Sydney Thompson and Tanzim Chowdhury’s years-in-the-making love story is evidence that the best things take time. Planning their wedding in just six months, on the other hand, proves that anything’s possible with the help of a great wedding planner. “It was only because of Karli that we decided to move forward with planning a formal wedding,” says Sydney of planner and designer Karli Spangler. “Without her, I truly believe we would have just had a quiet and small backyard wedding.” Instead, they celebrated their union with an elegant outdoor ceremony and tented reception that honored the bride’s and groom’s heritages by incorporating cultural traditions and intentional menu choices. “The whole day just flew by in the most wonderful way,” remembers Tanzim. “We still can’t believe this was all for us!”

Read on to learn more about Sydney and Tanzim’s love story and wedding day!

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D Weddings: Briefly, tell us the story of how you met and got engaged.

Sydney: We first met in 2015 at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Then, in 2019, after only seeing each other occasionally at different events, we finally spent time together alone. By the second time we hung out, we knew it was the start of something special and have been together ever since. Over the next four years, through Tanzim’s military deployments with the U.S. Air Force, college, and building our careers, we grew even closer. In August 2022, we bought our first home, and that December, we got engaged. Tanzim took me to Oklahoma City, where he proposed in front of a lighthouse on the water at sunset, making it a truly unforgettable moment.

D Weddings: What was your vision for your wedding day?

Sydney: We aimed for an intimate and romantic wedding, envisioning a timeless, intentional event that felt warm and welcoming. A day that showcased our love, relationship, and personal style. We ideally wanted an outdoor ceremony and a tented reception.

D Weddings: What did you learn from the wedding-planning process?

Sydney: Planning the wedding is something I really miss because I got to do it all with my mom, Lori. Without her and my dad, Mike, none of it would have happened or been even half as amazing.

Our main lesson from the wedding is how crucial it was to depend on our planner, Karli Spangler. It was only because of Karli that we decided to move forward with planning a formal wedding. In only six months, she made the day all about us, enhancing every idea we had and refining it beautifully. We were unsure where to begin, but she guided us from start to finish, creating a magical and stress-free experience that we will always remember.

D Weddings: What were the most important or meaningful elements of your wedding? Why were they significant?

Tanzim: Choosing the most important moment of our wedding is tough, because there were many significant ones—like seeing each other for the first time at the altar, our first dance, or celebrating with friends and family we hadn’t seen in years. The most meaningful part was our vows and actually getting married. We knew that the moment we committed ourselves in front of our loved ones would be what we remember most. As long as we did that, everything else could go wrong or not be perfect, but that moment would stand out and be all that mattered.

D Weddings: What personal touches, if any, did you incorporate?

Sydney: During our ceremony, I wore my grandmother’s wedding ring on the back of my wedding dress, which served as my “something old.” My mom, sister, and niece wore shades of blue, which were my “something blue,” and the earrings I wore were from my mother and represented my “something new.” We also honored my parents and their Irish and Scottish roots by taking part in the beautiful Celtic tradition of handfasting. At the end, we presented roses to each of our mothers, expressing gratitude for their love and sacrifices and symbolizing the bond between our two families. During the reception, every meal was halal to respect Tanzim’s family, who are from Bangladesh, and we celebrated my Canadian roots by serving poutine as one of our late-night snacks.

D Weddings: What were some of your favorite moments from the day?

Sydney: Dancing at the end of the night became one of our most favorite memories. It was an opportunity to be playful, relax with friends and family, enjoy our incredible band, and truly appreciate each moment together. Our private last dance held significant meaning for us. It was a final intimate pause to reflect on our extraordinary day. During those moments, we took in the beauty, the music, and most importantly, each other’s company, feeling deeply grateful.

D Weddings: What do you remember the most from the day?

Tanzim: The whole day just flew by in the most wonderful way. Everything happened so quickly, but the beauty of the ceremony and reception truly took our breath away. We still can’t believe this was all for us! That and the feeling of being so loved and supported by our friends and family is what we remember the most.

D Weddings: Were there any surprises?

Sydney: A sweet surprise was our band playing us out to “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles. Karli must have planned that for us, and it ended our night in the sweetest and most unforgettable way.

ATTIRE

Sydney: I visited three different bridal salons and must have tried on at least 30 gowns. Nothing felt right or like that perfect moment where you knew you had found the one. Then I went to Neiman Marcus Bridal in Dallas, and my sales associate, Karen, helped me pull dresses, and I finally found the dress. As soon as I put it on, I knew it felt different than the rest and finally like me. It is the “Karla” from Mira Zwillinger with the matching cathedral veil.

I also opted to order a topper and pick the style and neckline that Mira Zwillinger makes to match my dress. At my first dress fitting, I asked to see the second dress options just for fun, and I surprisingly fell in love with another strapless dress. The feathers, hand-embroidered beading, and all the details somehow didn’t feel over the top, they just felt so fun and like the perfect party dress! I changed into the reception dress after our cake cutting and special dances were done. The second dress is also from Neiman’s Bridal and is the “Fae” by designer Enaura. Both dresses made me feel so beautiful and confident.

Tanzim: I wore a Tom Ford tuxedo and shoes, along with cuff links from Tiffany’s that Sydney bought me as a wedding gift and now consider an heirloom, to be passed down hopefully.

INVITATIONS

Sydney: For our invitation suite, we aimed for a very classic design complemented by intentional, high-end details. My mom, Lori, had the brilliant idea of incorporating the flowers from my dress into the invitations, such as on our save-the-date cards, which added a personal touch and a secret only we knew until after the wedding!

VENUE

Sydney: We knew we wanted an outdoor reception, weather permitting, and a tented reception, and PGA Omni was the perfect fit! A huge consideration was that it was close to home, as we have three dogs and didn’t want anyone to have to go far to take care of them. The property is also very pet-friendly, but we were worried we’d have to chase after them on the golf course during our vows!

RECEPTION FLORALS

Sydney: Karli recommended Branching Out, since we knew the flowers were a very important part of making the whole day feel romantic and warm, and in pulling the garden party theme together. My mom, Lori, had a beautiful vision for this, and the Branching Out team offered many ideas to bring it to life!

CAKE

Sydney: I am not a huge fan of cake, and Tanzim likes to try something new all the time. We wanted something different yet still classic that would make a statement. We found the Italian millefoglie cake and felt that it fit the theme of the wedding and our personalities so well! The pastry team at the Omni did a spectacular job with a showstopper of a cake that almost took up the whole cake table.

FOOD

Tanzim: The food was used to bring both sides of the family together. We had poutine to pay homage to Sydney’s Canadian roots. For my side, we made sure all the food was halal so everyone could enjoy whatever they wanted throughout the night. We also had chai and honey butter chicken biscuits to represent my favorite drink and Texas-style food, and for Sydney, we had donuts and coffee. Sadly, the only thing we missed, food-wise, was a few briskets made by me, but I was sadly vetoed.

MUSIC

Sydney: During the ceremony and cocktail hour, we had the beautiful European Ensemble string quartet perform. They made our ceremony feel complete and provided a magical start to our wedding. For the reception, we chose the 16-piece band, Professor D from the Jordan Kahn Music Company. About 10 seconds into the sample of “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, we knew we had to have them as our band. The talk of our wedding was the band. They made our night unforgettable, and it wouldn’t have been the same without them.

DECOR

Tanzim: Karli took our initial vision and brought it to life with an upscale garden theme. We connected so well with Karli that everything she showed us perfectly captured our style, and we instantly loved it.

PLANNER

Sydney: Karli Spangler was by far the best and easiest decision I made for the whole wedding. Without her, I truly believe we would have just had a quiet and small backyard wedding. After speaking to her for five minutes, I knew it was all possible, even with just six months of planning time. With her guidance, support, and design skills, we felt confident to have a larger-scale wedding, and we were stress-free throughout the entire experience.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Sydney: Before I made any decisions, I always knew I wanted Stephanie Brazzle to photograph our wedding. I discovered her on Instagram and instantly fell in love with her timeless, romantic style. During my first call with our planner, Karli, she asked if I had any preferred vendors, and I mentioned Stephanie. Karli then shared that she had worked with her many times and that Stephanie even photographed her wedding. At that moment, I knew it was meant to be!

How many guests did you have? 105
What was your first dance song? “Biblical” by Calum Scott
What were your specialty cocktail(s), if you had any? Grand Marnier Margarita, Smoked Old Fashioned, and Blood Orange Madras Mocktail

We aimed for an intimate and romantic wedding, envisioning a timeless, intentional event that felt warm and welcoming. —Sydney Thompson