Ellysa Roda & Ricardo Garcia
October 4, 2020 / Angelo's Garden in Mayflower
ELLYSA AND RICKY were friends for a long time beginning in college, but they didn’t start dating until after they graduated from nursing school. They started out long-distance while Ricky worked a job in Austin. After a few years of FaceTime calls, tears and racked up miles on his 4Runner, he packed up everything and moved to Arkansas. By that time, they knew they wanted to get married.
After five years of dating, and getting approval from her parents, Ricky took Ellysa on a weekend trip to Dallas. A friend wanted to take photos on an old, closed bridge for his birthday. As Ellysa walked toward the bridge, she noticed red rose petals leading up to a stool that was decorated with a single rose and a photo album. Then, music began to play. Ellysa thought they were interrupting someone else’s proposal and tried to pull Ricky off of the bridge! He wouldn’t budge, and she realized what was happening and began to cry. He got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. With tear-filled eyes, she said “yes.”
PLANNING DURING A PANDEMIC
Newly engaged, Ellysa wanted a fall/winter wedding but couldn’t wait more than a year to marry Ricky. As the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March, Ellysa continued to plan her wedding as if it would all be over by the fall.
Ellysa’s mother found their venue, Angelo’s Garden, and Ellysa could already picture her wedding there in the first moments of her tour. The wedding planners, Mo (the owner of Angelo’s Garden) and her assistant Erin handled all of her questions and concerns and took care of the catering, floral arrangements, decor–everything except the cake and dress.
She was planning on inviting up to 400 guests, but as time crept closer to their wedding date, Mo let Ellysa know about changes they would have to make to follow safety guidelines. Angelo’s Garden provided a live stream service, which helped ease the pain of reducing the wedding guest list. They also provided masks and mini personalized hand sanitizer bottles as wedding favors.
HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED
Ellysa wanted a timeless wedding. They blended creams, whites, grays, greens and found opportunities to pop in maroon as well—especially in the floral arrangements.
During the outdoor nuptials, Ellysa walked down the aisle on a bed of rose petals. Bright, beautiful roses covered the gazebo—the ceremony space smelled like a dream.
They found Ellysa’s ring at Lauray’s–The Diamond Center in Hot Springs. She was attracted to it because she had never seen anything like it before and she loved how dainty and lovely it was. She was drawn to a dress at Low’s Bridal & Formal that had buttons that trailed down the back, dramatic sparkle on the neckline, unique lace appliqués and hugged her body perfectly. She also found a cathedral veil that matched the color and lace appliques of her dress.
Ellysa’s sister, who owns an online lettering shop, customized the wedding day stationery and signage, including the program, signs, seating chart, table numbers and menu.
For their reception, they wanted the energy to be romantic, yet fun and comfortable. The DJ from Central Arkansas Entertainment helped set the mood. During their cocktail hour, a live band played classic love songs to keep the mood light and blissful.
The cake that Katie with Blue Cake Company created for them was almost too pretty to eat, but it wound up being just as delicious as it was beautiful. They complemented the cake with four unique petit four flavors; the champagne flavor was Ellysa’s favorite.
Ellysa’s favorite wedding moments were when she walked down the aisle and locked eyes with Ricky for the first time, as well as when he cried while he said his personal vows, and when they exchanged traditional vows in Filipino and Spanish.
THE DETAILS
| WEDDING VENDORS WE LOVE | |
|---|---|
| Wedding dress, veil | Low’s Bridal & Formal, Brinkley |
| Jeweler | Lauray’s–The Diamond Center, Hot Springs |
| MORE VENDORS | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Angelo's Garden, Mayflower |
| Photography | Caressa Rogers Photography of Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| Videography | Andrew Adlaon Wedding Films |
| Planning, flowers, furniture, lighting, live stream, day-of coordination | Angelo's Garden, Mayflower |
| Cake, petit fours | Blue Cake Company, Little Rock |
| Caterer | MarketPlace Grill, Conway |
| DJ/Band | Central Arkansas Entertainment, Little Rock |
| Ceremony music | Kristen La Madrid Jon Van Houten James Gathright Kyle Mosley |
| Invitations | Shutterfly and LilyandInk |
| Bridesmaid dresses | David's Bridal |
| Groom's attire | Express |
| Hair | Lindsey Powers Huey, Sherwood |
| Makeup | Jessica Humerick, Little Rock |
See this Real Wedding as it appeared in the 2021 digital edition of Arkansas Bride. Discover more inspiration in Arkansas Bride's Real Weddings section.
