Jozaier and Alyssa Du’Glas
TELL US ABOUT YOUR LOVE STORY!
How did you meet?
We first met in high school! I was shy and quiet while Alyssa was sociable and outgoing. We had to do a physics project together and she ended up trying to get me to sing along to a rap song that just came out by my favorite artist (Drake). Eventually, I reluctantly started singing along with her. Her sociable nature drew me in and captivated my self-persevered heart. We didn’t talk much after that encounter, but I never forgot that special encounter. She was beautiful, energetic, and undeniably confident in herself. We went our separate ways after high school. She stayed in San Antonio, going to UTSA and I went to college out of state (West Chester University). We saw each other at parties when I would come home throughout college, and we still never got our chance. Years later, after graduating college, we met up with a group of friends at a bar and talked all night long. I told her how that one conversation in high school always stuck with me, and asked her if she would like to go on a date. Our first date was at Grimaldi’s (her favorite pizza place). After that we had gym dates, and would sometimes stay-in cooking steaks and drinking our favorite wines. We became inseparable. We had a lot of fun and fell in love very quickly. After about a month of dating, I asked her to be my girlfriend. We started talking about our future together and knew we wanted forever with each other. Three months later, we received unexpected news that we knew was going to change our lives together. We found out we were pregnant and started planning for a baby. I knew that I wanted to marry Alyssa, and I was prepared to step up for my new family. We started planning a wedding and setting up doctor appointments. When we went into the doctor’s office there was no heartbeat. We were devastated. As dark as these days were, we learned to lean on each other as a couple. Months of grief went by with both of us trying to deal with our loss. Alyssa knew the Lord and believed that His plan was greater than what our physical eyes could see. We came to a place where we both fell on our knees surrendering our grief to Him. I received the Lord and gave my life to him. God began working in both our lives. We became very involved in our church and received six months of pre-marital counseling where we learned what a marriage truly is in the eyes of God.
How did he propose?
Alyssa’s best friend planned an ice dinner with friends on a Friday and they had to make a quick stop at her parent’s house to get something. To her surprise, her favorite song Me and You was playing and there were white flower pedals and candles leading to the balcony. I was waiting for her there. The spectacular view of the city, an entirely transformed living room and a beautiful sunset made the moment extraordinary. She approached me and I was awestruck by her appearance. I began to tell her how much I loved her when my nerves got the most of me. We stood in silence a moment when Alyssa broke the silence by saying,, “Hi!” with a beautiful smile. Once I gathered myself together I asked her to marry me and she told me yes. Following this, our photographer took photos and we celebrated with family members. It truly felt like the beginning of the best days of our lives.
Describe your wedding planning process
Who helped with the planning?
My husband, Jozaier, my mom, my best friend, my cousin, and my wedding planner.
Did you hire a planner or day-of-coordinator?
Our wedding planner was also our day-of-coordinator!
Did you DIY any aspect of your wedding?
Yes! My best friend works on graphics and DIYed our signages, the drink menu, thank you cards, and welcome signs.
Did you have a specific theme?
We were going for a spring, indoor/outdoor ambiance.
Where did you save the most?
We saved a lot with the bar by paying for signature drinks and beer/wine while letting out guests pay for other options. Our signature drinks included a pickled ranch water, a grapefruit old-fashioned, and even a lavender lemonade mocktail for our dog.
Where did you splurge?
We splurged with our beautiful floral and decor! It completed our theme perfectly!
Why did you choose your venue?
We chose our venue because of its scenic beauty and family friendly atmosphere. Willow Ridge is a place we can go back to celebrate and even take our future family one day. Also, the staff was amazing! Bev and Jody took good care of us and it was a pleasure working with them.
xDid you incorporate any special traditions or sentimental details in your ceremony or reception?
Our ceremony began with our moms pouring colored sand into two cylinders signifying our two separate lives. Then, we mixed the sand together by shaking vigorously as our officiant explained that now we can no longer be separate just as the sand cannot.
We also tied a triple knotted cord to symbolize the Ecclesiastes triple knotted cord in the bible, signifying the message of one rope being the groom, the second rope being the bride, and the third being God.
During the reception, we surprised Alyssa’s parents with a first dance since they never had the pleasure of having one before since they got married in Vegas!
We also had a memorial table for our grandparents who were not at our celebration.
What was your most stressful decision?
My most stressful decision was creating a seating chart and utilizing the full capacity of each table. So much thought and organization goes into that task!
What turned out to be your best decision surrounding the big day?
Our best decision was personalizing and writing our own vows to memorize and say to each other in front of everyone. We loved the intimacy and being able to share that with all of our friends and family.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
We could have been wiser in choosing our initial selection of individuals in our wedding party. Unfortunately, one of the groomsmen unexpectedly let us down by not getting fitted and not informing us that he could not make it to the wedding. Thankfully, one of Alyssa’s cousins had everything he needed to fill the spot in the wedding party.
Tell Us About...
Your dress:
When looking for a dress, I didn’t think I was the type of person who would cry when I found “the dress”, but wow I was wrong. I wanted to go for a timeless dress, something that would look good in any time period. I was in between two dresses and kept going back and forth trying on both dresses. I finally picked my dress and was ready to pay and check it off my list. Earlier last year, before miscarrying, I decided I was going to name our child Estelle, similar to my mother’s name Estella. The lady checking me out knew my mom’s name and said, “Huh, this dress’s name is similar to yours. The dress’ s name is Estelle.” Immediately myself and everyone that came with me started crying! I believe in that moment God was letting me know that the child we lost was going to be a part of our special day. This was one of my favorite moments leading up to the wedding. In addition to my dress journey, some advice I would give to future brides is to not get overwhelmed with TikTok. I would look at incredible dresses on TikTok and then look at my very simple dress and feel like I wanted a little more. I knew my dress was the one for me, but I wanted to add something to make it custom. Within a month of the wedding I went back to Brides by Elizabeth. I thought they would think I was crazy for wanting to change something on my dress. The owner, Teresa, was inspired and said “Let’s have some fun!” Not everyone would take on a challenge this big in a short amount of time, and she made all of my dreams come true. I gave her creative freedom and she knew exactly what I wanted. She flew in the same lace from my veil that same week and we definitely had a lot of fun. We played with fabric, visualizing all the different ways we could customize my one of a kind dress. My dress was absolutely perfect and unique. When I tried it on again with everything completed, I looked at myself in the mirror and was full of tears. Tears of gratitude for the hard times, the sorrows,and the beauty in our story. Tears of happiness for our future.
Your flowers:
We wanted a spring wedding with yellow flowers, hints of blue, and a lot of greenery. We gave creative freedom to our florist and it was a joy working with Mario. He is a preferred vendor at Willow Ridge and I knew I wanted someone familiar with the venue that would be able to elevate it. He was amazing in putting his touch into the designs. and welcome. It was so convenient having him do it all. His wonderful ideas made it easy to put my full trust in him!
The Food:
We met with River City catering at one of the vendor fairs at Willow Ridge. They had a wide array of different samples including salmon, bacon wrapped chicken, barbeque pork sliders, and other appetizers. We were impressed with the bacon wrapped chicken so we ended up ordering them as appetizers for our cocktail hour. Alyssa and I wanted to taste the other options they had on the menu so we scheduled a tasting at their kitchen. Trisha in particular was tremendously helpful. Our final decision for the reception dinner was nachos, street tacos, barbeque pork slides, and quesadillas served buffet style. Trisha also added a late night snack for our guests that mimicked the well-known Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit from Whataburger. Throughout all the dishes prepared, my wife and I were impressed with the quality of the food and the professionalism of the staff.
The cake:
Alyssa and I met Sylvia at the same vendor fair at Willow Ridge where we got to see what Guiltless Goodies had to offer. We were immediately infatuated with the cake shooters that she made as samples of various cake flavors. Early on, I decided that I wanted her Biscoff cookie butter cake to be my groom’s cake since I have always loved Biscoff cookies. Sylvia also graciously invited us to her house where we saw her kitchen and tried the rest of the cake flavors that were not at the vendor fair. My wife chose a white wedding with raspberry and marble twist (vanilla and strawberry) with fresh fruit filling prepared as a four-tier cake. We also ordered Oreo cake shooters since we both enjoyed that flavor as well. Guiltless Goodies was incredible and delivered our cakes on time to our venue without any complications.
Recap your big day for us
What made you laugh?
The best man speech ended up being one of the most notorious events of the night. He had the crowd laughing at the end of every sentence that came out of his mouth. The speech started off heartfelt, deep, and sentimental by acknowledging the loved ones that could not be there that night. However, right after this introduction he proceeded to tell everyone, “For those of you that do not know me, I am single.” This transition lightened the mood and sent everyone into contagious laughter. He proceeded to lie about his occupation by telling everyone that he is a pediatric surgeon and he volunteers at a local pet shelter in his spare time. After this, he said, “But for those of you that do know me, please keep your mouth shut.” It was hysterical!
What made you cry?
Before the ceremony, every time someone prayed over us we became overwhelmed with tears. Of course, tears of happiness, joy, and gratefulness. Hearing the words of people blessing our marriage brought us a profound amount of thankfulness and relieved us of any nervous energy. During the ceremony, seeing the groomsmen in my party made me emotional since it exhibited the amount of support Alyssa and I had on our big day.
Did anything unexpected happen?
A family came with their children and a stroller when we were only expecting adults. It turned out just fine, but it was something we didn’t plan on happening.
What’s the best advice you can give a bride and groom planning their wedding?
Our best advice is to enjoy the planning process, to take marital classes or meet with your officiant to prepare you, and enjoy your special day!
Local Vendors:
Wedding Venue: Willow Ridge
Reception Venue: Willow Ridge
Officiate: Bishop Charles Flowers
Photographer: Lomonico Photography
Caterer: River City Catering
Florist: The Flower Guy
Cake/Dessert: Guiltless Goodies
Decor/Signage: The Flower Guy
Rentals: Peekabooth
Bridal Shop: Brides by Elizabeth
Makeup Artist: Angelica Pavlova
Hair Stylist: MP Hair Design
Bartending/Beverage Service: Willow Ridge
Videographer: Osteguin Media Company
Music/Entertainment: Ritmo Loco DJ
Wedding Music:
Processional: Firm Foundation by Chandler Moore and Cody Carnes (Lisa Lopez played piano live and sung)
Bride’s Entrance: Gratitude by Brandon Lake (Lisa Lopez played piano live and sung)
Recessional: Marry You by Bruno Mars (Lisa Lopez played piano live and sung)
First Dance: Best Friend by Tim McGraw
Bride’s Parent’s First Dance: Lagrimas by Alegria Fama
Father/Daughter Dance: I Loved Her First by Heartland
Mother/Son Dance: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Last Dance: Dia with a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Grand Exit: Feel so Close by Calvin Harris
