Courtney Chanon and Josh Katz were in the same preschool class but didn’t reunite until after college, despite fate’s best attempts to bring them together. The pair kept crossing paths: Josh was the pledge master for Courtney’s brother at Indiana University, and after college, Josh moved in with Courtney’s best friend from high school. It was then that they finally reconnected. The pair started dating in 2015, and two years later, Josh proposed to Courtney on December 29, 2017. 

They signed a lease and planned to move in together beginning in January, but their new home was a never-lived-in unit. Josh used the blank space to his advantage when designing the proposal. 

“He told me we had to take measurements of a wall for an interior designer his mom was friends with. I was so annoyed, it was freezing that night, and I was dressed to the [nines] thinking we were going to the Mansion for dinner with my family,” Courtney reminisces. “I continued to say ‘No, I will not go upstairs.’ Finally he convinced me, and I begrudgingly walked into the most gorgeous room.” 

Illuminated by 1,000 candles, Josh decorated the space with rose petals and balloons that read “Marry Me?” After Josh got down on one knee and Courtney said “yes,” he whisked her away to her parent’s house where family and friends were waiting to celebrate.

“I walked into my parents’ house and my mom literally gave me a hug and said, ‘You’re getting married November 17, 2018, get ready.’ She had it all planned,” Courtney says. “She knew some of my [biggest priorities] and made it all become reality before Josh even proposed.” 

The next 11 months were smooth sailing for Courtney since her mom, Anita, had locked in Jeffrey Kollinger Productions for planning, Shearith Israel Synagogue for the ceremony, the Ritz Carlton for the reception, Emerald City Band for entertainment, My Fabulous Faces for makeup, and Sonia Trevino for hair. Courtney then enlisted Gro Floral and Event Design and John Cain Photography. From there, she pretty much left it to the vendors to make her vision come to life. Her number one request? That they didn’t produce a cookie-cutter day. 

The final result was a glamorous ceremony and reception using colors inspired by Courtney’s name (Courtney Rose) and her white and blush Vera Wang gown. “Nathan from GRO picked the most gorgeous flowers. I was insistent on no greenery,”  Courtney says. “Really, all I wanted was a rose gold dance floor. It was like, ‘We are elegant, but really just here to party.’”

And the party started long before they reached that rose gold dance floor. Everyone walked down the aisle to an unconventional song played by The Dallas Electric String Quartet, including Courtney who made her entrance to Ellie Golding’s “Love Me Like You Do.” 

After officially tying the knot and slipping into a breezier dress she found at Tootsies, Courtney and Josh were ready to party. The lucite escort board, florals cascading down walls, and a giant neon sign bearing their initials created a magical entrance for the pair. 

“My biggest request to Jeffrey was [that] I wanted a party, and oh, he delivered,” Courtney says. “My friends and family brought an energy that is not possible to recreate and memories that will last a lifetime.”

To ensure their party went off without a hitch, Josh and Courtney got crafty. Not only did they sub in styrofoam cups so the party never paused to clean up broken glass, they also offered guests vodka and tequila soaked gummy bears, test tube shooters, and jello shot syringes before bringing out late night snacks. Oh, and Courtney pulled out a party trick to really get her guests going. 

“My favorite moment of the night is when I went crowd surfing,” Courtney says. “My mother’s face was priceless.”