Julie Billington

Bride: Julianne Billington, Eugene, OR

Groom: Jeffrey Billington, Eugene, OR

Wedding Location: Deep Woods Events in Elmira

Wedding Date: 9.3.2011

How did you two meet? Jeff and I went to middle and high school together. We were friends but never dated. When he left for the Air Force and I went to college, we lost touch. After about 6 years, we reconnected and realized that there was something else there.

How long have you two been together? Since March of 2009. So a little over 3 years. We’ve known each other for 17 or 18 years.

How did he propose? He went to a football game with my dad to ask for my hand. I had known about that. When he came home he told me that he couldn’t find the right time to ask and he was too nervous. We laughed about it. After we had changed into our comfy clothes we sat on the couch. We both had our laptops in our laps and were looking at facebook. He changed his status on facebook to engaged and when I got the request, sitting next to him my eyes popped wide open. I looked over and he had the ring and asked me if I would marry him. He had asked my dad.

What ambiance did you and your husband want to create for your wedding? Fun, relaxed. Elegant but not too formal or stuffy.

Were there any big plans that you had for your wedding, that didn’t work out or you changed your mind on? Not really. We were able to make almost everything that we wanted, a reality. We made some minor changes to make things more affordable, but everything we did fit our personalities and within our budget.

What was your experience like looking for wedding gowns at Blush Bridal? It was great! Everyone was so nice and accommodating.

When did you know your gown was The One? I can’t remember what Allure calls the gown, but now it’s called the Julie, since I was the first that bought it at Blush! I was planning on a different dress. I came in to try it on again and decided to try the dress I chose on as well, since it had just come in. I loved it right away.

What were your wedding colors? Chocolate brown and baby blue.

What was your Something Borrowed? My something borrowed were beautiful diamond earrings from my grandmother.

Something Blue? My something blue was the garter that my mother in law made with our wedding colors.

Something Old? My something old was a bracelet from my other grandmother, and a diamond necklace from my great grandmother.

Something New? My something new was the dress! I wore simple wedge heels in chocolate brown since we were on grass, a beautiful feather clip (fascinator I think Teresa calls them) from Blush and a cathedral length veil with two layers from Blush.

Piece of Advice for other Brides during their engagement year and during the wedding? Throw the “rules” out! Make choices that reflect your personalities and your personality as a couple. The day is about you and your love. Make that the focus.

Where did you get your bridesmaids gowns and tuxedos? We got Jeff’s tux, as well as all three bridesmaid dresses from Blush Bridal. The experience was fantastic! The tux was kind of last minute, since we had a problem with the company we were going to get the tux through. Teresa swooped in to the rescue and Jeff looked amazing! The bridesmaids lived all over and they were all able to come in when it worked for them. It was all really easy and great!

Favorite thing or memory about the planning during the engagement year? Everything really. We had a long engagement so we got to spread things out. It was fun doing all of the research and deciding what we wanted.

Favorite memories of your wedding day? Jeff got teary when he saw me for the first time. That was pretty sweet. The whole day was amazing! No one was stressed out. Everyone was happy and relaxed. Little things went wrong but we didn’t care and no one else noticed. It was a joy and the energy of everyone there was amazing.

Wedding Favors: We had little pieces of Shrinky Dink material and instructions wrapped in little packages for everyone.