This New Year's Eve Celebration is Retro Fun: The Real Wedding of Alex and Ryan Helminiak

Despite living in a small town and going to the same small high school, Alex and Ryan didn't officially meet until they had graduated. When they returned home for the summer, a mutual friend introduced Alex and Ryan, and they have been inseparable ever since! On a visit to Alex's college campus post-graduation, Ryan took the opportunity to propose.
 

When it came time for Alex to go dress shopping, she thought she knew what she wanted to wear for her big day. "I went in with a specific vision and went a complete 180 degrees from what I thought I wanted!" Alex shares. "My stylist knew me better than I knew myself in that moment!" Becker's Bridal has plenty of knowledgeable experts in their store to help you decide which dress matches both your vision and your body to make you feel the best you possibly can on your wedding day. We love the way Alex styled the dress to make it look like it walked straight out of days past!
 

Because she had a very specific vision of what she wanted with her wedding day (and Ryan was on board for the ride!), Alex planned the wedding pretty much all by herself. "Our theme was New Year's Eve boho!" Alex gushes. "We've been together for almost ten years, so we just wanted to have a fun party on our favorite holiday." They perfectly combined the vibes of the '70s with a few more modern touches like the neon lights!
 

All the vendors that helped make this day a success for Alex and Ryan were mostly from recommendations from industry professionals. Alex explains, "Living in a small town, reputation is everything. We really leaned into and trusted what others had to say and it worked out for us!"  We love to see couples who support their local vendors and trust in the abilities that even smaller businesses have.
 

 

What We Love

In another way to show support for their home town, Alex thrifted their glassware for their reception! She also dried the flowers that appeared at their wedding to be able to use them again for their home décor as well! "It was important to us that we didn't buy just to buy, but rather bought items we saw had a life after the wedding, too!" Alex admits.
 

 

Advice from the couple

"Pick a theme that feels honest and genuine to you as a couple, despite whether other people understand your vision or not! Once it all comes together, it will be obvious that it's reminiscent of your love story," Alex and Ryan advise. "If you plan a New Year's Eve wedding, my biggest word of advice is to get all of your other holiday shopping done well in advance. That way you aren't feeling the regular stress of the holidays compounded with wedding stress in the final weeks before your big day. We did not do that and family ended up with gift cards instead of presents this past year...oops! It's not a huge deal. Our family understood, but we wished we were more prepared for the holidays than we were. Just something to keep in mind!"
 

 

 

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