It's always a little bit intimidating when someone hires you for their wedding (arguably one of the most important days of a persons life) without meeting you first. It's also probably not a good idea to completely space and run 2 hours late for your first meeting with this person. (Everyone makes mistakes, photographers are people too! I promise this is the only time I've done this.) Luckily, Philip & Sierra are two of the sweetest people, we met, hit it off, and everything worked out alright in the end :)
What was the most anticipated moment of the day?
Sierra- "Seeing each other at our ceremony! We didn't do a first look and wanted to keep with tradition of seeing each other at our ceremony. I couldn't wait to see Philip at the end of the aisle."
Philip- "The exchange of vows. I was excited to be able to finally express our vows for each other in front of our family, friends, and God."
What was the biggest surprise of the day?:
Sierra- "Philip gave me a Beauty and The Beast wedding figurine for my wedding gift. On our first date Philip brought me to see Beauty and The Beast in 3D since I am a huge Disney fan. It is a special memory that I was surprised to have him incorporate into our big day!"
Did anything unexpected happen? What was the outcome?:
Sierra- "My sister (MOH) forgot to bring the rings to give to the best man. The trolley bringing my family to the church had to turn around to meet the reception coordinator to pick up the rings. It was a memorable experience for my family and a fun way to have everyone included!"
Philip- "The priest telling my aunt to stop taking pictures with her phone during the ceremony and to leave the pictures to Molly! It was hard to not laugh at that moment!"
What advice would you give to couples planning their wedding now?:
"Enjoy every moment of the planning process, even the stressful ones. It goes quickly and you only have one wedding, it's worth every emotion!"
Were you nervous? How did you squash the nerves?:
Sierra- "No, I was more anxious the morning of. Anxious to see Philip. I remember just wanting it to be time for the ceremony so I could see him! Being surrounded by my Mom and bridesmaids kept me calm, Sage (my sister and MOH) was a big help!'
Philip- "Of course I was nervous! I was getting married! I just calmed myself knowing we were meant to be together." (AWWWWWWWW!)
What were some of your favorite wedding details? How did you come up with them?:
Sierra- "The memory table to honor our family that passed away, we are very family oriented and know we wouldn't be who we are without our family. The Mickey and Minnie ears we wore during our cake cutting, to incorporate our love of Disney. We also had a raw bar since our family loves seafood and traveled across the country to Florida, we wanted to reflect that. Our grand exit was unique. We had everyone ring cowbells to match our last dance, a lot of our family commented on how that added a special touch to our wedding."
How did you feel at the end of the day?:
"Overjoyed, it was a perfect day! We were truly happy to be husband and wife celebrating with our friends and family."
What are you most looking forward to about married life?
"Continuing the journey of life together. We learn from each other, which is a beautiful thing."
Event Details:
Bridal Suite: New World Landing
Ceremony Venue: Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel
Reception Venue: Palafox Wharf
Coordinating: P.S. Weddings
Catering: Nancy's Haute Affairs
Photography: Rockwell Images
