Featured Couple: Alysa and Tom
Alysa and Tom’s
Dream Mexico Wedding
Meet Alysa and Tom Gift! They were married on August 3rd, 2018 at the Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa in Tulum, Mexico. Right when they walked in the studio, I could tell they were in it to win it! Tom was especially eager to learn how to dance and lead Alysa on the dance floor (so sweet!). It was fun to watch them laugh and encourage eachother throughout the entire process. They did our Dream Wedding Dance Package that included 7 hours of lessons and believe me when I say their dance was one to be remembered for years to come.
Alysa and Tom were kind enough to share a bit of their story with me and give you some great wedding planning advice from their own personal experience. Enjoy!
How did you meet the love of your life (in 4 sentences or less)?
Thomas and I "met" in New York City outside the Nebraska Husker bar, where we were both came to support our hometown team. We had several mutual acquaintances, but never met in the traditional sense until that moment in September 2013. It wasn't until March 2014 we had our official first date, a 9-mile run in and around Central Park. As they say, from there the rest was history...
What was your first dance song and why did you pick it?
Our first song was 'Dancing In The Moonlight' by Toploader. Initially, hours out from our first class we had no such idea of what our song should be. Keeping in mind we were having a destination wedding, we knew having anything too classical would not be ideal given our setting. Dancing In The Moonlight seemed to exude something effortless, like an ocean breeze, yet upbeat to add a little extra spunk.
Why did you choose to take wedding dance lessons? Would you recommend wedding dance lessons?
Since the very first day we got engaged, Thomas wanted to take dance lessons. It wasn't until we moved to Denver (11 months later) and our wedding neared we found Elizabeth at Wedding Dance Coach. It was without a doubt one of the best decisions we made wedding wise, as neither Thomas or myself had previous experience learning to partner dance other than in middle school; and coming from the midwest it consisted mainly of country-swing dancing.
Learning our first dance and attending lessons were some of our most memorable moments of being engaged. We were able to break out of our element/molds, work, laugh and grow together as a couple to create something fun and that truly embodied our personalities. Elizabeth took our ordinary dance abilities and turned them into extraordinary! Additionally, she gave us some awesome moves to use post-first dance that we continue to use to this day.
What was your favorite moment at your wedding?
There were SO many, it's hard to narrow it down to just one. Looking back our most memorable moment was our reception. Being a destination wedding we kept our guest list tight to only immediate family and close friends (23 in total), so it was nice to sit at one banquet table and be able to cheers, laugh, converse and interact with one another. Once the dance party got underway, it was such a delight being able to easily dance (or jump) around with all our favorite people.
Hindsight is 50/50. What advice would you give to a couple that is in the beginning stages of wedding planning?
We would absolutely recommend doing your research on each and every vendor whether you're planning a wedding stateside or in another country. It's important to select those who can not only see your vision, but will provide the desired results on your wedding day.
