One thing I have been so excited to share about is our wedding! On November 17th, 2018, Jeff and I stood before God, family and friends to celebrate our love and unite as one. Our wedding day was everything I could have hoped for and more: from all of the preparations leading up to the day itself, it was magical.
Our journey to this point was not the easiest for the last 7 months of our engagement. We were going through major life changes with a big move and career changes, ultimately ending up with us moving back to the place that makes us happiest and making MORE changes the week before our wedding! But honestly, I couldn’t be happier we made that move when we did. People continuously ask: “How could you stand to move and change jobs one week before your wedding and not be stressed out of your mind?!” The answer: Jesus and amazing planning, from every level.
Psst: I will include a list of vendors and incredible humans we worked with for our wedding at the end of this blog post! They are also mentioned within the post.
Throughout our planning process, I worked with Solutions Bridal in Orlando to find the perfect dress and veil. They were beyond accommodating! Every woman in this establishment was so knowledgeable, sweet, and had a very keen eye for personal style! Solutions Bridal offered to have a custom veil made for me, using the lace from my dress ordered from the manufacturer and made to my specifications and it turned out to be the most gorgeous and flattering bridal piece! I am blown away at the skills and ability of each of their team members. They were also willing to allow my makeup artist, Jessica Tullas, to come down to do my bridal makeup trial while I was in for a dress fitting. The moment I was able to see the dress and makeup together, the same feelings rushed over me that did when I knew I found THE dress. These ladies made me feel like a million bucks every single time I walked in their boutique, and I give them the highest praises for working with me on so many levels!
Jessica Tullas has done my makeup for two major events in my life now- my NPC Bikini competition and my wedding, and she has SLAYED every time. She is so talented, super fun to be around, and is the hype queen you need when your nerves are frazzled. The fact that she is so versatile in her application makes her my go-to for any big event in my life!
My hair has been colored by one of my best friends now for the last few years, and I recently got NBR extensions last summer in South Tampa by Taylor- she is Bellamie Hair Pro Extension Certified. Together they have made my hair so dreamy and healthy! Building on the foundation these two have laid, I was referred to the kind and talented hairdresser, Emily Urquhart (she does makeup, too!), who was able to take my hair and design the perfect wedding hairstyle- it looked incredible and held all night! I didn’t have to worry about my hair in pictures AT ALL. That’s sayin’ something, especially in a Florida wedding.
My saving grace throughout the planning process was my now sister-in-law, Kayla. Her family owns the wedding venue we got married at- The Delamater House- and she also coordinates weddings in addition to being a teacher. Girl slays it and makes dreams come true, literally. Her company is Belles & Bowties, and her sister Kristen, provided the flowers from her company Flowers at the House. These women took a very simple vision of mine and just made it explode into this beautiful vision I didn’t even KNOW I had for our wedding! They know exactly what they’re doing. The staff is unmatched: professional, friendly, calming, organized, assertive- everything you could want on such a day.
Our photographer was Meagan at Emotive Photo, and she was so sweet and a calming presence which was great, especially right before the wedding and right after when you are just a bundle of nerves and excitement! She was able to capture some amazing moments, and our photos are so enchanting and dreamy. I cry every single time I look through them, literally. What’s more, you would never know that she and her assistant were there! Extremely poised and professional.
Overall, every struggle we had made our day that much sweeter, and the incredible team of people behind us helped to carry out a memory we will cherish forever.
From the bottom of our hearts:
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to each and every person that shared our special day with us- behind the scenes or as a guest; it was a dream to have all of our favorite people with us to celebrate an incredibly important moment, and we are blessed to have you in our lives!
Vendors:
Wedding venue: The Delamater House
Wedding coordinator/team: Belles & Bowties
Florist: Flowers at the House
Dress & Veil: Solutions Bridal
Hair: Emily Urquhart
Hair Extensions: Taylor Renae
Makeup: Jessica Tullas
Photography: Emotive Photography
Food: Riverside Catering