Best friends to happily ever after
Noah & Doreen met while attending Evangel University. Both social work majors, they met during launch week and had lunch together, then started hanging out often. They found they enjoyed each other’s company, and quickly became best friends.
Over time they realized they wanted to be more than just friends.
“I just felt safer with Doreen than I have with anybody else,” Noah said.
Doreen reports she knew he was “the one” whenever he would sit with her when she was having a bad day.
One day Doreen asked if he would go shopping with her, and Noah agreed, but convinced her to take a walk with him first at one of their favorite places at Ritter Springs. When he stopped in the middle of their walk and asked if she wanted to make a TikTok, she said, “I was so excited because he never makes them, so I said yes. He had me cover my eyes and he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes of course! It was special because it was just us.”
After the engagement, the wedding planning began.
First up was finding a venue.
After seeing a friend’s Facebook post from a recent wedding, Noah and Doreen and their family members toured The Venue at Shadow Rock in November and booked shortly after. “Ashley was so welcoming and it felt like the perfect choice for us,” Doreen said. “The venue is a dream come true! I’ve always loved the modern and natural look.”
With the venue secured, they began planning everything else. The dress was found, the photographer was booked, the flowers were chosen, and all the details were planned out as they waited for June 24, 2022 to arrive.
When asked what they were most looking forward to about their wedding day, Doreen said she was looking forward to seeing all of the details come together and to finally getting to show everyone her dress. They said they were also looking forward to seeing all of their family and friends come together to celebrate.
When the day came, it certainly did not disappoint!
Noah and Doreen and their family and friends transformed the venue with a tropical flare. Plants and greenery were brought in and they said, “I do,” in front of our diamond backdrop before enjoying a charcuterie dinner and having a joy-filled party complete with cake and dancing.
One of our favorite parts of the wedding was seeing how beautifully Doreen wove in her Marshallese heritage. Her floral crown along with several traditional dances that were performed at the ceremony were absolutely beautiful and set their wedding day apart in a super cool way.
When asked what they were most looking forward to about married life, Noah & Doreen said being each other’s biggest fan and cheering each other on through life.
After just pulling off a beautiful, floral-filled, natural wedding in just seven months, we asked if they had any advice for future couples. Their response? “We were best friends before we started dating. So we strongly suggest marrying your best friend!” -- And – “Enjoy the engagement stage and never stop showing off your partner. Be each other’s biggest support during wedding planning and be open to new ideas.
