A mix of classic elegance and Brazilian flavor, Katy and Ruan’s Charlotte wedding was a true reflection of them as a couple. This is something that became even more meaningful when, due to COVID, Ruan’s entire family couldn’t make the trip to Charlotte.
Shares Katy, “Incorporating Ruan’s culture and family was just as important to me as anything. One of our two readings during the ceremony was in Portuguese, our first dance was to a Brazilian song, there was a lot of Brazilian and Latin music played during the reception, and we were able to have an outdoor grill food station with Brazilian steak. I don’t think the wedding could have been a better example of how we want to live our life together.”
As someone who rarely got fancy, Katy was extra nervous about wedding dress shopping, but all that changed when she walked into Bellissima! Owner Monica helped her create a custom gown in which she felt the most herself—a blend of our Revel gown and Lourdes lace (which she loved on sight!).
For more details about Katy and Ruan’s day, including a wardrobe snafu that tops them all (it involved the wrong-sized suit being sent for Ruan and an emergency shoestring/safety pin situation, ladies!), read on!
How did you guys get engaged?
“We got engaged on November 7th, 2020 and Ruan surprised me in our backyard with some friends and family and proposed! I had worked the whole day and was exhausted, but it was also the same day that the 2020 US Presidential election results were officially announced, which for us was an exciting day, so we were already planning on celebrating. It just happened that he had planned for friends and family to be there anyway, so it was the perfect cover—I really didn’t expect anything.”
wedding dress: custom Lea-Ann Belter Bridal gown via Bellissima Bridal | photographer: Haylie Noelle Photography | full vendor list below
How did you choose your gown?
“My mom, best friend/MOH, and I went to Bellissima Bridal in Winston-Salem, NC as a practice round to just get used to trying on dresses—I was so nervous! I don’t dress up very often and I was worried that I would look ridiculous in a fancy dress. Monica, the owner, made it so easy and comfortable and she brought me the Revel dress to try on. I loved it immediately but felt like it needed something else. I saw the Lourdes dress on the rack and fell in love with the fabric and the style of the lace. I wanted lace, but the others that I had tried on felt too formal for me and the Lourdes was so perfect I almost just chose that one (it’s strapless which I don’t feel comfortable in but loved the fabric so much I almost just went with it). Monica then told me that the dresses were from the same designer and that maybe she could do something custom. So then, while we were in the store, Monica called and confirmed that the Revel could be made with the Lourdes lace and what started as a practice run ended up with me leaving just having ordered my dream dress!”
What was your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?
“My something old and something blue was a piece of my grandmother’s wedding dress in the shape of a heart sewed into the back of my dress with a tiny blue bow that came from her garter, and my veil had a piece of my mom’s veil from her wedding (that just happened to match the Lourdes fabric!). My something borrowed was a beautiful diamond necklace made up of diamonds from my mother and my grandmother’s jewelry. My grandmother passed several years ago, so it was so nice that she could be with us in that way on my wedding day. My something new was my STUNNING dress, there couldn’t be anything better!”
Tell us about your day!
“We were affected by Covid like many other couples during this time. The health and safety of our friends and family was our top priority and so we asked for guests to provide proof of vaccination and/or negative test results prior to the wedding. We are blessed with friends and family that came from all over to help us celebrate safely.
Ruan is from Brazil but because of Covid, none of his family could make the trip. It was so hard to have such a wonderful celebration without them there, but his mother, father, and sister all had sent in videos that we got to play during the speeches at the reception and we streamed the ceremony on Instagram so that they could be there and see as much as they could.
Incorporating Ruan’s culture and family was just as important to me as anything. One of our two readings during the ceremony was in Portuguese, our first dance was to a Brazilian song, there was a lot of Brazilian and Latin music played during the reception, and we were able to have an outdoor grill food station with Brazilian steak. I don’t think the wedding could have been a better example of how we want to live our life together.”
What was the funniest moment of your day?
“After the ceremony, I found out that Ruan had been given the wrong size tux from the rental company and there wasn’t enough time to get a new one, so he had attached his shirt to his pants with safety pins and tied his pants around with a shoestring to make sure that nothing fell down or looked ill-fitting. He also didn’t get a tie with his tux so he had to wear a different one than the rest of the groomsmen (you can only tell if you look really closely haha).”
What was your first dance song?
“We danced to a Brazilian song, A Vida E um Rio by Raffa Torres.”
wedding dress: custom Lea-Ann Belter Bridal gown via Bellissima Bridal | photographer: Haylie Noelle Photography | day of coordination/planning: Precious Time Events | venue: The Collector’s Room by Beau Monde | makeup and hair: Glow Beauty | calligraphy: Calligraphy by Carole | florals: Sally McKelvey | caterer: Roots Catering | ceremony music: Deans Duets | reception music: DJ Ruhnit from Split Second Sound
