled brush designed for this application then lightly fill in with powder and pencil if needed. We love 
Liquid liner can look heavy, especially in photos so our experts recommend a pencil liner in charcoal, navy or mahogany to enhance your eyes. While black is a popular go-to, you may find it is too severe. Consider amplifying your liner by applying a bit of shadow over the top (be sure to use a slightly damp brush to apply).
False lashes are popular additions to your wedding day beauty regimen but if you are a big crier you may want to rethink them. Shedding tears of joy will cause your lashes to lift. You can create a dramatic effect with your own lashes. Start by curling the lashes, starting at the lid to create lift. Follow this with a volumizing mascara (note, you can swipe a small amount of baby powder across your lashes to help the mascara grab thus creating more volume) but be sure it is waterproof! Now you are ready to face your groom and the camera.
here did your ceremony and reception take place? Was there any special meaning behind the choice of the venue(s)? 
ing family.
what was one of your favorite moments from your wedding day?
Charly, our DIY queen has another great tip for us! Using beets as a lip and cheek tint.All you need to do is simmer coarsely diced pieces of a freshly peeled beets in 6oz of water for about 5-10 minutes. Strain the pieces of beet out of the water and then transfer the water into a small jar or a glass vessel. Charly suggests adding a tsp of rubbing alcohol for preservation.We learned from trying out this method for lip and cheek tint it was a little light for our preference. If you prefer a darker red like we do you can simmer the beet pieces longer to reduce the water and it intensify the color.
