Hi guys! This is Megan (not to be confused with the usual voice around here, Meg), assistant for the Bradyhouse Photographers team! I get the pleasure of communicating with our amazing clients helping them plan out the perfect day and making sure all details are set in place before their Elopement.

We’re starting a new blog series with allllll of the details from our recent couples: favorite moments of their day, advice and tips for future couples, and some of the things they would do differently if they got to do their day over again!

Caitlin and Brian spent their day with our awesome videographer, Peter, and have so many helpful tips to share with you! We love how their highlight film turned out and excited for you to hear from these two!

If you know Caitlin or Brian or love their video, leave them some love below in the comments!

What were your favorite parts of your day?

Brian: I loved the ceremony. It was a beautiful day, with warm sunshine and a cool breeze. It was just overwhelming to be surrounded by everyone I love, as I got to marry my best friend. It felt special, sacred, and as if time stopped. I’ll never forget taking hold of Caitlin’s hands at the end of the aisle, at least until I get Alzheimers.

Caitlin: There were so many portions of the day that held such beauty: getting ready at the home I grew up surrounded by a few close friends and my parents; getting married in the gardens where my grandmother volunteered for decades and both my brothers were married. But the three moments that stand out are these.

Our first look; I could only see Brian’s back as I walked towards him, but it really sunk in to my soul: today he becomes my husband. I burst into tears even though he was still ten yards away! I took another moment before I let him turn around to try to encapsulate all the emotions that washed over me; joy, gratitude, love, peace, and overwhelming possibility of our lives together.

As my Dad walked me down the aisle, he turned towards me and said “Of all the decisions you’ve made in life, and you’ve made some great ones, marrying Brian is the best one by far”. (I’m not crying, you’re crying).

Our vows were “us”- full of ridiculousness and inside jokes. I loved that we took the time to write our own vows; sharing them among everyone seemed to unite us even more. But my favorite part of the ceremony (aside from the kiss!) was the end; we invited everyone to hold hands with each other so that we were all truly joined in a circle while a blessing was read. The friends and family that had helped us become the people we were that day were joined with us to bless & celebrate who we will become together.

Do you have any advice or tips for future couples?

When we first set out to wedding plan we knew two things: we wanted a lot of ribs and a huge dance party! We even wrote that on the invitation! Each time things seemed stressful, we would come back to this one idea: what is it that we really want for this day? What really matters, and what, in the end, is trivial? We identified the most important aspects of the day for us (venue, buffet and cocktails, photography) and for things that didn’t matter too much, like centerpieces, we went simple and easy.

Having a mission statement for the wedding during the planning was a great help. I feel like if we got married in 3 years, there would still be 3 years worth of planning to do. The wedding industry offers an infinite number of choices, and this can be overwhelming. When there just seems to be another decision to make, another task to check off the list, having our wedding statement helped us pause and remember why were we getting married in the first place. Tedious decisions instead transformed into amazing opportunities for us to have fun and make the most out of our day!

Another important aspect that we incorporated into our day was being eco-friendly. We used plates made from recycled leaves, we used local tropicals and greenery, and our centerpieces were potted bromeliads guests could take home and plant in their gardens. We also asked our bar if we could provide eco-friendly cups and glassware instead of using single-use plastics. ALL of our vendors were local as well!

What did we love? EVERYTHING. We both love to be completely ridiculous, so doing guitar riffs while entering the reception to “Higher & Higher” from Wet Hot American Summer, were aspects of “us” that we wanted to incorporate. We also asked our guests to send a “volunteer” from each table, which resulted in a surprise dance-off to see which table got to go to the buffet line first. Our friends & family got quite competitive!

We were fortunate enough to have a several wedding week activities, including a bbq and a cruise. This was a great time to see people and catch up beforehand. Then, on the day of the wedding, we had a quick receiving line. We asked that if we had seen anyone prior in the week, that they skip the receiving line. This way, after a short amount of time, we had greeted and said hello to everyone at the wedding! It felt wonderful to be able to enjoy the rest of cocktail hour, and then enjoy the rest of the night and party without having to worry about saying hi with everyone!

Go barefoot.

What would you do differently if you had your day to do over again?

Caitlin: Make the day last twice as long!? I could have danced until sunrise. There were so many tiny sweet moments that I would have taken ten more seconds to allow to happen- to have stopped just a few more times and soaked it all in. No matter how long the day lasted, I will have always wanted it to be just a biiiiit longer, because it was so perfect.

Brian: The day was just incredible. There were so many moments to take in, and enjoy. I suppose my biggest regret is having a little too much to drink towards the end of the reception. I didn’t feel physically bad that night or even the next morning, but the end of the night got fuzzy. It was an incredible party and so much fun, I just wish I was able to be a little more present at the end. Thank goodness for all the photos and videos to help remind me!