Interview with the AMAZING Bridget + Chris:
HOW DID YOU MEET?
Chris: We met in graduate school while attending Colorado State University. My first impression of Bridget was that she was a cute and bubbly ginger.
Bridget: I remember it clearly; we just finished a three-hour class on communication ethics. This guy walked past me and said something about my Cleveland Browns being terrible. I was so conflicted, I never met this guy and he is talking smack about my football team, yet he is so good looking.
Eventually we were selected to work on a research project together where we became great friends.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU THE MOST TO YOUR HUSBAND/WIFE?
Chris: Her smile, laugh, and personality – I also thought she was really attractive!
Bridget: His smile, which I get to see a lot because he thinks he is hilarious. That, and he is the most gentle and considerate man, next to my father.
HOW DID HE PROPOSE?
Chris collated several journal articles and book chapters that were published from the research project we worked on together. He took all of these articles and put them together in a hardcover book. At first glance, I thought the book was simply a gift. However, in the middle of the book were four pages that simply read, “Will, you, marry me”. I ugly cried for a moment before being able to answer yes.
I’ll never live down the ugly-cry because Chris secretly recorded the whole proposal.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR VISION FOR YOUR WEDDING?
Bridget and I have moved several times since dating and being engaged. We knew that whomever we invited would have to travel regardless of where we married. After traveling to Cocoa Beach, Florida to visit my family we pretty much knew that a beach wedding was exactly what we wanted. It was an area we will be back to often and a place our guests could relax and plan a mini-vacation.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN ELEMENT OF YOUR WEDDING?
Nature! At the Crowne Plaza, we loved the ocean view, the beach below and the vegetation throughout the surrounding area.
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY DETAILS?
We wish! But no, we had visions and ideas and we worked with local vendors to create a celebration that reflected “us.”
WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF YOUR WEDDING DAY?
Chris: The First Look. Without question this was the most memorable moment of the day. I’ll never forget the emotion of turning around and seeing my bride for the very first time. It was intimate, personal, and private – in fact, it was the only time we spend alone together until the wedding ended.
Bridget: The First Look was the best decision I made while planning the wedding. Nothing will ever compare to that one moment I shared with Chris. It is really hard to describe how special it turned out to be. On your wedding day it is very easy to get caught up in the excitement and craziness, the first look allowed Chris and I to take a deep breath and focus on what the day was about.
PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR CAKE:
We first saw a design of a cake in a wedding magazine that we both thought was amazing. The design was fairly simple with three segments of fondant that looked like water flowing from the top of the cake down to the base. Dawn from Creative Cakes turned a simple picture pulled from a wedding magazine into an absolutely beautiful reality.
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER?
We heard nothing short of glowing reviews about Jason and Sara leading up to our first shoot – the engagement session. We were nervous about what to expect when we met for the first time at the Cocoa Beach Pier. However, within minutes of meeting Jason and Sara, we felt like we were hanging out with old friends. We had such an amazing time during the photo shoot – despite a gnarly bike crash on the beach – we couldn’t wait to see them again for the wedding.
True to form, Jason and Sara were fantastic during our wedding day. They helped put us at ease, corral the wedding party, and ensured that we had a blast during the whole day and night.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND AS A COUPLE?
We will be taking our dream honeymoon to Italy in the fall of 2014. Until that time, we plan on settling into the new house that we recently bought.
CAN YOU PLEASE LIST YOUR VENDORS:
Photography: Concept Photography, Orlando, FL
Planning: Wedding Belles Inc, Melbourne, FL
Ceremony & Reception: Crowne Plaza Beachfront, Melbourne, FL
Officiant: Rev Ann Fuller, Brevard County
DJ: DJ Shane, Melbourne, Florida
Florist: Violets in Bloom, Melbourne, FL
Hair and Makeup: Transformations Salon, Melbourne, FL
Cake: Creative Cakes and Candies, Melbourne, FL
Dress: Watters Brides Lasara, Milwaukee, WI

A few years ago we had the absolute pleasure of photographing this awesome couple’s wedding in the Florida Keys. Now, we get to tell Kristin + Mike CONGRATULATIONS on the newest additions to their beautiful family!

Interview with our gorgeous bride, Erin:
HOW DID YOU MEET? We met at a mutual friend’s 4th of July BBQ in 2010. After incessantly thinking, ‘who is this cute boy making me laugh’ all night, I got to know more and we haven’t looked back since that night!
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU THE MOST TO YOUR HUSBAND/WIFE? A genuine heart is hard to come by. When I met Ben, he was REAL and had this contagious relaxed and calming quality about life. That perspective is what makes him the perfect partner and what makes me love him so much.
If I have to answer for my husband, I would say EVERYTHING!
HOW DID HE PROPOSE? Ben proposed at our house. We hosted a BBQ (fitting) for his birthday. His family mysteriously traveled to Florida for the event. I definitely had a hunch something special was about to go down. Ben made a “speech” in front of everyone and there it happened! Our friends and family were SCREAMING with happiness and we all celebrated through the night. It was beyond memorable and special that all of the people who are important to us shared it with us.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR VISION FOR YOUR WEDDING? When wedding planning began, I had ONE vision in mind: simple and classic. Once found our dream venue, we realized the space had so much character already and wanted to keep the décor understated.
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR VENUE: Choosing the venue was completely based on budget. Thankfully we visited The Addison in Boca Raton first, thinking it would be out of our reach, we would get that settled immediately and move on. Once we realized the Addison fit our budget, we locked it in.
The Addison is one of those places in South Florida that I would call a “diamond in the rough”. In an area filled with the same old hotels, architecture and the beach, this venue stands out from the rest. It has this Tuscan historic character that you cannot find around here.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST PLANNING CHALLENGE? I can easily say the biggest planning challenge was guest list. The room we chose for the reception accomodated 100 people. To remain in line with budget and space, while pleasing everyone, we had to revisit the list numerous times to make sure we were able to invite all of the people we love but still keep the vibe intimate and comfortable.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGN ELEMENT OF YOUR WEDDING? My favorite design element of the wedding was the candles. After the dream venue was chosen, I told our florist “make the room look like it is on fire”. Boy he did. That element of romance can only be captured with candlelight and it turned out beautiful.
DID YOU HAVE ANY DIY DETAILS? Thankfully I have married a man who LOVES DIY projects. We did a lot of little projects for this but I will highlight what sticks out most.
First, our guestbook was a creation of our actual fingerprints making a heart-shape where our guests could sign around the prints. Second, we hung “Mr.” and “Mrs.” signs from our chairs that my husband created from pieces of wood and stencils, which was a nice touch on our chairs. Lastly, my husband made our table seating chart incorporating one of our FABULOUS engagement photos that listed all names. We chose this instead of table cards. We saw this done at another wedding and thought it was quite unique. We added our own special touches to it and it came out amazing.
WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF YOUR WEDDING DAY? That is a tough one. There are definitely SO many amazing memories from that night; I don’t think I can choose only one. First I would say our beautiful ceremony, which was officiated by my mother’s best friend was amazing. Marla, who became an ordained minister for our wedding did such an amazing job articulating our love and what is meaningful in our relationship and she created a ceremony that touched on all of the things that are important to us. It was completely special that she created our ceremony from start to finish and she is also a very special person in our lives.
Second thing I must say are the rare moments we had to step back and watch our closest family and friends come together from all over the country some reuniting and some meeting for the first time, really enjoying themselves. Everyone was SO happy to be together celebrating our wedding it filled my heart with so much happiness.
DESCRIBE YOUR CAKE: Our cake was a 3 tier white fondant cake with black ribbon wrapped around each tier. It was very simple and tasted DELICIOUS. We also added a beautiful Viennese dessert table which looked/tasted amazing.
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER? Not surprised but we enjoy Sara and Jason so much.
Being that my husband is also a photographer, we both agreed that it is one of the most important choices when planning a wedding. When the time came to shop around, we didn’t. We simply chose Sara & Jason (easiest wedding decision EVER).
They have a unique vision and you just have to go with it! We are beyond grateful that they captured this day from a million different angles I’m sure. We are continuously inspired by their ability to have fun and still remain extremely professional to get the job done seamlessly. They are beautiful people and look forward to seeing them at MANY more weddings and spending more time getting to know them.
Thank you just doesn’t cut it. We love them!
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND AS A COUPLE? Next step is to simply enjoy being married! We have lots of adventures to plan, traveling to do and places to see before we “settle down”. We will also work toward buying our very first home in the next year.
CAN YOU PLEASE LIST YOUR VENDORS:
Photography: Concept Photography
Venue (ceremony/reception)/Catering: The Addision (http://theaddisonofbocaraton.com/)
Videography: Coury Creations (https://www.facebook.com/CouryCreations)
Floral/Décor (ceremony/reception): Daniel Events (http://www.danielevents.com/)
Wedding/Bridesmaids Dress: Unique Bridal (http://www.uniquebridalandboutique.com/)
Makeup: Rachel Shapiro / Rachel Cosmetics (http://rachelsbrides.com/)
Hair: Hair by Danielle Nycole (https://www.facebook.com/HairbyDanielleNycole)
Transportation: Molly’s Trolleys (http://www.mollystrolleys.com/)
DJ: Mickey Valentine
Cake: Publix Supermarket
Men’s Suits: Men’s Warehouse