ALYSSA & TOM

Alyssa and Tom Martinez met through a mutual friend who thought they might hit it off, and the impression was correct! The sparks flew and ignited!

Tom planned a surprise for his proposal to Alyssa. They planned a trip to Lake Powell with friends to celebrate Tom’s 31st birthday. “On the first night that everyone was there, June 23, Tom made carnitas for dinner for everyone and insisted on giving a toast,” Alyssa smiles. “He thanked everyone for coming to celebrate with him, then looked at me and said, ‘Alyssa, What you don’t know is that I didn’t want to come here for my birthday, I wanted to come here to ask you to marry me.’ He was on one knee as I was crying and said, ‘Of course!’”

The blissful couple tied the knot on June 27, 2015. Alyssa’s Matron of Honor was her twin sister, Ashley Steven. Bridesmaids were Kelsy, Elissa, Jessica, Suzanne and Sophie. Andy Martinez, Tom’s brother, stood with him as Best Man; groomsmen were Jordan, Taylor, Jerry, Nick, Jeff, Brad, Mitch and Kurt. Alyssa’s niece, Sara, was the flower girl and her nephew, Maddox, was ring bearer.

Alyssa and Tom personalized the wedding service and reception in memorable ways. “My cousin, Aubrey, sang ‘A Thousand Years’ as I walked down
the aisle,” Alyssa reminisces. Tom and I did a wine ceremony, combining a red wine and a white wine to symbolize joining our two lives. As Tom is a fire fighter, my father surprised us with an ice sculpture of a fire truck! And our wedding cake wasn’t traditional; we had a Spring Fling cake from The Market,and everyone loved it.

“A special table we had was a MIA/POW Remembrance Table. Tom served in the Marine Corps for five years and mentioned having this table just days before the wedding. My mother put it together at the last minute and it was very special to have it at our wedding for all of the men and women who serve our country and don’t make it home.”

Alyssa and Tom honeymooned in the Dominican Republic and celebrated Tom’s birthday at the same time, having the time of their lives. “We did a dune buggy excursion which was incredible. We swam in a pure-water cave, snorkeled and swam with sharks and stingrays!” HLM