Cesar and Robin’s gorgeous romantic red wedding is elegant, rustic, and everything that dreams are made of. A beautiful mix of Cesar’s Guatemalan heritage and Robin’s Southern upbringing, the duo’s wedding was a floral dream – including lush shades of reds and greens, tons of ivy and floral garlands, and centerpieces with apples. Robin loves agate rocks, which were calligraphed and used as place cards on old wood tables. Guests and the new Mr and Mrs danced under market lights and a starry sky – and capped off their night with a sparkler exit! The day was planned and executed to perfection by An Affair to Remember, and captured perfectly by Kristen Weaver Photography. Robin is here with us today sharing more about her planning experience, and we can’t wait for you to see her gorgeous wedding day!

What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?

As soon as we got engaged, I booked Kristen Johnson and Brittany Crowley with An Affair to Remember (AATR). They provided a thorough checklist with a timeline and vendor recommendations. I had my own design ideas, but Kristen and Brittany helped put all the pieces together and matched me with vendors who they felt I’d love. I’m very visual, so after I chose the vendors, we set up a “trial run,” so I was able to see and choose what linens, chairs, and chargers I preferred. I was also able to see what the floral arrangement would look like ahead of time (in case we needed to make any changes). Brittany was there on our wedding day and made sure I didn’t have to lift a finger. She spoke to all the vendors in advance and received confirmation of their arrival time, what they’d be bringing, and where they’d be setting up. On the day of, she worked with them while I relaxed with my family and bridesmaids. I would recommend (at least) a day of coordinator to any bride. I was able to enjoy our wedding day to the fullest because she was there.

What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?

Again, I had vendor recommendations from my coordinator and photographer, so that was extremely helpful. I knew that all vendors listed were trusted in their field, so I would research them, look at pictures of their work, and ultimately decide if their work reflected what I wanted our wedding to look like. Overall, we decided on vendors through industry recommendations, our own research, and reviews from friends and family. We didn’t rely too heavily on any wedding websites for vendor selection, but we did use them for design ideas.

What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?

My husband and I both adore the fall, so we incorporated colors and the cozy feel of the season into our wedding. My husband’s favorite color happens to be dark red/burgundy, so it ended up working perfectly. We ultimately wanted our wedding to feel cozy and casual with a bit of glam thrown in. We had lots of greenery and wooden tables and chairs that made it look a bit rustic, but we also had gold and sequins to add some glamour. It was the perfect mixture of my husband’s style and my style. I also chose smaller details based on some of our personal experiences- my husband’s first gift to me was a piece of agate, so we used agate slices for place cards. We gave out little jars of local honey as favors because we can’t live without that honey! We used our own old windows we bought at different estate sales (we LOVE estate sales) for seating charts. Overall, I feel like we were inspired by things we already love in our daily lives. Because that’s what it’s all about, right?! We wanted our wedding to feel personal and loving, and it did!

What was your favorite thing about your wedding?

CAKE! Just kidding… I mean our cake was the bomb, but I had so many favorite things! I absolutely loved our first look! We initially decided to do one because the sun was going to set soon after our ceremony, and we wanted to make sure we were able to have portraits taken. It ended up being one of the best decisions because we got some of our nerves out, and it was so nice having some alone time with my husband before the ceremony. I loved walking down the aisle with my dad in his camouflage hat and boots (lol) and dancing to Celine Dion with my mom at our reception. My favorite design detail was our centerpieces by Lee Forrest- especially the ones along the head table which was a long wooden farm table from Chair Affair. So gorgeous! Oh! And our wooden sign with our monogram was created by Kristen Johnson, and it now hangs in our home- definitely one of my favorite things.

What is your best piece of advice for other brides?

If you’re able to, hire at least a day-of coordinator! It was so nice being able to relax and enjoy my friends and family without stressing about the set up. I would also recommend hiring an outstanding photographer. We hired Kristen Weaver based on one of my sorority sister’s pictures and a recommendation from AATR. The entire day flies by, and at the end of it all, you’re going to have your pictures to look at and cherish. You might as well spend the extra money and hire someone you are confident will capture every second of your wedding beautifully.

Robin’s advice is 100% spot on! Oh, and how cute is the story of how they met? Although both Robin and Cesar are from Miami, they didn’t meet until they both attended a Hot Yoga class at UCF in Orlando. Robin says it was meant to last – meeting someone for the first time when you can’t possibly look sweatier – you know they’ll be around for the long haul!

Vendors who made it all happen…

Photographer:  Kristen Weaver Photography // Event Planner: An Affair To Remember // Caterer: Big City Catering // Event Venue: Cypress Grove Estate House // Equipment Rentals: A Chair Affair, Inc. // Calligrapher: Do Tell Calligraphy and Designs // Cinematography: Ivory & Iron – Seth Dunlap Films // Floral Designer: Lee Forrest Design // Linens and Coverings: Over the Top Rental Linens // Cake Designer: Party Flavors Custom Cakes // DJ: Soundwave Entertainment Systems // Dance Floor Wrap: That’s A Wrap // Cake Designer: The Sugar Suite // Invitation Designer: Wedding Paper Divas // Dress Store: calvet couture bridal // Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Absolutely Fitting // Hair & Makeup: LeJeune Artistry