The bride was stunning in Vera Wang and a beaming smile on her face. Her dark brown hair was swept up under an angelic tulle veil. Chandeliers and string lights glowed above the couple, and loved ones looked on as they held hands and exchanged vows. For Stacey, everything else melted away, and all she could think about was her life with Adam. In fact, Stacey was so focused on her groom that she didn’t even hear the officiant telling her what vows to say! “I said, ‘I have no idea what you just said.’ The room laughed because it was so genuine and clear that all my attention was on Adam,” Stacey says. “Adam’s eyes were so locked into mine. I had waited for him my whole life.” The blissful moment was just one of many that night for Stacey and Adam, who’d fallen in love so easily and quickly, just like a beautiful love story.
Stacey and Adam met in October 2013 at a leadership class they attended in Los Angeles. They clicked instantly and both admit on the day they met, they knew they were going to be together. “Adam has mastered the art of being joyful. He oozes it. He can make every moment better by seeing the beauty that exists in the world and in people,” Stacey says. After just four months of dating, Adam was ready to pop the question. “She radiates love and brings it out in me,” Adam says. He describes the day of the proposal one of the “most emotionally charged” experiences of his life. In a romantic yet understated way, Adam showed up at Stacey’s home with the burning question on his mind. “It wasn’t until the words actually passed through my lips that it became real,” Adam remembers. In Stacey’s kitchen, he asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. She immediately kissed him and said, “Yes! Yes! I would love to be your wife!”
The couple wanted their wedding to be a reflection of each of their personalities. Choosing a venue wasn’t easy at first because they both had family and friends all over the country. Stacey went to the University of Texas and decided Austin with all its charm would be perfect for the most special day of her life. (It helped that it was a central location, too!) After checking out several venues, the couple booked the Allan House in downtown Austin. It was the ideal setting for a sophisticated black and white wedding in the heart of a town that oozes hospitality and southern flair. One important item on Stacey’s to do list was had been crossed off nearly a dozen years before – her wedding dress! She saw the classic Vera Wang and knew she had to have it. “The diaphanous tulle was my favorite part since it reminded me of cotton candy. I wanted to feel like a queen and wear something that I would never get to wear otherwise,” Stacey says. The gown stayed in her closet for years until she found her perfect match.
In February 2015, friends and family gathered in Austin for a full weekend of wedding festivities. The couple didn’t want the celebration to just be one night. Instead, they hosted a three day celebration that started the Thursday before the ceremony. Parties, breakfasts, dinners and a trip to Salt Lake in Mesquite prefaced the beautiful wedding that Saturday night. At half past six on February 22, just fewer than 75 guests gathered to witness the union of Stacey Storey and Adam Ward. Everything reflected the key descriptions the coupled wanted: fun, romantic, intimate, hip, creative, eclectic, and whimsical. Stacey surprised her groom in her stunning Vera Wang she’d waited so long to wear. Her strapless ivory gown with its full skirt and jeweled crumb catcher was breathtaking. It was one of Adam’s favorite moments. He and his groomsmen wore classic black and white tuxes, and Stacey’s bridesmaids were beautiful in Monique Lhuillier gowns in varying colors. The ceremony was so personal with Stacey’s Thai heritage and Adam’s Jewish background intertwined in the details. To involve their friends, they had them tie strings around the bride and groom’s wrists and give their blessings. Stacey and Adam exchanged heartfelt vows, and the officiant pronounced them husband and wife. Adam could finally kiss his bride. “I wanted to take in that moment so I could remember it for the rest of my life,” Stacey remembers.
The reception was filled with dancing, laughter, and delicious southern food. “Our bellies had a full on love affair with the Austin food scene,” Adam says. During cocktail hour, guests savored soul food with Thai twists and made their way to the photo booth for fun pictures. By then the bride had changed into her reception gown designed by California designer Kirstie Kelly that she’d added gorgeous straps to and was ideal for dancing up a storm! After Stacey and Adam danced their first dance to “Moon River,” he kept the crowd entertained by rapping! The couple savored their one on one time with their loved ones. “Every person we loved and that was in our life was having the time of their life with us. I turned to my bridesmaid and said, ‘this is the best day of my life,’” Stacey remembers.
To end the evening, everyone gathered with sparklers to make an aisle for the couple to promenade out to the 1956 Rolls Royce getaway car. In the glow, the bride and groom could be seen beaming ear to ear, completely living in the moment they’d waited so long for. “Stacey cares about everything… she is in constant give mode. She does these huge things in small moments all the time,” Adam says. “He’s the shining example of what’s possible,” Stacey says. And in that moment, everything melted away again for the newlyweds, just as it had when they exchanged vows. They knew they were blessed to get to share life together, as enamored of each other as the day they first met and knew fate had worked its charm.
Brides of Austin Featured Vendors
accommodations / HOTEL SAINT CECILIA
cakes, dessert bar, favors / GREEN LILY BAKERY
decor/rentals, lighting / LOOT VINTAGE RENTALS
decor/rentals / MARQUEE EVENT GROUP
photography / MINT PHOTOGRAPHY
wedding planner / WESTCOTT WEDDINGS
other local vendors: The Allan House • Makeup by Adrienne • ROAR • Bristol Lane • Le Photo Booth Company • Antique Limousines of Austin • A Fabulous Fete • The Peached Tortilla • Firehouse Libations • Peace and Bricks • Byrne Rock • Emily Wolfe • Blushing Bloom
Other Local Vendors:
Tailor James Photography, Westcott Weddings, Green Lily Bakery, The Allan House, Antique Limousines Of Austin, Hotel Saint Cecilia, ROAR Salon, Bristol Lane Floral Design
