Kosta & Charlotte’s Story

The beginning …

Kosta and I officially met as blind dates to his senior prom. We had known of one another but never met, since we were in separate grades.

That night was a night to remember … and two weeks following we began dating. We spent every minute we could together that summer before he left for Michigan State University. We continued our journey together through the four years of college and then law school. Knowing the entire time that this was the man I wanted to marry, I continued to wait … year after year, in hopes that it was going to be “the one,” I always questioned what he was waiting for. In Kosta’s defense, he wanted nothing more than to have everything in order and have the means to provide for our future. He wanted everything to be perfect.

Leading up to the day of his proposal, I continuously bombarded him with questions about our future and when it would start. His response was, “just let it happen.” I knew it would, but it just wasn’t happening on my time.

The proposal

The day finally came. Kosta mentioned to me earlier in the week that we were going to take a drive and go to dinner and a show with some friends. I thought nothing of it since it wasn’t out of the norm for us to do so. He picked me up and off we went. He wouldn’t tell me any details and I just thought he was being a brat, so I let it go.

We checked into a humongous suite at a nearby hotel in East Lansing and I still had no clue. After all these years together and getting my own hopes up a time or two, I learned to keep my feelings at bay. Once we finished getting ready, we rushed off to “meet our friends.”

As we walked across campus, he pointed out the sound of a violin. I mentioned to him that there was probably a wedding or something happening. He then pushed to have us go check it out and I resisted the whole way. As we got closer, I still had no idea and thought to myself, “Great, we are probably interrupting something.”

He continued to pull me closer and eventually we ended up standing at the center of a petal-filled Beaumont Tower garden. Bursting into tears, I finally realized that the day I had been waiting for had officially arrived and all my dreams were about to come true. Without hesitation, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I quickly said yes and squeezed him tight. Our lives were going to change from that day forward.

All sappiness aside, a few of our closest friends came crawling out of the bushes after capturing such a memorable moment. It was quite comical. I can honestly say that it was all worth the wait!

What are your favorite things about each other?

Physically?
Charlotte: I love his lips.

Genuinely?
Charlotte: I love that he cares for others and does whatever he can to make me happy.

Physically?
Kosta: I love her smile.

Genuinely?
Kosta: I love that she cares so much about others and that she’ll go above and beyond to help someone.

The Planning …

Who did most of the planning? How did the two of you take on the process/balance it between each other? How involved were your families?

Well we did a lot of the planning together. We are a lot alike, so it wasn’t easy. He came from a big Greek family and they tend to be close to all their extended family so we had his parents involved quite a bit. My parents were involved when needed.

Favorite part of the planning process?

Making our wedding favors and dress shopping.

What is one piece of advice you have for engaged couples in the wedding planning process?

Let the bride do it. But seriously, nothing will ever be perfect, so just go with the flow and enjoy the process.

Looking back on your wedding day, what is one thing about it/or part of it that you loved?

We loved sitting at the head table and looking out at all our friends and family there to support us on our new journey in life.

What is one thing/part you wish you did differently?

Nothing.

What is one piece of advice you have for the wedding day?

Take the time to look around and see how much you are loved.
Don’t leave each other’s sides. That was one thing that someone told us, and we chose to never leave the dance floor and it was perfection!

Why did you choose HORIZONS for your wedding venue?

We love HORIZONS. My husband’s family has held many events at HORIZONS and they never cease to amaze us. Kiron Choudhri, our coordinator, is by far the best human being on this Earth and we couldn’t have done it without her.

What was your wedding style/vision? Were there any special/unique décor items, etc. that you included/HORIZONS provided?

We wanted a classic wedding with little bits of flair. Being that my husband is Greek, I wanted to add a little bit of his culture into the mix. My mom and I, with the help of a few friends, made garlic and rosemary-infused olive oil as a wedding favor and placed it at each table setting. It was beautiful! Kiron went above and beyond and added a bridal party entrance arch and chic white furniture for our guests to lounge on in the foyer. What a difference those details can make.

 
 

Were there any traditions you included in your day?

We had A LOT of Greek dances and included the traditional Jordan almonds to the table settings as an additional wedding favor for our guests.

Any other comments, advice, stories about working with HORIZONS?

We couldn’t have picked a better place to host us on one of the most important days of our lives. The entire HORIZONS staff made our day seamless, treating our guests with such respect and we are forever grateful to them. Petra Yanna, HORIZONS Floral Designer, did a phenomenal job in the floral arrangements, which brought us to tears. And Kiron … where do we begin? She is the most genuine, inspiring and loving person. She lightened the burden of this vigorous process and made everything less stressful. She welcomed us with open arms and made us feel like royalty. She is the true queen and we can’t thank her enough.

Photos by: Ashley Nicole Photography  www.ashleynicoleblog.com