Steven and ‘Licia Salinas

Tell us about your love story!

How did you meet?

Steven and I ran around in the same friend group years ago. We eventually started dating, but unfortunately decided to go our separate ways. About 14 years later, we entered each other’s lives again and knew it was meant to be. I think our relationship journey is very much like the song “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts.

How did you know he was “The One”?

When we were reunited, we knew God had a plan for us to be together, and He made it happen. We are SO thankful that He did.

Steven and ‘Licia Salinas

Describe your wedding planning process.

Who helped with the planning?

We had an amazing team of family and friends who helped us plan our wedding over the span of two years. We also had Marie Miller with Three Strand Cord help us immensely the week of the wedding as well as handling everything on the day of. Steven and I were able to enjoy every moment of our wedding day stress-free thanks to Marie.

Did you DIY any aspect of your wedding?

We did a lot of DIY for the decor in the church for the ceremony. Steven and I wanted everything to be beautifully simple with a rustic vibe. Thankfully, Gruene Estates offers a lot of rustic decor that we were able to choose from to use on our wedding day. After we went through and chose decor from them, I binged Pinterst to get ideas for what I could do on my own! A friend of mine and I made lots of homemade bows and used fall flowers from Hobby Lobby to make centerpiece bouquets for our lantern decorations. We also bought an abundance of pumpkins in different shapes and sizes to set around the chapel to complete our rustic fall wedding look.

Where did you splurge?

Food! We had wonderful seafood from McAdoo’s, charcuterie cups from Grazehaus, heavy tapas from Don Strange, and breakfast tacos at the end of the night. The food was worth every penny!

Why did you choose your venue?

Steven and I envisioned a beautiful Texas country wedding and Gruene Estate was the perfect location.

Did you incorporate any special traditions or sentimental details in your ceremony or reception?

Steven and I exchanged sentimental gifts to each other before the ceremony. I was able to get Randy Rogers to make Steven a special video that included marital advice and played a little bit of “Kiss Me in the Dark.” On one of our first dates, we attended a Randy Rogers’ concert. Steven had the guitarist serenade me just before everyone left to start the ceremony.

Steven’s parents did not get to celebrate their 50th anniversary the way they wanted to due to COVID. So we surprised them by letting them have the first dance together before Steven and I had our first dance as a newly married couple. There was not a dry eye in the room!

What was your most stressful decision?

It was stressful to plan the logistics for making sure the DIY items made it to the venue as well as delegating jobs to friends and family to ensure all decorations were set up as planned.

What turned out to be your best decision surrounding the big day?

Our best decision was ensuring we had more than enough food as well as having a great selection to choose from. We got many praises from our friends and family about the food.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

Not a single thing! It was everything we hoped for and more.

Steven and ‘Licia Salinas

Tell us About…

Your dress:

My dress was an Adrianna Papell Louisa V-Neck gown with beautiful beaded detail.

Your flowers:

Reiley and Rose brought my vision to life with the moody fall colors.

The food:

The food was amazing! We were extremely pleased with all of our caterers.

The cake:

We chose every flavor Cakes Couture had. We mixed things up a bit and had a small three-tier cake and cupcakes!

Steven and ‘Licia Salinas

Recap your big day for us.

What made you laugh?

Steven and I chose to write our own vows. After hearing our vows to each other, we realized that they were almost identical!

What made you cry?

Seeing Steven cry tears of joy as I walked down the aisle and, of course, seeing Steven’s parents celebrate their 50th anniversary by having their solo dance.

What were the most memorable moments?

We loved sitting and enjoying the guitarist play during happy hour. Toward the end of the night, Steven and I stopped to look around the room and saw so much laughter and joy happening around us.

Did anything unexpected happen?

The morning of the wedding, we realized that we had forgotten the marriage license back at home in San Antonio. Thankfully, one of the groomsmen just happened to be at the house and was able to bring the marriage license with him.

What’s the best advice you can give a bride and groom planning their wedding?

If able, take your time and enjoy a long engagement. We had two years to plan our wedding, and it definitely helped us save money and endure less stress! It all goes by so quickly. One day it was two years away, then two months, then two weeks, and then two days!

What did you look forward to most as Mr. and Mrs.?

We were ready to start our next chapter together as a married couple!