A. Spenser and I have been together for over five years. We first met in New Orleans in late 2007, starting dating in 2009, and lived there for two years after we graduated from Tulane University in 2011. Last year, we took a major adventure to Shenzhen, China where we taught English to high school students for a year. We just got back to the States and we’re now in full wedding planning mode!We both love the city of New Orleans and we’re excited to live in this amazing city again. We missed it. A lot. For our wedding, we’re trying to combine New Orleans sensibilities (good food, good drinks, good company, and a comfortable/accessible party atmosphere) with a hint of Asia (mostly though the floral arrangements). We traveled all over Asia during our year abroad and we’re hoping to incorporate Indonesian influences (marigold garlands, floating flowers in the pool) with China (strategic uses of bamboo in our floral centerpieces, Chinese to-go boxes with fortune cookies and Chinese money for our favors, lots of bright reds, golds, and oranges in and around the space, etc.).Our ideal wedding would be a stress-free day full of laughter and fun. Our wedding party is full of vibrant personalities and people who mean the world to the both of us, as well as the people who can make us laugh the hardest (apart from each other, of course). The day will also be very sentimental due to the fact that many people very close to us will be unable to make it. To honor those people who have passed away (Spenser’s father Steve, his cousin Kristi, both of Spenser’s maternal and paternal grandparents, my paternal grandparents, and Spenser’s uncle Rick), we’ll have 8 x 10 photographs of them on the alter table, surrounded by flowers that we’ll get married in front of. Our families are very important to us so there will also be a myriad of smaller frames around the venue with pictures of Spenser and I with our families. With all of that said, we’re expecting to have a fairly non-traditional wedding. Our good friend is our officiant, my side will have a “bride’s man” and Spenser will have a “groom’s maid”, one of my maid’s of honor will be wearing a suit, and our little dachshund, Penley, will be our ring bearer. There will be a New Orleans snoball machine instead of a groom’s cake (Spenser’s not a big fan of chocolate, but he LOVES snoballs, so we’re having snoballs), a photobooth, a sazerac and Pimm’s cup station, craft beer kegs, a Chinese hacky sack corner (it’s called jianzi, 剪子, and it’s surprisingly fun), and we’re so excited to be surrounded by all of our family and friends and have a great time. Oh, and Spenser’s absolutely fantastic. He’s hilarious, patient, brilliant, and so much fun to be around. He’s also been a huge help with wedding planning and I am eternally grateful for everything he’s done. If you’re interested in seeing what we’ve been up to over the past year, please check out our travel blog at www.spendrianna.wordpresss.com. Spenser and I worked together on every article (one of us wrote, the other edited, and I took all the pictures) and it’ll give you some idea of our adventures and our struggles abroad. This wedding, all told, will be a celebration of many things: completing our year in China, returning to America, returning to New Orleans, and celebrating our love and friendship. I can’t wait. It’s gonna be incredible. -Adrianna Province