Real Brides

Real WED Bride: Melissa Bro

March 18, 2020

Our latest blog installment of “Real WED Brides” is featuring our beautiful bride Melissa, who is wearing our fit-n-flare Eddy K gown.

Enjoy this Q&A about Melissa and Ethan’s special day!

How did you and your fiancé meet and how’d he propose?

We met through the church where I grew up. Ethan was here for a yearlong internship and ultimately moved back to Fort Worth after that. We were friends for quite a while, but after a few years, we finally confronted the underlying feelings we had for each other… and the rest is history.

Ethan proposed while we were on vacation in Playa del Carmen in December of 2018. We went out to a nice dinner at a restaurant on the beach, and Ethan sneakily told our server what he was planning to do. After he brought our drinks, our server told us we should step out on the side terrace to take a picture. I thought we were posing for a picture on the beach, but instead Ethan got down on one knee. I was in total shock and was completely caught off guard. I don’t remember much of what he said and could hardly believe what was happening, but thanks to our server, we have pictures of the event!

I was also brought to tears when Ethan told me that he gave me his mom’s ring. She passed away from cancer almost two years before we got engaged. Once we got home, I worked with Kubes Jewelers in Fort Worth to create a new setting using her diamond. We also purchased my wedding band from Kubes. Ethan’s wedding band belonged to his father, and I love that it now has both his parents’ initials and ours engraved on the inside.

Was there anything that changed from you and your fiancé’s original vision to what actually came to be on your wedding day?

I don’t know that we ever had a vision of what we wanted our wedding to look like, but we knew we wanted it to be a memorable time surrounded by our family and closest friends. We also wanted the day to reflect us and who we are. We both felt strongly about finding a venue in downtown as Fort Worth is so important to us. We lived downtown for 4+ years and love everything about the culture of Fort Worth. We are both distance runners and regularly participate in social runs along the Trinity Trails as well as the Cowtown Marathon. The church we ultimately chose as our ceremony location is across the street from the start line of the Cowtown. As for our reception, I have always loved the beauty of T&P Station. The stunning marble floors and chandeliers grab your attention as soon as you walk in, and we did not feel the need to go crazy on decorations as the room speaks for itself. We knew we wanted to serve Tex-Mex and margaritas both to give our guests from out of town some cultural flare but also as a nod to what we had on our first date. We also both love craft beer and served a home brew IPA made by a close friend.

When it came to choosing a date, we are both avid college football fans. We have always joked that we hate fall weddings. When we started looking at dates, on a whim we decided to see if any bye weekends matched up. We couldn’t believe our luck. Our wedding day ended up being a bye weekend for literally every school we or our family support- Iowa, Ohio State, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and OU. Combine that with TCU being away and snagging the last Saturday T&P had available in 2019, and we simply couldn’t avoid fate telling us that 11/2/19 was meant to be our wedding date. (Daylight savings time and gaining an extra hour that night was also an added perk.)

What is the most memorable moment you had during your wedding day?

For me, my most memorable moment was when we exchanged vows. I remember being overwhelmed with happiness and in awe that this was happening. I loved having so many of our family members and friends with us that day, but in that moment, it felt like they all disappeared and it was just Ethan and I. We also did a first look as well as a private last dance at the end of the night. As ecstatic as I was to have so many loved ones with us, the little moments that were just Ethan and I are what I treasure the most.

There is also a fun backstory to our first dance. We danced to Beyond by Leon Bridges. As a Fort Worth native, we have both always loved his music (and Ethan remembers sitting at Avoca listening to him play guitar). We took some of our engagement pictures in Sundance Square, and he happened to be there that day. Our photographer worked him into some of our pictures to make it look like he was photo-bombing us.

Did you have any “bloopers” or funny moments on the day of that you’ll always remember?

There were plenty of laughs on the day of our wedding. I have heard that our flower girl emphatically threw her petals in the air and was quite proud of herself for emptying the full basket. We also took a party bus with our wedding party to Sundance Square between the ceremony and reception. We took more pictures there and enjoyed time together. While Ethan and I were posing, one of my bridesmaids told a bachelorette party wearing animal onesies to come photo-bomb us. This made for some fun pictures! Once we got to T&P and were waiting to walk into the reception, one of the station employees approached us and asked if we wanted to come take some pictures on the tracks. This was an awesome experience and resulted in some of my most favorite pictures from the day.

Last but not least, what is your favorite local Funky Town (AKA Fort Worth) date night spot? Either for happy hour, dinner or entertainment.

Ethan and I LOVE Rodeo Goat. We have been there more times than we can count. You can’t beat a good burger, some cheese fries, and a Texas beer. Our favorites are the Sugar Burger, Royale with Cheese, and the Whiskey Burger. During hatch chili season, the Chupacabra is the best. We also had our first date at La Familia and go there anytime we are craving Mexican food. Ethan goes for the chicken enchiladas, and my favorite is the chile rilleno. Lastly, when we want to enjoy the weather and sit on a patio, our go-to is the Flying Saucer. We have both finished multiple plates and enjoy trying new craft beers. Afterwards, we love walking around Sundance Square, especially during the holiday season.