**From Behind the Desk to Down the Aisle**

**Nicole & Frank's Modern Moments Love Story**

When the venue coordinator becomes the bride, you know the celebration is going to be something special.

The moment Aly looked up from Nicole's wedding dress train and said "I've got this"—her fingers already working through the intricate bustle hooks—Nicole felt that familiar Modern Moments magic. The same problem-solving spirit that had helped countless brides through their big days was now wrapping around her own celebration. Because here's the thing about working at a wedding venue: you see exactly how a team handles the moments that matter. And when it was her turn to walk down that aisle, Nicole knew exactly where she wanted to celebrate.

How a Facebook Friend Request Changed Everything

Nicole's connection to Modern Moments started long before her wedding day. As the venue's administrative heartbeat—keeping the CEO in line (her words, not ours), managing the details that make magic happen—she saw firsthand how the team transformed couples' visions into reality. What she didn't see coming? That one of those vendor partners would play matchmaker.

"There's this girl at Modern Moments," the vendor mentioned to Frank, a single dad of four navigating the dating world. "She's nice. She's single. You should look her up."

So Frank did what any modern Romeo would do: he sent a Facebook friend request.

Nicole wasn't about to accept a random stranger, even if he did seem nice in his profile photos. She did some reconnaissance through mutual friends first. Once she confirmed Frank was "in fact a decent guy" (high praise in the dating world), she accepted. They met up at Four Silos, a local Gilbert spot that would become their place.

They hung out a couple times. Then life happened, and they drifted apart.

But Four Silos pulled them back. After meeting there again, something shifted. Nicole saw past the casual hangouts to who Frank really was: a devoted dad whose love for his four kids made her fall completely. "Obviously we didn't date at first meeting," Nicole admits. "I think he was ready from the first meeting to see where the dating went, but he could sense I needed some more time."

Patience pays off. Nicole was a single mom of two, Frank had four kids—their blended family of six was already forming before they even realized it.

A Proposal That Flipped the Script

Frank's last day as a police officer was supposed to be hard. The kind of day heavy with endings and memories. But Frank had other plans.

That evening—Nicole didn't have her kids, so they went out to (you guessed it) Four Silos—Frank was acting strange. Really strange. Nicole kept asking what was going on, sensing something was off.

That's when he dropped to one knee.

Frank wanted to flip the script on what could have been a difficult day, creating a new memory worth celebrating. "Or so he hoped," he told her as he proposed.

She said yes. And that's when their four kids came running out from behind the pillars in the restaurant, having recorded the entire proposal. They'd been hiding there the whole time—which explained Frank's weird energy all evening.

It was perfectly imperfect. A blend of careful planning and barely contained excitement. A proposal that included all six kids from the very beginning, setting the tone for what their wedding celebration would become.

Coming Home to Modern Moments

When it came time to plan their wedding, Nicole could have chosen anywhere. She'd seen behind the curtain at dozens of venues through her work coordinating with vendors across the East Valley. She knew the secrets: which venues surprise couples with hidden fees, which ones restrict vendor choices, which teams really show up when things go sideways.

She chose Modern Moments without hesitation.

"The whole team at Modern Moments cares that every event is special because they know how that moment absolutely matters to that guest," Nicole explains. "They know what works best at their venue to achieve exactly what the guest is looking for. Explaining your vision helps them help you make it come to life. That is what sets them apart."

Translation: she'd watched them nail it for countless couples. Now it was her turn to experience that care from the other side.

Nicole and Frank envisioned a lowkey celebration with family and friends. No over-the-top decorations. No gift grab. Just the people they loved, six kids standing up as their wedding party (three boys, three girls—it worked out perfectly), and the simple elegance of Modern Moments' outdoor setting.

"The elegance of the string lights in the natural outdoor setting was beautiful," Nicole says. "I did black tablecloths. With the outdoor setting, it worked beautifully. The venue provided all that was needed just simply by the beauty of the landscape."

They asked guests for only one gift: the gift of their time. To show up and celebrate a blended family becoming whole.

The Day Everything Clicked

Nicole can't pinpoint just one favorite moment from their wedding day. Because here's what happens when you truly trust your venue team: every moment becomes a favorite.

The first look? Modern Moments set it up so it felt completely intimate—just Nicole and Frank in that perfect bubble of anticipation—yet positioned so all six kids could watch their parents' joy without intruding on the moment. Guests were arriving for the ceremony, milling around the venue's entrance, but they couldn't see the first look at all.

"It was absolutely just about us," Nicole remembers.

The reception flowed exactly as she'd imagined. Guests who wanted to dance had plenty of space under those twinkling string lights. Those who preferred to sit and chat were close enough to still feel part of the celebration. The black tablecloths she'd chosen created this elegant contrast against the natural setting—proof that sometimes less really is more.

If Nicole had to describe the day in one word, she chose "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." (Yes, she spelled it out. We checked.)

When Aly Stepped Up

Then came the moment that perfectly captured why Nicole had chosen Modern Moments in the first place.

Nicole had no idea how to bustle her wedding dress. The train was gorgeous for the ceremony, but she wasn't about to spend her entire reception managing yards of fabric while trying to dance with Frank. Her bridesmaids? Their daughters. Sweet, supportive, absolutely clueless about dress bustling.

Aly didn't hesitate. The Modern Moments team member stepped right up, figured out the intricate hook-and-loop system, and got Nicole sorted in minutes.

"I didn't spend the evening dealing with a train driving me crazy all night," Nicole says. "She figured it out and off I went to dance the night away and have a great time."

We've got this covered. That's the Modern Moments promise, whether you're a bride we're meeting for the first time or someone who used to answer our phones. The job doesn't change: see what needs doing, step up, make it happen.

What Guests Couldn't Stop Talking About

After the wedding, Nicole kept hearing the same feedback from guests: they couldn't get over how beautiful the venue was.

"It really is a hidden gem that the secret is getting out for," Nicole notes.

That's the thing about Modern Moments—the venue does half the work for you. Nicole knew this from years of watching couples walk through for tours. The way their eyes light up when they see the string lights at dusk. How the outdoor space feels both elegant and relaxed. The fact that you don't need to over-decorate because the natural beauty handles the heavy lifting.

For a couple bringing together two families—six kids, countless relatives, friends from different chapters of life—Modern Moments provided the perfect backdrop. Elegant enough to feel special, relaxed enough to let everyone be themselves.

Nicole's Advice (Worth Following)

After seeing hundreds of weddings from the planning side, then experiencing her own, Nicole's advice to newly engaged couples is simple and direct:

"Have the wedding you want. Not what anyone else wants. What matters to you. Enjoy the evening because it goes quick—don't pack it full of all the things you don't want. It's your day, do what makes you happy."

And maybe skip the tacos in favor of stromboli. (Nicole insists they "missed the mark" on that call. We'll let you be the judge.)

The Full Circle Moment

There's something poetic about Nicole's story. She spent years helping couples plan their celebrations at Modern Moments, watching the team transform visions into reality. She saw how Aly and the crew handled the pressure, solved the problems, created the magic.

Then she became the bride in that story. And everything she'd observed from the coordinator's desk? It held true when she was standing in the wedding dress.

That's the Modern Moments difference. It's not about talking a good game—it's about showing up, day after day, couple after couple, making sure every celebration feels like the most important one we've ever done. Because of that couple? It is.

Nicole and Frank brought six kids, countless loved ones, and a love story that started with a Facebook friend request to Modern Moments. We provided the string lights, the elegant outdoor setting, and Aly's dress-bustling expertise.

They provided the laughter, the dancing, and one word that pretty much sums it up: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

“The whole team at Modern Moments cares that every event is special because they know how that moment absolutely matters to that guest”

— Nicole & Frank

The Dream Team Who Made It Happen

Vendors who made Nicole & Frank's day perfect:

Venue & Coordination: Modern Moments (obviously!)
Photography: Reckless Radiance Photography
Catering: The Local Caterer (where this love story began!)
DJ: Paul Torres
Florals: Lena's Flowers & Gifts
Bartender: Allie Czrapata - Mixologist
Additional vendors from Modern Moments' preferred vendor list

We are blessed to be part of your story, Nicole and Frank. Watching you go from venue coordinator to bride was one of the highlights of our year!

Ready to write your own Modern Moments love story?

Whether you're a blended family of eight or a couple of two, we've got the space, the team, and the commitment to making your vision come to life. Schedule your tour and let's create something supercalifragilisticexpialidocious together.

Nicole and Frank celebrated their wedding at Modern Moments on May 3rd, 2024, surrounded by their six children and the people who matter most.