Story by Shelbi LeMeilleur
High school sweethearts Sydni Uilkie and Will Imhoff proclaimed their love for each other and joined together as husband and wife on May 4 at The Gin at Hidalgo Falls. It was the perfect backdrop for their love story.
Sydni and Will had been dating almost seven years exactly when Will surprised Sydni with a proposal in July 2018. Sydni was on a girls’ trip in Fredericksburg, and Will was in Louisiana for a bachelor party… at least that’s what Sydni thought.
“He texted his sister, ‘What if I drove down to surprise y’all,’” Sydni says. “He left Louisiana and drove to Fredericksburg. His sister told us girls we were going to take a picture. He was there with a big chalkboard thing with ‘Would you marry me?’ on it.”
After the proposal, the couple decided on a May wedding, giving them less than a year to plan. Luckily, Sydni and Will had support in their family and friends.
“His entire family and my family were super helpful,” Sydni says. “His family is huge and we go through weddings all the time, and my cousin had just gotten married also. It was nice seeing things they used and ways to plan. It was also helpful to have close friends guide you. If I didn’t have that, I don’t know if I would have had a wedding — not that quick at least.”
Sydni knew she wanted to keep things simple, and The Gin was the perfect place to reflect her and Will’s personalities. “I’m a very simple person and he is super easy going,” she says. “I loved all the greenery and the simplistic nature of it.”
It was also important to incorporate certain personal elements into the wedding. Will’s mom passed away in 2017, so Will did a dance with his younger sister in lieu of a mother/son dance. Sydni also wrapped a rosary made of flowers from Will’s mom’s casket crushed into pearls around her bridal bouquet. “We tried to incorporate a lot of her thoughts in it,” she says.
While Sydni says she is grateful for the help from family and friends, she urges other brides not to procrastinate when planning their weddings. “As much as you can do beforehand, just go ahead and do it,” she says. “Go with your gut on things, and go with your heart. The more you ponder on things the longer it’s going to take, so follow your gut 100 percent.”
At the end of the day, Sydni and Will couldn’t have asked for a better wedding.
“It was a perfect wedding from start to finish.”
Imhoff Vendors: Photography: Samantha Kaye Photography Planning: Ashley and Company Cakes: Cakes by Blondie Videography: Reverent Wedding Films Bartending: Laura’s Bartending Service Rentals: Love Birds Vintage Entertainment: Signature Eventx Hair: Two personal friends, Natalie Moffett (@hairbynatalie.m) and Lizzy Borski (@lizzydoesmyhair) Dress: Coreena’s Bridal Floral: Family of the groom
