"Krystle & Billy decided to get married at USC, their alma mater. Their love story began way before their college days as high school sweethearts, where they met during football and cheer practice. (Billy stumbled onto Krystle while chasing after the football, so cute!). 12 years later, on their anniversary, they vowed to continue to love one another for eternity.
A traditional catholic mass took place at the church located on campus, Our Savior Parish Church. Krystle wore a Hayley Paige gown that sparkled as she walked down the aisle, to her emotional and sweet husband.
The reception took place at the Town & Gown Ballroom on campus. The color palette for the wedding was blush pink mixed in with the USC maroon. During their grand entrance, Krystle & Billy decided to surprise their guests with the USC marching band marching behind them. Everyone chanted "fight on" while holding up their victory "V's." This was a fun and spirited way to invite their wedding guests to feel the USC spirt." -Jessica Lynn Photography
A traditional catholic mass took place at the church located on campus, Our Savior Parish Church. Krystle wore a Hayley Paige gown that sparkled as she walked down the aisle, to her emotional and sweet husband.
The reception took place at the Town & Gown Ballroom on campus. The color palette for the wedding was blush pink mixed in with the USC maroon. During their grand entrance, Krystle & Billy decided to surprise their guests with the USC marching band marching behind them. Everyone chanted "fight on" while holding up their victory "V's." This was a fun and spirited way to invite their wedding guests to feel the USC spirt." -Jessica Lynn Photography
SHARE YOUR LOVE STORY:
Billy proposed to me during a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii on July 3, 2015. We had just arrived at a luau at Paradise Cove and after stopping to grab some mai tais and our leis, Billy thought it would be a great idea to walk along the beach and take pictures before the luau started. Since he had been there with his family before, I thought nothing of it, but as he went to take a picture of me along the water, he dropped down to his knee and asked me to marry him. He hired a photographer who had been hiding on the shore to capture the moment and it was such a sweet and exhilarating day I will never forget.
HOW LONG WAS YOUR ENGAGEMENT?
We were engaged for about one year and eight months.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR THEME/STYLE FOR YOUR WEDDING:
Since our wedding was at USC, I felt that we needed to have a style and color scheme that would complement the cardinal and gold colors throughout the ballroom and campus. I chose a color palette of dusty rose, rose gold, gold, ivory and pops of marsala. I didn’t want everything to be too matchy, so our florals were a beautiful romantic mix of the entire palette. Our style was a mix of elegance, romance and glam with playful personal touches that made it our own. I wanted our wedding day to feel personal and fun, so there were accenting gold and metallic details throughout. Our Goldendoodle pup, Leo, wasn’t able to take part in our wedding day so we made sure to incorporate him as part of our guestbook poster, cake topper and prop for the photo booth. He was a big hit! The bridesmaids wore dusty rose and the groomsmen were in tune with their traditional black tuxedos. My mom wore rose gold to complement my wedding dress which had rose gold and crystal embellishments. Many of our family members and guests wore colors within the palette as well.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF WEDDING PLANNING? WHAT WAS THE MOST STRESSFUL?
I would say my favorite part of the wedding planning was planning the details. I had visions of the florals, signage and décor and it was fun picking everything out and seeing my vision come to life. I had put a mood board together for my bridal party with ideas for hair, makeup, shoes, nail polish and jewelry and it was so fun to see each of my girls pick their own individual style while still blending together perfectly with the wedding. I also really enjoyed meeting our vendors. We had such a great team of young, ambitious and dedicated vendors. Everyone we hired was so passionate about their craft and I knew on our big day, it was going to be amazing to have them work all together.
One of the most stressful parts of the wedding planning was the guest list. Billy and I both come from very large Hispanic families, so it was tough trying to cut down the list. We are the first and oldest children in our immediate families to get married and the first grandchildren. We initially wanted a wedding of 175 guests, which quickly turned into a guest list of 260. We ended up having 240 guests at our wedding.
FAVORITE WEDDING DAY MOMENTS:
There were so many memorable parts of our wedding day. Some of my favorites include: getting ready in the bridal suite in the morning with the bridal party, my mom and new mother-in-law. I really wanted everyone to be relaxed and feel pampered. With the help of my dad and brother, we set up a mimosa bar with breakfast and it was so fun listening to music, chatting and getting ready together. It helped calm my nerves leading up to the big day. Also that morning, I gave my parents and brother a gift from me. We are a super close family and had really been looking forward to this day. We were all so emotional, but it was such a special, quiet moment before the whirlwind of the day ahead.Walking down the aisle was probably one of my most favorite memories. I didn’t know how Billy was going to react since he isn’t always emotional. He even joked to me days before the wedding and said he would cry if I wanted him to. We decided against doing a first look as we wanted to keep it traditional before our Catholic ceremony. My dad walked me down the aisle and I wasn’t able to see Billy’s face until I got about halfway. Billy was sobbing. It was completely unexpected and was such a genuine emotion. I am normally the more emotional type and I tried so hard to hold back the tears. It was a moment we had been waiting for; twelve years in the making, as we got married on our twelve year anniversary to the day. It was such an overwhelming feeling being surrounded by everyone that we love to celebrate the day we became husband and wife. In that moment, it felt like this is where we were supposed to be and it was always each other. When the ceremony was over and we exited the church, we had planned for a mariachi band to start playing when the church doors opened. Since we were the first to exit, the music started and it was so much fun seeing our entire family and friends exit and greet us as we listened to the music playing. It was such a whirlwind of hugs and congratulations and a great start to the exciting night ahead.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING VENUE?
We chose our wedding venue—USC Our Savior Parish for the ceremony and USC Town & Gown Ballroom for our reception—because Billy and I both attended USC for college. USC holds a special place in our hearts and we are HUGE football fans (us along with both of our families are season ticket holders every year). Billy also played football at USC, so it only felt right to have it at a place that was meaningful to us on so many levels. It just feels like our second home.
Initially we tried looking at other venues and although they were all beautiful, when we stepped onto campus and into the church, we knew this would be the place we would be married. It really felt like “the one”.
Working with the church and reception venue was pretty amazing. Everyone was so helpful and personable, it made wedding planning pretty seamless and they always kept us at ease. USC Town & Gown Ballroom also had everything we were looking for in the package, we didn’t have to worry about booking things separately—from tables, chairs, linens, catering, parking, etc. it was all accessible under one roof and they run their events with such elegance and hospitality.
Initially we tried looking at other venues and although they were all beautiful, when we stepped onto campus and into the church, we knew this would be the place we would be married. It really felt like “the one”.
Working with the church and reception venue was pretty amazing. Everyone was so helpful and personable, it made wedding planning pretty seamless and they always kept us at ease. USC Town & Gown Ballroom also had everything we were looking for in the package, we didn’t have to worry about booking things separately—from tables, chairs, linens, catering, parking, etc. it was all accessible under one roof and they run their events with such elegance and hospitality.
ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER: Jessica Lynn Photography was recommended to me by Christy from Honeycomb Affair. I was in the middle of searching for a wedding photographer and Christy was super helpful. I checked out Jessica’s website and Instagram and fell in love with her work. She uses natural lighting and her photos just seem so natural. When I met with her in person, I knew she was our girl. She is smart, spunky and sweet. Our engagement photo session with her was so much fun and I worked with her for a secret boudoir shoot for my husband. She really knows how to make you feel comfortable and by the time the wedding came around, it was like we knew her for years. Everyone loved her so much that even my maid of honor has already hired her for her own wedding next year!
WHERE DID YOU HONEYMOON?
Billy and I went to Italy. We had never been to Europe before and always dreamed of visiting. We chose to hit a few of the big cities and started our journey in Venice, then on to Florence, Rome, Positano and Capri. It was magical! We were in Italy from April 7th – April 23rd and it was the perfect time to go. The weather was nice without being too hot or cold (colder on the Amalfi coast) and it wasn’t too touristy yet since it was right before the peak season. I will only share some highlights since there are so many great things to share, I could probably write a whole book.
WEDDING PLANNING ADVICE:
My advice, please take one thing at a time. Knock out the big thing first—finding a venue (to accommodate the guest list you have) and everything will follow. We were flexible with our wedding date and randomly it was the only time available in April, which also happened to fall on our anniversary. I guess it was just meant to be!
Make a check list to stay organized and plan to check things off. Make realistic deadlines for yourself. It gets tough planning a wedding with a full time job and other responsibilities, I didn’t want wedding planning to consume me or worse, become a bridezilla. There are so many wedding ideas online and on social media that it can be overwhelming with too many options. But once you pick your venue, it helps craft the style/theme of your day and narrows down the elements from your wedding dress, invitations, décor, etc.
Meet with your vendors and be transparent about what you want. Also it was very important for us to have chemistry. We wanted to be able to work with everyone as if they were our friends and understood our vision. Every single one of our vendors did and it made the day run flawless. Also, hire a wedding coordinator for month of/day of. It really helps alleviate the stress of planning and you don’t have to worry about logistics when you should be focused on other things.
Take some time for yourself. Working out has always been a part of my routine but it was especially nice to zone out for an hour every day and not have to think about wedding planning or other stressors happening around me. Focus on being a better you, not just for your wedding, but for your marriage and future. I hate when I see girls crash diet and look completely different on the day of their wedding than they normally would. I wanted to look like myself and feel comfortable in my own skin for that day and going forward.
Also, on the day of your wedding, take at least ten minutes to yourself in the morning before the day gets hectic. Soak in the moment, take in what is about to happen and reflect. My facialist suggested I do this and she was right. That time to myself before the big event helped calm my nerves, reminded me to be grateful and live in the moment.
Make a check list to stay organized and plan to check things off. Make realistic deadlines for yourself. It gets tough planning a wedding with a full time job and other responsibilities, I didn’t want wedding planning to consume me or worse, become a bridezilla. There are so many wedding ideas online and on social media that it can be overwhelming with too many options. But once you pick your venue, it helps craft the style/theme of your day and narrows down the elements from your wedding dress, invitations, décor, etc.
Meet with your vendors and be transparent about what you want. Also it was very important for us to have chemistry. We wanted to be able to work with everyone as if they were our friends and understood our vision. Every single one of our vendors did and it made the day run flawless. Also, hire a wedding coordinator for month of/day of. It really helps alleviate the stress of planning and you don’t have to worry about logistics when you should be focused on other things.
Take some time for yourself. Working out has always been a part of my routine but it was especially nice to zone out for an hour every day and not have to think about wedding planning or other stressors happening around me. Focus on being a better you, not just for your wedding, but for your marriage and future. I hate when I see girls crash diet and look completely different on the day of their wedding than they normally would. I wanted to look like myself and feel comfortable in my own skin for that day and going forward.
Also, on the day of your wedding, take at least ten minutes to yourself in the morning before the day gets hectic. Soak in the moment, take in what is about to happen and reflect. My facialist suggested I do this and she was right. That time to myself before the big event helped calm my nerves, reminded me to be grateful and live in the moment.
SoCal Bride Recommends:
Photography: Jessica Lynn Photography | Venue & Band: USC | Wedding Planner: Details Darling | Bridesmaids Dresses: Show Me Your Mumus & Adrianna Papell & BHLDN | Wedding Dress: Hayley Paige | Bridal Shoes: Top Shop | Floral Design: Honeycomb Affair | DJ: Vox DJs | Menswear: The Black Tux