Chona Cubarrubia & Benjamin Nix – 4/25/25 – The Highland Manor
- Photography: The Lemons Photography
- Flowers: JF Events – Jenn Feliciano
- Music: 5 Star Premier
- Cake: 4R Specialty Cakes
- Hair & Makeup: Laura Reynolds Artistry
Not every love story starts with fireworks. Sometimes, it starts over breakfast.
Ben and Chona met in college, where early mornings turned into quiet moments, and quiet moments turned into something real. Before long, they were best friends. Then, something more. Then—everything.
Their journey hasn’t followed the typical path. After getting engaged, life threw them a curveball: a yearlong military assignment overseas. So they married privately, with the promise that when the timing was right, they’d throw the wedding they’d always dreamed of.
And when that day finally arrived—under the moss-draped oaks at Highland Manor in Orlando—it was everything they’d hoped for and more. Full of bold colors, personal touches, happy tears, and one unforgettable dance floor.
This wasn’t just a wedding. It was the celebration of finally arriving at “forever.”
Love Story & Proposal
How did you two meet?
We met in our sophomore year of college at Baylor in Waco, TX. Before we really knew each other, Ben would see me having breakfast at the dining hall before classes in the morning and join me even though he would normally skip breakfast that early. We became really close friends after that and were best friends for a few months before we started dating.
When did you know you had found “the one”?
When he asked me to be his girlfriend, it just felt 100% right. We had a strong foundation in friendship and knew each other really well at that point. After being together for a couple of months, he really felt like home to me, and I just knew he was the one!
Before we met, Ben said that he didn’t see himself getting married because there was no one he’d want to spend all his time with. But after we started dating, his views changed, and he wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.
Tell us about the proposal! Where did it happen, and how did it go?
Ben proposed to me at the Dallas Arboretum during a birthday picnic he planned for me! I had my suspicions the morning of, but during the picnic, I was convinced it wasn’t happening since he seemed so calm. But then, while we were packing up, I turned around and he was down on one knee! It was such a happy day, and our friends threw us an engagement party that night to celebrate.
Wedding Planning Journey
What was your overall vision or theme for the wedding?
Ben and I actually got married in an intimate catholic ceremony in Dallas on November 18th, 2023.
Shortly after getting engaged, we found out that the army was sending him to South Korea for all of 2024. It was an unaccompanied tour, which means that even if we were married, I wasn’t allowed to move with him. We chose to get married before he left in December of that year, since we weren’t sure if he’d be able to come back during that year to get married or where we were moving next. We originally planned for a big wedding, so we decided to have it after he returned to celebrate finally being able to start our lives together.
Our main vision for the wedding was simply to throw a big party and celebrate our love with all our family and friends. We both love color, so we wanted our wedding to be a colorful, spring garden party vibe. We chose to focus on pinks, oranges and blues.
What made you choose The Highland Manor as your venue?
My parents both grew up in Winter Park, and both sides of my family live in the area, so while I was visiting for my bridal shower, my mom and I toured the venue. I absolutely loved it! I didn’t have a specific vision for what I imagined the venue would look like for our wedding, but the Highland Manor was such a beautiful venue, and the vibe and style perfectly fit our colorful garden wedding theme. After the tour, I FaceTimed Ben to show him photos, and he also loved it, so we booked it!
What were your top 3 priorities during the planning process?
The timing of it (to be sure that Ben would be able to take leave from work), the venue, and finding a photographer/videographer that was a good fit for us.
Did you work with a planner or coordinate the wedding yourselves?
We coordinated the wedding ourselves. Kristen was an amazing day-of coordinator and helped so much in the months leading up to the wedding date.
How did you stay organized and manage stress during planning?
I am a very organized person, but not so stress-free. I did most of the planning since Ben was in South Korea and the time difference is 13 hours ahead, so Ben’s main role in wedding planning was managing my stress and helping me when I felt overwhelmed, since he always knows how to help. To stay organized, I made a wedding planning board with post-it notes of what I had to book, do, or DIY, and it helped me see what had to be done when.
Wedding Day Style & Details
Describe your wedding-day look—what did you wear and why did you choose it?
I wanted a dreamy dress with a bit of a train and lace/floral details. My dress is from Morilee, which is also the same designer as my mom’s wedding dress. When I tried it on for the first time, it felt so much like me, and I felt so beautiful in it. I actually bought the dress in 2023, after we got engaged, before knowing we would get married later that year, and it wasn’t going to arrive in time for our November ceremony. The dress was a big motivator for us to go through with a big wedding after Ben came back, so that I could finally wear it!
How did you choose your wedding colors, florals, and décor?
We chose the colors because we wanted it to be a colorful and bright wedding. I let our florist, Jen, take the lead on the florals after giving her the color scheme and vibe for the day, and she went above and beyond. We kept the decor really simple with bud vases and candles.
Were there any DIY or personalized elements you included?
I watercolored our table numbers, card/gift sign, signature cocktail sign and wedding favor sign. My mom decorated the flower girl baskets and our card/gift basket. Ben’s grandma made the adorable flower girl dresses and their flower crowns.
Did you have a favorite vendor or must-have detail?
All of our vendors were amazing, but Highland Manor and the Dubsdread catering team (especially Juan, our butler) were amazing. They took care of all of our day-of needs and had amazing food and drinks.
A detail I really enjoyed was that I hand-wrote the name place cards for all our guests, which I thought gave a more personal feel than just typing out the names.
Ceremony & Reception
What was the most memorable moment of the day?
Our most memorable moment during the ceremony was when our friend/officiant read our answers to questions that he had given us the week before, about how we knew each other was “the one” and what we loved most about the other. We hadn’t seen each other’s answers beforehand, so it made this ceremony feel special and different from our first ceremony.
But I think our favorite part of the whole day was dancing and getting to see everyone at the reception!
Did you do a first look? Why or why not?
We did not. We did one when we first got married, but I wanted to keep my dress a surprise until I was walking down the aisle since it was so long-awaited, and to make it different from the first ceremony.
What songs did you choose for your ceremony, first dance, etc.?
We kept it pretty traditional for the ceremony, but for the recessional (walking back up the aisle together after our kiss) we chose “All Your’n” by Tyler Childers. We both love that song and like that it has a happy, but simple feel, to it. Our first dance song was “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne, which is a more upbeat song for a first dance, and we really liked the idea of that for our wedding.
A lot of the songs we chose were upbeat and happy because we wanted the day to feel like a celebration of our marriage and finally getting to be together. A big part of planning was making sure to have time and space for dancing, so we had a lot of songs for everyone to dance to and sing to after dinner.
How did you make the reception fun and unique for your guests?
We created our playlists and ‘don’t’ playlist but let the DJ have some freedom to follow the vibe of the guests. We also blocked off 20 minutes to walk around before the main courses came out, so we could say hi to everyone. The open bar was also a fun addition.
Advice & Reflection
What was your favorite part of the entire day?
Having all our loved ones together and enjoying my dream wedding.
If you could relive one moment, what would it be?
When he first saw me in my dress right before walking down the aisle.
Is there anything you would change about your wedding/wedding day?
Honestly, no, I think everything was perfect.
What advice would you give to other couples planning a wedding?
Chona: Be honest about your vision with your vendors, but trust them and give them the freedom to do their thing because they do this all the time. Ben: Don’t get sent to Korea on unaccompanied orders a month after you get engaged.
Photo Tips
Do you have a favorite wedding photo? What’s the story behind it?
Ben’s favorite is a picture of him dipping me, and us kissing while walking back up the aisle. The story is I needed him to give me dance numbers when he was going to do it because I tend to be a little clumsy, but it actually worked!
My favorite is the picture taken right after Ben’s favorite, and it’s us walking back up the aisle after the dip and kiss, and we just look so happy.
Any advice for couples on working with photographers?
Find someone whose style you like, trust them with the poses, and use your real smiles.
