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36 T here is an art to executing a good surprise. It requires not only presentation and perfect timing, but also genuine insight into someone and a desire to truly delight them. The result can be magic, electric, and unforgettable. Just ask any of the 300 guests who attended Dallas couple Natalie Fort and Brian Atkinson's November wedding in St. Louis, Missouri. When the time came for Atkinson to pop the question, six years after he and Fort became college sweethearts at Texas Christian University, he worked with her father to devise the surprise proposal over Christmas with her family in Cabo San Lucas. The wedding planning then began, with multiple surprises built in. As a former account exec with Droese Public Relations, Fort was familiar with Dallas' leading event talent and knew there were no better partners to make the day exactly as she and Atkinson envisioned it. With Jackson Durham supplying the flowers, DJ Lucy Wrubel spinning at the after-party, and events and design mastermind Sara Fay Egan running the show, the bride's hometown of St. Louis fêted in true Dallas style. "We wanted to make it different from what the city had seen before," Fort says. "It felt like a destination wedding even to the people from St. Louis." F rom the beginning, Fort and Atkinson's focus was on their guests. They chose Fort's favorite baker, Beth Rhodes, to make their cake ("My mom once carried one of her cakes on a plane to Texas for my 21st birthday," she says) but selected four crowd-pleasing flavors so everyone would find something to enjoy. For the menu — a top priority for Atkinson — the couple opted for food stations, a departure from the seated dinners that are typical of society weddings in St. Louis. They chose hearty, comfort foods, with no end to barbecue short ribs with potato purée and cornbread, bacon-fried rice, toasted ravioli (a St. Louis staple), and a pasta station with hand-shaved truffles. Their thoughtful approach was embraced by their hospitality-oriented planner. "They were always thinking about the comfort of their guests, ensuring they enjoyed a good time," Egan says. "It sounds like something most people would do when having a wedding or a party, but it's really not always the case. When you think about your guests, they truly have the best night of their lives." Fort and Atkinson's wedding was one of Egan's MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS NATALIE FORT + BRIAN ATKINSON NOVEMBER 10, 2018 BY LISA COLLINS SHADDOCK. PHOTOGRAPHY LIZ BANFIELD. Brian Atkinson and Natalie Fort A sparkling getaway Wedding cake by Beth Rhodes The bride's bouquet: gardenias, ranunculus, sweet peas, and garden roses