Mary Smithson

Wife’s name: Mary

Husbands name: Zach

How long have you been married? 1 year and 6 months

When did you get married? January 2014

Short story of timeline before engagement and marriage:

Zach and I met in the 10th grade, but we werent quite high school sweethearts. We did not start dating until the week before I left for college. We dated all through college and were distance the whole time. Zach was at Alabama and I was at Samford. We got engaged the summer after Zach graduated and I still had one more semester of school. We planned the wedding while Zach was in Malaysia for his job and I was finishing my final semester of school and last season playing soccer. I graduated December 18th and we were married a month later. It was a busy and extremely hard 6 months planning the wedding with Zach being on the other side of the world, but I would do it all over again to marry my best friend!

I am so excited about this weeks Just be bride. Not only did I have the pleasure of standing by this bride on her wedding day, but I had the pleasure of living with her for the three and half years and calling her one of my best friends. I will never forget when we moved into our dorm room freshmen year of college. Mary had two friends there and then this guy Zach. When I first met Zach I have to admit I thought there is no way this is her boyfriend. Zach was such a goofball, he was rocking the chocos and braces and looked like he could be Marys little brother. Sure enough it was her boyfriend and over the next three and half years I would get to know this goofball very very well.

I still think Zach is a goofball to this day, but there is no one that loves Mary quite like this guy (and as you can see from the pictures he has ditched the braces and is quite the stud). Sharing a room with someone for three and half years you get to know pretty much everything about them and the person they are dating. Zach and I had our moments where I think we may have wanted to knock eachother out, but due to our mutual love for Mary we always seemed to get past it. I got to see their relationship grow from two people liking eachother to two people falling in love and being ready to committ their lives to one another.

I remember specifically one day that Mary and Zach had gotten into a fight and Mary was so upset. Fighting is never easy but fighting and being away from eachother is even harder. To this point it was not that I was not supportive of Mary and Zach but I was protective of this amazing friend of mine. It was about 10 o'clock later that night that our door opened and in walks Zach. He didn't really say anything he just walked in and came over to Mary and sat down and put his arm around her. Zach probably could have called and they probably would have worked things out, but instead he decided to drive the hour and fifteen minutes to see Mary and show her that even though they were fighting he was committed to her and to doing what it takes for her.

I knew after that moment that no matter what happened Zach was going to take care of Mary and love her the way she deserved. I am so excited for you all to get to know this couple a little better, they are very dear to me and have a lot of wisdom to share.

Indoors or outdoors wedding?

Indoors. It was January! Haha

Where did you get married?

Tuscaloosa, AL

Did you do a first look? If yes were you glad?

YES! Absolutely! It helped to settle my nerves because it was just us (plus photographer) for about 30 minutes. Our guests also didn’t have to wait around after the ceremony.

Where did you get your dress?

Bridal Bliss in Homewood

Would you recommend the place to others?

I loved it but I definitely don’t think it was for everyone. The place is very small and it isn't as luxurious of an experience because the place is so small. But the dresses are gorgeous and I found my dream dress so I loved it!

Did you enjoy the dress shopping experience?

I did at first because my dress was the second dress I tried on. After that it was miserable because all the others dresses were a let down.

Did you have a budget?

Sort of. We just tried to do everything as cheap as we could get it without sacrificing the things we wanted.

How many bridesmaids did you have?

9 and 1 junior bridesmaid

Did you have a separate ceremony and reception locations?

Yes. Ceremony was at Calvary Baptist Church and Reception was at the Tuscaloosa River Market.

What was your favorite gift?

They were all wonderful but we received a hand made letter opener and a very special note that I won’t forget.

Where did you honeymoon?

No honeymoon. We moved to Malaysia.

Did you do cake, cupcakes, pies or other?

Cake for both. A white cake with raspberry filling and a tiramisu cake for the grooms cake.

What was your party favor?

Little bags of coffee in each of our favorite flavors.

Wedding details for you coffee lovers.

Want personalized coffee bag favors. Click Here.

What song was your first dance to?

January wedding by the Avett Brothers

Live band or DJ?

Were you happy with the music?

I spent most of the time talking to people but I think I would have preferred a band.

What did you do for your bridesmaid’s gift?

Earrings that they wore in the wedding and monogrammed robes that we got ready in.

Like the robe idea, click here to see what we found for you!

Were you happy with the photography?

Yes very much so!

Did you have a videographer?

No but it’s my biggest regret!

If you could change one thing about your wedding what would it be?

I forgot to hire a videographer. It is my absolute biggest regret. I didn’t even think of getting someone to film it on their own camera! It is worth the money to see the memories you forget over time.

Take a look at some of our favorite wedding videos at our Pinterest site.

What advice would you give to brides planning a wedding right now?

Don’t worry about name brands and what everyone else is doing. It’s your day and it will be beautiful no matter how much it cost or who designed your dress! Don’t let it stress you out, enjoy it! Very rarely do you get all the people you love in one place so focus on that, the beginning of your new life.

What was your favorite part of the ceremony?

We took communion while our wedding party and guests sang our favorite hymn it was a very special first moment as husband and wife.

What was your husband’s favorite wedding detail?

Being married at the end of it! Haha

What kind of pictures do you wish you had taken?

More candid photos. My photographer is amazing and our portraits were stunning but we didn’t take as many funny candid shots as I would have liked. My group of friends is always laughing but that didn’t show in the photos.

What did you find to be the most difficult party of wedding planning?

All the details. You get to a point where you could care less if the tablecloths are ivory or cream. You just want it to get here!!

Thank you Mary and Zach for being a part of Just be. We wish you both the best as you continue on your journey through life together.