Spanish Inspired Villa Wedding | Charlotte's Weddings

While Kalie was only on the search for someone renting out a room, she ended up finding that plus a best friend and partner for life.

how did you two meet?

“Nick and I met on Craigslist of all places!...Nick had posted an ad for a room to rent and I responded. Shortly after realizing how good looking he was, I knew I couldn’t live with him. I made up an excuse that I had found another room to rent and he asked me on a date instead.”

HOW DID HE PROPOSE?

Many day dream about what their proposal will look like: where it will take place, how it will be decorated, what their partner will say, but Kalie was taken aback by Nick’s romantic gesture on what she thought was just a weekend away to Leavenworth, Washington at one of their favorite hotels.

“When we checked into our room, I noticed the curtains were pulled over the windows. I immediately went to open them and when I did I found a beautiful setup of florals and a rug and candles on our balcony. He had hired a wedding planner to set up a beautiful scene before we arrived. After popping the question we spent the weekend at the Post Hotel in the salt water pool outside in the snow. It couldn’t have been more romantic”.

detail shot of brides earrings for wedding day

WHAT WAS IT like saying yes at charlotte's?

“I made an appointment at Charlotte’s after seeing many of my friends find their gowns there and having positive experiences.”

One thing we encourage our brides to do is take a look at the bridal collections on our website to get a feel for our designers and the styles we carry, but also see if anything in particular catches their eye. Kalie did just that including sending some photos over to her stylist prior to her appointment that, unknown to her at the time, happened to include the one!

“I knew I wanted something mermaid/fit-and-flare and had actually sent [my stylist] a photo of the dress I ended up with. I tried on my dress first and burst into tears. I knew immediately, this was the one. I tried on a few after my dress, but only to entertain my mom and bridesmaids."

"I knew in my soul I had found my dress the second I looked in the mirror. When you know, you know. There wasn't a doubt in my mind."

Kalie wore Justin Alexander “88123” a romantic, allover lace fit-and-flare gown with a sweetheart neckline and off shoulder straps.

Bride in Justin Alexander 88123 from Charlotte's Weddings in Portland, Oregon

about the wedding day

While Kalie and Nick were planning to have a bigger wedding, 2020 had other plans for them which Kalie said happened to be a “blessing in disguise because it allowed us to have the most intimate ceremony, the most beautiful dinner and the most time and space to just soak in the day and get in touch with what we were feeling”

Kalie ensured to have her dream team of vendors including Julie from Gratitude Event Planning and Kay from Flowers For You PDX on her side to set up her venue while she got ready with her family to help her day flow seamlessly and overall be stress-free.

Although they struggled to find a venue that “felt right” to them at first, they said "I Do" to Villa Catalana Cellars in Oregon City. This venue bodes beautiful stone architecture with a nod to Spain’s Catalonia district, perfect for Kalie and Nick’s intimate, Spanish inspired villa wedding.

“We had actually booked the outdoor portion of Villa Catalana...the owner was kind enough to allow us to use his indoor space as an alternative. This turned out to be even better than our original plan. When I walked in and saw my venue decorated for the first time that day I burst into tears. I have never seen anything more beautiful!”

some favorite moments?

"For me, seeing my groom trembling with anticipation, happiness and nerves as he read his vows to me was beyond incredible. We also had a recorded toast from family members overseas that we watched during our dinner that made my cheeks hurt from smiling so big."

Any advice for future brides?

1. Pause and soak everything in

“Looking back, I think the most valuable piece of advice I have is to just pause and really soak up your wedding day. Take deep breaths, feel your feelings and don’t get overwhelmed by the details or the timing etc. Those things don’t matter.”

2. Allow your vendors (florists, wedding planner, etc) to flex their creative muscles

"One of the smartest things I think I did was allow my florist to flex her creative muscles. I gave her free rein on the design, all I did was show her a photo of a rug we have in our home that I wanted to use as our aisle. She was brilliant and after visiting the space came up with the most beautiful design!"