Elise Cunha was an hour late for her first date with Jackson Hedden.
Well, sort of.
A month prior, they met on Hinge and scheduled a date when Elise returned home to Birmingham after traveling. Elise didn’t hear from Jackson again after that. Even on the day of their scheduled date, crickets. Elise assumed Jackson had ghosted her. That night, Elise went out with friends instead, who coincidentally decided to go to Carrigan’s, the bar where she and Jackson had planned to meet. “I texted him, just in case, and said, ‘We’re not meeting, right?’” Jackson replied immediately, “What do you mean? I’m here.”
When Elise finally arrived at Carrigan’s with her friends, Jackson had ordered one of everything off the menu to ensure she was taken care of. He was also there with friends, so the couple’s crew got to be a part of their memorable first date.
“They all still make fun of me for being an hour late for our first date,” Elise shares.
That was in 2020. Elise has never been late for a date again.
Fast-forward to 2022. Jackson and Elise had yet another memorable date, this time ending with a proposal. They went out for a meal at Automatic Seafood, and Jackson slyly roped in a neighboring table to take video as he pretended to go to the restroom. He then positioned himself, kneeling behind Elise. Someone tapped her shoulder and told her to turn around, and there he was.
“Everyone was clapping. I got so nervous that I could not even stand and move. I just said, ‘Come back here and sit!’” Elise shares with a laugh. “He said, ‘What’s your answer?’ and I said, ‘Yes, I do, but many people are looking at us right now, so I can’t move!’”
The couple worked with Kindred Weddings to plan their big day at the Birmingham Museum of Art. “We wanted to have a wedding outside,” Elise explains. “We visited many places, but none of them felt right or unique. Jack went to art school, which is where the idea of something more artistic came from. When we got to the museum, we said, ‘This is it!’”
Flowers from CS Floral Design beautifully tied in the vibrancy of the museum without stealing focus. “I love flowers and colors. They always make me happy,” Elise tells us. “However, since we were around many colors in the museum and didn’t know which art would be exposed then, we tried to get more neutral colors … and bring more attention to the blue and pink flowers since we chose blue for the wedding party.”
For her dress, Elise trusted the talented team at The White Room to help her find The One, but it wasn’t what she had initially had in mind. “Everything that I had thought I wanted didn’t look good,” she explains. “So after many trials, this was the one that felt like it was made for me.”
The couple exchanged traditional vows before 80 guests in the museum’s sculpture gardens. The combination of gorgeous weather and the museum’s artful influences was everything Elise and Jackson had hoped for.
After an ethereal ceremony, everyone made their way to the museum’s 8th Avenue Lobby for a cocktail hour and enjoyed champagne, margaritas, and whiskey.
Dinner featured a cultural culinary fusion, including burgers, tacos, and various dishes featuring chicken, crab, and shrimp. Guests danced the night away with a live band and enjoyed hilariously touching speeches from the couple’s nearest and dearest.
Sugar and Stems beautifully combined Elise and Jackson’s tastes in their bride’s cake and groom’s macaron tower. “He loves red velvet, so the cake was red velvet,” Elise explains. “I love strawberry cake, so we got strawberry macarons since we were unsure if people would like strawberry cake. [That way], we both could have something that we wanted.”
After a picture-perfect day, the couple headed off to Hawaii on their honeymoon. Thank you for sharing your story and big day with us, Elise and Jackson!
RESOURCES
Venue: Birmingham Museum of Art
Photographer: Abby Lee Photography
Planner: Kindred Weddings
Bride’s Gown: The White Room
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bella’s Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Caitlyn at Asia Nicola
Groom’s Formalwear: Shaia’s
Groomsmen: Jos A Bank
Stationery: AP Prints
Flowers: CS Floral Design
Catering: Kathy G & Co.
Entertainment: Tasteful Tea
Cake: Sugar and Stems
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