Courtney Yancey & Will Esquivel
September 23, 2023

Childhood-friends-turned-lovers Courtney Yancey and Will Esquivel dated for 10 years before Will popped the question. “We grew up together,” says Courtney. “I don’t really remember a time he wasn’t in my life.” The high school sweethearts made it official when Will got down on one knee during a trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado, for a beloved band’s concert. “After he proposed, my family surprised us, and his family met us for a drink,” she says. “Then we all attended the Midland concert together. It was a total dream come true!” 

Even before Courtney was a bride-to-be, she and her mom had agreed that hiring a rock star wedding planner was the most important step. “We needed someone to guide us through the wedding-planning process, because we knew nothing!” she laughs. “I didn’t have a clue what I wanted for the big day.” Allison MacNealy of Allison and Co Events came to the rescue, designing a picture-perfect, Palm Beach–inspired affair for Courtney and Will—complete with trellis details, a striped tent display, and lush garden florals. “Allison was able to create a deck of what she thought our style was, and our vision took off from there,” says Courtney. “We wanted an elegant, chic, and luxurious evening, and that’s exactly what it was!”

Starting From Scratch

Most women can admit to designing (or at least imagining) their dream wedding way before they’ve met their someone. But what happens when, like Courtney, you don’t have a decades-old Pinterest board full of grand ideas for your big day? Courtney’s planner, Allison MacNealy of Allison and Co Events, started with creating style boards for the couple to review so she could get a sense of what they were looking for. “We found that Courtney wanted a green and blue wedding that didn’t look like every other Dallas wedding she’d been to,” says Allison. From there, she created her working document for the “living, breathing design deck” so the couple could see in real time as the day-of design developed. “I wanted to make sure each and every part of the day worked and was cohesive with the overall design,” she says. “We had that vision to go back to when moving forward with specific details, and it really paid off.” 

Let’s Hang

“I was really inspired by The Colony in Palm Beach. We wanted everything to have a cool poolside-restaurant feel,” says Allison, who custom-designed the reception’s indoor tent and matching curtained entryway.

Making an Exit

After departing in a vintage car, Courtney and Will headed to Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort in Saint Lucia for their honeymoon. “We enjoyed every second,” says the bride. “We’re already planning on going back for an anniversary in the future!“

Guests: 250

First Dance: “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne

Something Old: A “W” necklace Will gave Courtney when they first started dating

Something New: Courtney’s wedding dress from Neiman Marcus

Something Borrowed: A sixpence from Will’s grandmother that all the women in his family have worn in their shoe on their wedding day 

Something Blue: A sapphire pendant that has been passed down through Courtney’s family