When Kaci Hawkins and John Neukom met, they didn’t hit it off right away. The two were out with mutual friends in Uptown and they exchanged information. Months went by before John reached out. When he finally sent Kaci a text message, he asked her to meet up with him and his friends. “I gave him a hard time about that,” Kaci says. She knew that she was ready for something serious, so she played hard to get.

John got the picture.

He asked her out on a proper date and took her to Jasper’s in Plano. Things moved quickly after that. “It felt different than any other relationship we had been in. Everything was so easy,” she explains. They both cherish their families and the introductions went smoothly. After an 11-month romance, John picked the scene of the their first date to propose.

He arranged for a car to pick Kaci up and drop her off at Jasper’s. “I walked in and I was thinking I was going to see him immediately,” she says. She was led into a private room and he was on bended knee. After dinner, John had another surprise: He rented the bar at The Stoneleigh Hotel, where friends and family were awaiting their arrival.

When it was time to pick the wedding date, Kaci let the dress lead the way. “I knew I wanted long sleeves. That was a big drive in me wanting to have a winter or fall wedding.” They settled on a September day and chose the Westin Stonebriar in her hometown of Plano.

Kaci, a corporate event planner, knew what to expect when it came to the logistics of the big day. But she needed someone to help her execute her vision of a cozy affair with fall-inspired textures, fabrics, and flowers. She hired Rachel Burt of As You Wish Events. Rachel created a mood board of emerald green and deep purple hues, whimsical flowers, and lounge furniture pieces. The combination spoke to Kaci’s passion for interior design.

They interviewed a handful of florists, but had trouble finding the right match to design vintage-style arrangements without reading shabby-chic or rustic. In walked Maxine Owens of The Southern Table. Kaci appreciated her background in design and knew that they could easily exchange ideas. Maxine mixed dahlia, ranunculus, garden roses, and scabiosa, and tied them together with a velvet ribbon—an unexpected but welcome surprise to Kaci. “I never thought I wanted ribbons or streamers, but it was perfect,” she says.

The look of the wedding was exactly how Kaci envisioned, but she was also pleased that her wedding party and guests had a blast. Kaci recalls dancing with her friends and family as one of her favorite moments. “We have such great friends,” she says, “and we were so excited to get on the dance floor to have a good time.”

She knew that she was ready for something serious, so she played hard to get. John got the picture.