Deb and Jon’s wedding was small, simple, intimate and perfect. I can’t believe they’re already celebrating their 4 year anniversary!
Deb pictured her wedding perfect but someone important was missing, “As a little girl, I dreamed of the day when my dad would walk me down the aisle in a wedding dress. Unfortunately, my dad passed away several years before I was married. His absence at my wedding was pretty emotional for me. However, when I walked through the rose garden with my mom and saw my future husband, my friends, and my family waiting for me– it was just an indescribable feeling. I knew that my dad was there too, cheering us on from heaven. This was also the first time I saw my husband on our wedding day, and he couldn’t have been more handsome, said Deb.”
What else couldn’t have been more perfect was their dinner menu. Their reception was a wine cellar at Luma in Winter Park, Florida.
“I loved our whole dinner menu! We had our reception in the wine cellar at Luma on Park (Winter Park, FL). We planned a menu with Chef Brandon McGlamery, and it was delicious. Food was a very high priority for us, so we spared no expense creating a variety of options for our guests.”
However, Deb made sure to make her wedding hers and not to give in to everyone’s advice to easily. She says its important to make sure you, the bride, is fine with everything. “Once you start planning a wedding, everyone will give you advice on what to do, what to wear, etc. Make sure you stay true to yourself and do what you and your partner want. Trying to please everyone else will just give you a headache. If someone’s feelings get inadvertently hurt (which I’ve noticed generally happens), they will get over it eventually. “
Because of this, she did not want to spend a fortune on flowers and went easy on the floral decor.
“Flowers weren’t very important for me, so I decided that this would be a good DIY project. My bridesmaids and mother helped create the ‘mini’ bouquets, and they were perfect.”
She also stuck to her budget throughout the whole wedding planning. “Make a realistic budget and stick to it! It’s not worth starting a marriage loaded with debt from your wedding. Prioritize what is most important for you and budget accordingly. For us, our priorities were food, ceremony location, and photography. We opted to have an intimate wedding (30 guests) so that we could afford exactly what we wanted. Also, good photography is expensive– don’t skimp here! Find someone you get along with, who is detail oriented, who listens to their clients, and who runs a good business. I met with several photographers prior to Kristen who took amazing photos but lacked in the business department. You don’t want to be stuck with a photographer who goes MIA after your wedding (I’ve heard too many horror stories!).”
Having a photographer to capture your special day is really important. This is what Deb said about Kristen Weaver Photography, “Kristen has an amazing eye for photography, and we were lucky to get her for our engagement and wedding photos. I liked that she was detail oriented and listened to what our concerns were and what we were looking for. She not only has mad photography skills, but she also understands what it takes to run a successful business. I would work with her again in a heartbeat if the opportunity ever arose.”
