As you well know, we kind of have a thing for First Looks here at SMP. And by “kind of have a thing,” I mean we go seriously gaga every time a dazzling image of a First Look comes our way. So, when we spotted this bride rushing happily towards her groom, we were instantly smitten. Because this is the kind of smile-inducing moment you just can’t get enough of – and that’s really no surprise, since their entire wedding captured by Pure Sugar Studios is a happy-fest from start to finish. A Tuesday overflowing with joy and non-stop pretty? Sign us up. See it all here.
From the Bride… For our overall wedding design, I looked a lot on Pinterest and wedding websites and just chose what I liked best. My mom had a big help in planning the wedding, I’m the baby of three girls, so she had plenty of practice with the last two! I woke up and got to take a long walk on the beach before I started to get ready. My sisters, mom and bridesmaids made the day so easy for me to relax and not have anything to worry about anything. I literally sat on the couch watching TV and waited to be told it was my turn for hair/make up and when to put on my dress. Josh and I had a blast with all our friends and family who were able to travel from all over the world to get there. We had friends from from Australia, relatives from Canada and guests from all over the US travel so far to make it to our special day. We were so happy to spend our wedding day with everyone who loves us and wanted to celebrate our new life together.
My advice to other couples would be to hire a cinematographer. We decided not to but then regretted it at the last minute and ended up borrowing a video camera last minute so my brother-in-law video the ceremony and part of the party.
Calling all casual chic loving brides! This wedding is totally up your alley and filled to the brim with gorgeous, little touches. Captured by the obviously talented RMB Photography, this wedding is all about simple and sweet details. A little lace here, a touch of burlap there and pops of pretty flowers everywhere. See it all right here in the full gallery!
From the Bride… Casey and I met while I was in graduate school and Army ROTC at Florida State University, and he was in Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He came down to FSU for a football game, and by the time he returned to go back to training, I was hooked! We continued talking, and I ended up making the three hour trip to Georgia with a friend for Halloween weekend, when we officially started dating. The year that followed consisted of six-hour round-trip car drives to visit one another on weekends, and stints of not being able to talk due to training (both his and mine). Long-distance relationships are HARD, y’all, and throw in the Army and it seems to be almost impossible! During last summer we had about three months of no communication other than letters, as my hero was off being at rockstar at Ranger School, and I then had to go to my ROTC training in order to commission the following school year. That summer was full of loneliness and letters, yet it was what made us both realize that we never wanted to be apart. Casey, who by then had made the cross country move to Washington state, decided to propose (in dress blues at the airport!) on 11/11/11! Thus began the wedding planning madness…
My groom lived almost 3,000 miles away, my family (and where our wedding was going to be held) was 200 miles away, and I was in my last year of graduate school and ROTC — it was a recipe for disaster! However, thanks to sites like SMP and Pinterest and an obsessive need for organization, I was able to make it all happen without a wedding coordinator or even a groom to help. In fact, my lovely groom wasn’t there or even able to talk to me while I was making decisions thanks to a three-hour time difference and a very busy work schedule! Bless his heart though, on the weekends I cried to him about how I didn’t know how this would all work and how we should just elope, during which he calmly reassured me that I was a rockstar and what a great job I was doing, and how it would be the perfect day I had always dreamed of. And it was, it really was! I knew I wanted a southern, yet chic “theme” for my wedding with lots of DIY touches since our budget was only $10,000. Unfortunately, the Army and grad school got in the way of a lot of my DIY ideas, meaning I turned to the next best thing: Etsy. The week before my wedding, my three bridesmaids all flew in from out of town to help get ready and celebrate my special week (yes, I had a wedding week, full of tanning at the beach, mimosas, brunches, spa time, family dinners, rehearsals and crafting), and we assembled the centerpieces for the outdoor tables, cut the burlap for the table runners, painted wooden letters for photo props and organized/placed photos of Casey and I on twine to be strung up on the inside fireplace mantle.
Our ceremony was perfect — held outside on the patio, with views of the marsh and Amelia River in the background. A pastor and family friend of Casey, who has known him since birth, officiated our ceremony. Following our ceremony, we had a cocktail hour with passed appetizers of crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, and chicken satay. Casey and I then were introduced for the first time as a married couple while dancing to Rascal Flatts “Bless the Broken Road.” The reception portion featured our Southern-style buffet. After eating, all the regular wedding activities went down, with the father/daughter and mother/son dances, bouquet and garter tosses, and cake cutting. We actually decided to have cupcakes, as well as a red velvet cake that was made by one of my closest friends from college, Megan McGaughey. Not only did Megan make the most delicious and beautiful cake I had ever seen, she also hand made the topper from wood that she had laser cut and hand-decorated. The end of our wedding came too quickly, as we departed the yacht club to a bubble fanfare and boarded the ferry to go back to the downtown harbor. Our friends and family all said it was the best wedding they had ever been to, and I have to agree! The night was over, but our life together had just begun. I was, and am, truly the luckiest woman in the world to be married to my best friend.
Fact. Engagement sessions are awesome. Beyond awesome. Especially when that engagement session is a seriously stunning Palm Coast shoot with two adorable lovebirds and a sweet picnic in a wooded wonderland… that’s awesome times one million. Add in the fab stylings and images of Hey, I love you Photography and a gallery literally overflowing with one heartwarming moment after another and, well. Say hello to an entire day of PRETTY. See so much more right here.
From Hey, I love you Photography… When Ellen and Andrew contacted me about shooting their engagement photos, I was so excited! Over the last couple of years, I have seen their relationship grow into something beautiful and have become great friends with both of them, so I knew I wanted to create something special for them. They are incredibly beautiful inside and out, and I knew I wanted that to show in the photos. The color palette was kept simple with whites and greens and little hints of color here and there. It was a picnic scene with an elegant side. Ellen is a painter so we set up an easel, and I just let them do their thing and captured each beautiful moment that they created.
