Our Wedding 4.14.14

brandon sarah wedding

All pictures are courtesy of the talented Dustin Prickett at Sunglow Photography

It feels like it was just yesterday that I was writing about our engagement and now here we are with pictures from the big day. It all flew by so fast, as I was told it would, but I think we did our best to soak in every moment.

Since all of our family lives in Central Florida, we decided to get married back on the east coast. We have always agreed on wanting a small and intimate wedding so we chose to forgo having bridesmaids or groomsmen and invited only our immediate family and friends.

When it came to picturing the setting where Brandon and I would exchange our vows, I imagined it taking place under a big oak tree. It wasn’t economically feasible for us to make a trip to Florida beforehand so I had to choose a venue based on what I could find on the internet and I eventually came across Highland Manor in the small city of Apopka.

Highland Manor

Even though neither of us had seen it in-person, I knew it was the perfect spot for us. The estate was built in 1903 and was full of vintage charm plus there were two giant oak trees out front and a small chapel in-case of inclement weather.

I’m the type that fears the worst will happen so knowing we had a back-up plan gave me great comfort. But of course, mother nature pulled through with warm and sunny weather so we didn’t even need it.

brandon sarah wedding

The military jacket and golf hat belong to my grandfather who lost a long battle to Multiple Myeloma a few years after Brandon and I started dating. He will forever be one of the most important parts of our family so it was important that his presence was felt.

brandon sarah wedding

Our ceremony programs were designed with the help of Smitten on Paper and I love the way they turned out! They were also pretty useful as it was in the 80’s that day.

The sign-in table had one of the memo boards I made along with our guest book in the center which was actually an oak tree puzzle that I found on Etsy. I thought it was such a cool idea and I’m excited to frame it soon!

brandon sarah wedding

brandon sarah wedding

I got ready in the bridal suite at the venue along with my mom and grandmother and a few close friends. Lejeune Artistry did our hair and makeup and I went for a soft, natural look with a low, side-swept ponytail.

brandon sarah wedding

For my dress, I knew exactly what I wanted before I went shopping: a fitted lace gown with cap sleeves and a keyhole back. The options were actually pretty limited but I was able to find this one at the second boutique I went to, Janene’s Bridal in Alameda. 

The girl that was helping me pulled a few different dresses but left this one on the rack since it was over my budget. Every time I walked by it, the lace kept catching my eye so I asked her if I could try it on, knowing it was more than I wanted to spend. Sure enough, the second I put it on I got an overwhelming feeling that it was “the one”.

I made a few a subtle changes by having them remove the sash and beading that it originally came with as well as some of the crinoline at the bottom so that it wasn’t as poofy.

brandon sarah wedding

www.sunglowphotography.com

The end result was everything I dreamed of and I hope to have a daughter who will wear it one day.

www.sunglowphotography.com