Mitch & Maria’s Summer Weekend Wedding | Inn At Quarry Ridge

Sep 12

Mitch & Maria’s Summer Wedding Weekend at the Inn at Quarry Ridge in Bryan, TX

Maria & Mitch’s Wedding was on a sunny summer day in Texas. Their story begins with a group text that Mitch was never supposed to be a part of…

HOW THEY MET

They met while working for Texas A&M’s Athletic Marketing department at Kyle Field in 2015.

Mitch and Maria first met their junior year at Texas A&M University while working together as marketing interns with the athletic department. Mitch was new to the job and was accidentally added to the volleyball marketing text message group instead of soccer like he was supposed to be. Maria was the lead intern of Volleyball Marketing and had to make sure he knew that he was with soccer and not volleyball so she contacted him outside of the group text. Mitch likes to make up stories that Maria was super unprofessional and sent a lot of “flirty” emojis in their initial text messages, but Maria says she was just being friendly to the new guy!

About a week later, the veterans of the marketing team decided to throw a party for everyone to get to know one another and have fun before the semester began. Throughout the night, Maria had a little too much of her spiked Icee and needed a ride home. Mitch being the gentleman he is, offered to give Maria a ride back to her house in his unbelievably cool Mustang GT. They had a great conversation the whole way…or so Mitch says since Maria doesn’t remember much of it…;) It was after that quick 10 minute car ride that Mitch knew he had to find a way to ask Maria out on a date.

A couple weeks later, on the first day of the semester, Mitch texted Maria asking her to get lunch in between their classes. They agreed to meet at a close by Chick-Fil-A, and ended up staying there for over 3 hours just talking and getting to know one another. The chemistry was undeniable between the two and Mitch and Maria began their relationship.

THE PROPOSAL

Mitch told Maria he wanted to take her to Colorado because she had never been, and it was his favorite place. They spent a few months planning, and headed to Colorado in August of 2018.

Once they got to Colorado, Maria had a hunch and was constantly thinking a proposal would happen during their trip. They had been dating for almost 3 years and they had discussed their future many times and they both knew they were going to be married one day. Mitch took Maria to some of the most beautiful places in Colorado, but he had one specific day hike planned where he would make his move and propose.

The night before the planned day hike, a heavy rain shower washed out all hopes of accessing the trail that would take them to the majestic spot that Mitch originally wanted to propose at. With his plan ruined, Mitch spent the night researching other locations for the proposal. He even talked to the AirBnB hosts in hopes that they would have a good idea on where he could take Maria. Mitch and Maria began their next day driving through the Uncompahgre National Forest. Throughout the day, Mitch constantly made stops and claimed to be “looking for a beautiful spot for a selfie” and eventually the two ended up lost (without any cell service). After not having any luck in the national forest for the proposal, Mitch decided to take the two to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the spot that the Airbnb hosts suggested that morning.

Once they reached the Black Canyon, Mitch was overjoyed to see that there were 12 scenic lookout points that were easily accessible at the canyon. They stopped at each lookout, and Mitch made sure to have his camera and tripod at the ready so they could “get a picture with the full view”. At this point Maria believed it was too late in the day for a proposal and just enjoyed the breathtaking views. They reached the Painted Wall lookout at the canyon, which was the 8th lookout point of the 12. Mitch quickly identified the perfect spot to set the camera up where he could get the two in the shot, while having the canyon view in the background. He asked her to stand in front of the camera and get ready to take a picture, something they had done at the previous 7 lookouts, so this seemed no different. Mitch set the camera to “record” and ran over to stand next to Maria. Mitch was acting all nervous which made Maria’s heart start racing since she knew something was about to happen. Rewind to a few years before this date, Maria had been drinking wine with her best friend and hanging out with Mitch. When it was time to go home, Maria skipped out of the house and looked back at Mitch saying, “Marry Me!” in the giddiest and tipsiest way possible. The two referred to this memory constantly throughout their relationship as an inside joke. Now back at the canyon in Colorado. As they were looking out at the canyon, Mitch brought up that story of Maria saying marry me and then asked, “will you, will you marry me?” He got down on one knee and asked Maria to spend the rest of their lives together and of course she said yes! Mitch then made sure to tell Maria he recorded the whole proposal so they can look back and watch it for years to come.

VENUE CHOICE

Why did you choose the Inn at Quarry Ridge for your Wedding?

“I worked for Party Time Rentals and we were a part of the “Modern Day Cinderella” Styled Shoot. While we were out at the venue, I fell in LOVE with Stonehem. We were not engaged yet, but I told Mitch that I wanted to get married at the Inn At Quarry Ridge.

The venue space brings the beauty of an outdoor reception, without having to be outside in the middle of July.

I strategically planned our venue tour day so that The Inn was the last venue we saw for the day with Mitch and our parents. Once they saw the IAQR they completely understood why it was my favorite out of our options.

We had our rehearsal dinner at the venue with about 70 people. There were so many family members from all over (Singapore,New York, Iowa, Houston, San Antonio) so it was so nice to have an intimate space for all of our family to get together.

We could not imagine having our Wedding anywhere other than at The Inn At Quarry Ridge. We could not have been more excited to have a full Dream Wedding Weekend with our closest family and friends.”

THE WEDDING

Tell us about your Ceremony!

“We had our ceremony at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. It was absolutely beautiful and was everything we dreamed of. Our faith is big in our lives and being able to become husband and wife in front of all of our family and friends and with our favorite Priest it was perfect.”

Tell us about your Wedding Reception!

“Our reception was just one big fun party! We had about 200 guests and loved every second of it. Maria’s sister hired Mariachis who played during dinner (which was Fuego and was a HUGE hit). We felt the space was the perfect size to make sure everyone was comfortable at their tables but still had plenty of room for dancing after dinner.

We had signature drinks named after our dogs, M&Ms with our faces on them, and then Krispy Kreme donuts as our “sober snack” lol!”

FAVORITE MOMENT

What was your Favorite Moment of the Evening?

“My favorite moment was the drive from the church to the reception. We got to drive Mitch’s Dad’s 1961 Thunderbird which has a lot of memories behind it. The car has been in the Whitehead family since it was made. Mitch’s grandfather bought it in Iowa and after he passed, Mitch’s dad brought it from Iowa to Houston and started to restore it. The happiness in Mitch’s eyes while driving and in his dad’s is a memory I will hold onto forever.”

ADVICE

What is your advice to Brides planning their Wedding?

“Do not stress the minor details. There are so many moving parts to a wedding that guests will never realize. If it is something you will have a hard time remembering 10 years from now, it is not worth your time! As long as you get to marry your best friend at the end of the day, it should be a perfect day.”

Coordinator: Uniquely Set

Photographer: Ashley Medrano Photography

Florist: Suzy with Green Teams, INC.

Invitations: Simply to Impress

Wedding Dress : Bridal Galleria of Texas (San Antonio)

Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Generation Tux

Bridesmaids Dresses: Vinibelle

Shoe Designer: Jessica Simpson

Engagement and wedding band: Blue Nile

Groom’s wedding band: Manly Band

Bride’s Earrings: Olive and Piper

Caterer: Fuego