Our Wedding Story

Table 13. Man this feels like it was forever ago. Two kids crazy in love and excited to start our journey together.

Let’s rewind…Jordan proposed on our first date spot, by the pond at Houston Zoo. Our first date was actually a picnic date. The morning he proposed was when he wanted to go on a walk. So we walked all along the Houston Bayou (at the time he lived close to University of Houston, where he played college ball.) and we walked for about 2 hours it felt like, as we walk up I see in a distance a styrofoam Kroger cooler saying, “Be right Back, please don’t touch”. My sweetheart, he had it all planned out. Well after we had our brunch, he asks me to get up and to dance with him. As we are dancing he starts telling me how much he loves and how I have been the one he has been praying for his whole life… and pretty soon he was down on one knee. Side note: He hid the ring from me and the only place he could hide it was in his compression shorts. So when he got down on his knee he actually had to get back up take the ring out and get back down. We both still laugh at this.

We planned to get married in 6 months. I didn’t want a long engagement. We both knew and had prayed for each other and we knew this was it. So why drag it out when it wasn’t really needed.

I got hustling and started planning the wedding. Things were moving along great, and we found a venue we both adored. At the time they were having an open house and had a special rate if you booked that night and paid in cash. Well, we didn’t know any better and my parents paid cash. ALL of it. Not a down payment, but FULL payment.

A few weeks go by and Hurricane Ike hits Houston. I actually didn’t even get a call from the girls at Bella Terreza. I was on the phone with our cake lady. While making plans to come and visit to try out the cake, she asked for the location of our wedding, I told her it was Bella Terreza. There was a long pause on the phone and she goes “oh sweetie, you need to call them.” I asked her why in the world would I have to call them. And then she says the words any bride would dread hearing… “They shut the place down”.

My heart sunk.

I remember hearing those words and I was standing on the stairs and I just dropped. I wasn’t quite ready to face it. So when I finally got home I called Bella Terreza and sure enough, nothing. At that point I remember locking my self in the bathroom from my mother and Jordan and I just cried in the bathroom. Not knowing what to do next.

I think I was hurt mostly for my parents. My parents came from Brazil with nothing, and they have worked their butts off to be able to give my sister and I what they could never have. So to lose all that money. I was sick to my stomach.

Long story short, and many calls back and forth, it is confirmed that Bella Terreza did close and file for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Apparently, the story is they had roof damage and didn’t have the money to repair it.

Well a few weeks go by again and Rachael Ray and her team gets everyone together that was affected by the Bella Terreza closure (there was actually 2 other locations they owned and involved). We all meet at a country hall, her team was there and they were all so sweet… They had many questions for us, wanting to know; how did we feel, what really happen, and so on. Rachael Ray wasn’t there herself, but she had a recorded message for us. In this video, she mentioned how sorry she was that we all had to go through this, and how she was devastated and wanted to help. And that in one week, we would all be getting married at Minute Maid, for FREE.. and it would be on television.

SAY WHAT?!! I remember everyone in complete shock, they had to play the video a few times for it sink for us.

If we decided to go ahead and get married on the show, we would have to get our marriage license in 72 hours. All they needed from us was to have our marriage license and to show up for the dress and tux fittings along with the actual wedding date (duh). November 2, 2008.

The whole day is a blur for me.

But man did God show up and show out. He turned a tragedy into a blessing, something he is really good at it! We were able to get a wedding, dress and tux, wedding bands, and honeymoon all for free. We were not able to invite friends and family, each couple had their own table and a guest list of 10. It just worked out perfect for us, because that was our immediate family.

Grateful to have our close family there celebrating with us on the big day

My brother in law is a goof

and so is my mother and sister

I wore red shoes.. because, why not?! 

Our series of events in trying to get a jump shot …

I look at these pictures and my eyes just swell up with tears, it reminds me of how good God is. How he has our back and will always take care of us… No matter what is going on! We may not always see it, but we can look back and see God’s hand in it. It’s funny to look back now and see how God is shaping our marriage and using it (even from the very beginning) for his glory.

Thanks for stopping by and reading our wedding story! My prayer is that you are encouraged that no matter how bad things look, remain in God, seek his face, his peace, and let go and let God. His plans are plans to prosper you, to give you hope and future. The victory is already won!

P.S. We also made it to the Chronicle.

xoxo