Love Built on Faith | Southern Illinois Wedding
Meet the Couple
Angel Guerrero
Syriah Bayles (Carbondale, IL)
How they Met
We met at a church conference in Prescott, Arizona in January 2016. He says he wanted to marry me from the moment we first met but we both really didn’t fall in love until that summer in July.
The Proposal
The proposal was actually at a Mexican restaurant. We went out with a lot of friends and family and I thought we were celebrating his birthday. The waiter came out with his dessert plate everybody started yelling, “Speech, speech!” He stood up and started to give a little speech and turned it into a proposal. It was really sweet. I did not have any idea he was going to propose. And definitely didn’t think he would do it at a Mexican restaurant. (haha!) My dad was in town for the day and had to leave for work again that night. Angel wanted to make sure all my family was there to celebrate with us.
The Venue
We got married at my church because it meant a lot to me. My parents had gotten married in the same church by the same pastor 25 years earlier. It was special to do the same.
Wedding Inspiration
Honestly, there is not a specific wedding inspiration. A lot of the colors and decorations just came to me piece by piece. I had help from a family friend because I had no idea what my wedding was going to look like. All I knew was the colors I wanted in it. The rest was really a mystery all the way up until the end, but I couldn’t have been happier with the way it all turned out.
Favorite Part
My favorite part of our wedding was in the middle of our ceremony. Before exchanging rings, Angel and I took turns sharing all that God had done in our lives, and how he brought us together. It meant a lot for both of us to be able to share our faith with all of our friends and family.
Memorable Moment
One moment that stands out from our wedding day is probably at the end. I remember leaving the reception and getting back to the cabin house where the wedding party had been staying. I flopped down on the couch in my wedding dress with a sigh of relief. Everything had gone well, everything had turned out better than I thought it would, and I was finally married to the love of my life. I just sat there for a minute taking it all in. Almost as if I had been holding my breath all day and then I could finally breathe.
Advice
My advice is to not stress and freak out over little details. Enjoy the moment. Yes, planning a wedding can be stressful. Yes, it can be exhuasting and sometimes seem never-ending. However, your wedding day will come and go. Make sure you enjoy that day and every second in it. Not everything will go exactly the way you wanted, it might even go better than you thought it would. Do not stress the day of your wedding; what’s done is done. Enjoy every moment of the day you marry your best friend.
Vendors
Photographer: Shannin Schulz of Our Unforgettable Moments in Chandler, Arizona // Wedding Dress: Wedding Gallery in St. Charles, MO // Pizza Buffet: Primo’s Pizza // Flower Arrangements, Wedding Cake, Makeup, Hair, Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Contributed by family and friends.