BBHO Winter 2011 : Page 82

Mariel Stucky & BoBBy Sawicki J uly 9 , 2 0 11 The Luckiest Ones Two meant-to-be A&M grads celebrate their fate, exchanging vows in a whimsical, vintage-chic summer wedding. | By Natalie Bogan Morgan | | Photography by Hazel West Photography | A series of missed connections couldn’t stop a destined romance between Mariel Stucky, 25, and Bobby Sawicki, 26. They attended Texas A&M University at the same time. They studied in the same management class, attended the same sorority and fraternity events and even shared many of the same friends. Yet, in four years of mirroring each other’s moves, the pair never met. After graduating in 2008, they each followed their careers to Houston. Armed with an accounting degree and a master’s in finance, Sawicki took an investment job at a private equity firm, while Stucky pursued a position with Customer Marketing Group. Though they still lived in close proximity to each other—less than a mile apart—it was a springtime crawfish boil at Armadillo Palace 82 s p r i ng / su mme r 2 0 1 2

The Luckiest Ones

Natalie Bogan Morgan

Two meant-to-be A&M grads celebrate their fate, exchanging vows in a whimsical, vintage-chic summer wedding. A series of missed connections couldn’t stop a destined romance between Mariel Stucky, 25, and Bobby Sawicki, 26. They attended Texas A&M University at the same time. They studied in the same management class, attended the same sorority and fraternity events and even shared many of the same friends. Yet, in four years of mirroring each other’s moves, the pair never met. After graduating in 2008, they each followed their careers to Houston. Armed with an accounting degree and a master’s in finance, Sawicki took an investment job at a private equity firm, while Stucky pursued a position with Customer Marketing Group. Though they still lived in close proximity to each other—less than a mile apart—it was a springtime crawfish boil at Armadillo Palace Several months later that finally brought the pair together. “After a group of us hung out that afternoon,” she recounts, “I totally had a crush on Bobby by the end of the night.” Turns out, he liked her too, and they began dating. The relationship thrived, even when Stucky went back to their alma mater for her master’s in marketing. She returned to Houston after nine months for a summer internship and, little did she know, a proposal. “Since my parents live overseas, we’d sort of talked about how nice it would be if he could do it when my family was in town,” she recounts. “They were going to be here that summer and again for Christmas. I thought it was going to be Christmas.” But with a little setup help from Stucky’s friend Tiffany, Sawicki planned his candlelit proposal for July 4—after watching the fireworks together. “We came back earlier than Tiffany expected, so she didn’t have any candles lit yet,” Stucky remembers. “Bobby went to open the front door, but she deadbolted it from the inside.” Completely perplexed, Stucky admits that they tried the courtyard door—and that’s where she discovered a petal-and-picturecovered table. “I figured out what was going on and started crying,” she says. “It didn’t go exactly as he had planned, but it was really sweet and romantic—and a surprise.” Soon after she said yes, they started making plans for a July 2011 ceremony, enlisting planner Kelly Balfour of Eventology Weddings to help choreograph the vintagechic affair with a cheerful turquoise-and-pink color scheme. “I didn’t want it to be too much baby-boy blue and baby-girl pink,” Stucky says. “I decided to focus on the blue and brown with hints of the pink everywhere.” To set the tone, she recruited Illinoisbased paper designer Lindsay Letters to produce her letterpress invitations. “Each came in a brown kraft envelope with vintage stamps and beautiful white calligraphy,” Balfour says.“Inside, the letterpress cards were held together with a burlap band. It gave the perfect glimpse of what was to come.” They also asked the designer to create an ‘S’ emblem so they could monogram some of the day’s décor. “I had it made into a custom rubber stamp and used it on the beverage napkins, candy favor bags, kraft paper cones for the rose petal toss and on our thank-you cards,” Stucky says.The couple also implemented paper pinwheels, flags and signs throughout the festivities to add to the vintage, handmade feel. The bride carried pink peonies to offset her lacy, ruffled gown and her six bridesmaids wore strapless turquoise frocks to the ceremony at Downtown’s First Methodist Houston.Afterward, the 140 guests hit the Museum District and convened at The Parador, where they snacked on crab cake and baked brie hors d’oeuvres by Behind the Bash catering. Carrying out the vintage theme, Balfour teamed up with Recollection Vintage Rentals.“We added a few special touches, like the doors behind the candy bar and the fireplace that was the backdrop for the cake.” She decked the tables with glimmering mercury glass candles, vintage books and antique wooden crates. “We kept the burlap touches throughout,” says Balfour, who had custom runners made and included burlap-wrapped accents at each table. Along with the delightful décor, guests enjoyed a decadent menu of chicken Toscana, white truffle mac ‘n’ cheese and herb-crusted roast beef—plus, the three-tier buttercream confection from Cakes by Gina, which was accented in the day’s signature pink peonies. DJ Brothers played a mix of jazz classics, and the couple chose Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest” for their first of many dances. After hours of revelry with friends and family, they departed in a Porsche 911 convertible as guests showered them in a cascade of rose petals.

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