Emma & Manuel’s West Texas Hometown Wedding
There are weddings that mean a lot… and then there are weddings that feel like they’re stitched into your heart.
Emma’s wedding was the latter.
Emma is one of my best friends in the entire world. We were freshman suitemates, cross country teammates (and yes… we quit together), and later roommates again in our little collegiate home we lovingly called The Hive. She’s the kind of friend who becomes family — so getting to plan her wedding was one of the greatest honors of my life.
And the best part? She married someone who loves her just as deeply as she deserves.
A Summer Camp Beginning That Turned Into Forever
Emma and Manuel’s story started in the summer of 2022, when they met working as camp counselors at Glorieta in New Mexico. They spent the entire summer serving together, laughing together, building friendships… and eventually, starting to build something a little more than that.
By the end of summer, they were officially dating. Fast forward to March of 2024, Manuel brought her back to the exact spot in Glorieta where they had their first date — and that’s where he proposed. Romantic. Thoughtful. Full-circle perfection.
Two Families, Two Homes, One Beautiful Union
Manuel is from El Paso, and Emma is from Wellington, Texas — a very very tiny West Texas town that holds so much of her childhood. Bringing everyone together in Wellington gave this wedding such a unique charm:
small-town warmth, big love energy, and a community that showed up in the sweetest ways.
Hosting a wedding in a tiny Texas town requires creativity, connection, and a whole lot of resourcefulness — but it also brings something you can’t create: heart. Everywhere you looked that weekend, you felt it.
A Wedding That Felt Like Home
Because this wedding was so personal, everything about it was thoughtful and intentional:
Families meeting in the middle — blending West Texas roots with El Paso warmth
A venue and setup that felt grounded, welcoming, and true to Emma
Guests who truly knew and loved the couple
A celebration that radiated simplicity, joy, and genuine connection
Nothing about this day was about “putting on a wedding.”
It was about honoring their story.
A Planner’s Heart Moment
Being part of their engagement, planning the details, and then coordinating the day… I’ll never forget it. Watching one of your closest friends walk toward the love of her life, in the place she grew up, surrounded by people who shaped her? It hits different.
I’ve planned a lot of weddings, but this one will always hold a special, irreplaceable place in my heart.
Emma & Manuel — thank you for trusting me. Thank you for letting me be part of your beginning. And thank you for giving me a wedding day I’ll never forget.
