Don’t you just love when you see a wedding and you know that they are a fun couple? That’s how I feel about this Key West wedding from Aubrey Joy Photography. Not only are their pictures (on the beach!) absolutely gorgeous, but every detail was so thoughtful and fun. I love it!
From the bride…
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
What: Obsessing over wedding blogs gave me tons of ideas for what I wanted to do. I’m a graphic designer by trade, and a perfectionist at that, so I was detail OBSESSED for a while. Who: one of my best friends Erica Hansen was my rock when I was freaking out and overloaded with stress. My sisters always kept me grounded and helped me with anything I needed. My husband was great at talking me down from the ledge as well.
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
The most important thing about picking people to work with was that they were more interested in making it a great day, instead of pressuring me into spending more, and mostly that they shared the same idea of what makes a wedding great. I wanted to feel like they could have been my friends—and I think all of my vendors were exactly that.
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
I used the fun atmosphere of Key West to influence the colors of the decorations, and tried to focus on things that I felt were important, and not worry about the rest. I knew we would only be at the venue for 5 hours, and that nothing would come home with us—so I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on flowers that would look pretty for a short time, only to be thrown out a few hours later. It seemed wasteful and cruel. I opted for paper decorations instead. It was much more cost efficient and went with the “fiesta” fun loving theme. I didn’t regret saving myself the $3,000+ TRUST ME! Plus the paper tassels added movement and texture.
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
My favorite thing about our wedding was our ceremony. The weather was perfect and having Alek’s dad, Rick marry us made it extra special. We wrote our own vows so it was completely emotional and heartfelt. Hearing my husband’s vows was the best part for sure.
What is your best piece of advice for other brides?
Figure out what is meaningful to you and your fiancé, and *try* do that. (I say try because we all know that there are other factors involved –$$$– and we can’t always look dad in the face and say, no I’m doing a pirate theme wedding!) No doubt there will be plenty of people who are judging you and will create drama around something as silly as song, a plus one, or booze. Do NOT be surprised when it happens. Just keep moving right along, and don’t feed the trolls! At the end of the day it’s about a marriage, not a wedding. The wedding is for everyone else, the marriage is for you.
Spend money where it counts: No one cares about the branded water, flip flops, or straws. People throw away your expensive invites — they can barely return the RSVPs! Seriously, ask yourself what matters most and spend your money there.
On DIY: Look, of all people I thought I would take on doing EVERYTHING myself. I’m a super crafty uber creative graphic designer for crying out loud! I know the ins and outs of printing & web design. But let me just tell you: DIY = DIE. If I had to do it again, I would ask myself this: How expensive is it versus How EMOTIONALLY expensive is it. Sometimes, it is worth it to just pay for someone else to do it. Although I’m really happy with how everything came out, designing my own invites and making all the crafts was VERY emotionally expensive.
Where we spent our money: Photography/Videography: Our photos are incredible! Aubrey was one of my favorite people at our wedding. Her and her husband felt like they were a couple of our friends. Our videographer, Mckenzie is one of my friends! So it was really special to have her make our video. It is completely priceless! If you’re debating it—do it, you will not regret it.
Music: No Chicken dance. That is all.
I really love this bride’s advice as well. It really is so important to evaluate what’s important to you, and go from there. It’s nearly impossible to create your dream wedding without prioritizing. Don’t let what you’re “supposed” to do influence your decisions so much as what YOU want to do. I promise, it’ll be worth it!
xoxo, Joelle
Vendors who made it all happen…
Joelle
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What a gorgeous wedding! I love her dress, ♥
Natalya @ Ruff House Art
Props to Aubrey Joy Photography, because these are some of the most gorgeous shots I have ever seen! Absolutely stunning. And those centerpieces are amazing beyond belief. I love the XO balloons too!
i love the color palette and the mylar balloons. the gold ones are becoming quite popular, it seems. maybe they’ll replace mustache props!
Nice pictures!
The sea will witness their love forever!
It’s admirable how you incorporated modern styles things in a wedding with a high cote elegance, like the XO balloons. Congrats!!!!
I agree with the bride, sometimes you don’t realize how emotionally spent you will be after taking on all the DIY crafts. Sometimes it’s worth it in the end and other times it’s not. Beautiful wedding though!