kristen & christopher | south tampa wedding photographer | sacred heart catholic church ceremony and tampa yacht and country club reception photography

… insight from kristen …

what was your favorite moment, or favorite part, of your wedding day?
Sharing the day with family and friends. So many of these people came to celebrate with us from near and far, so catching up with them and just having them there with us was our favorite part.
is there anything you wish you had done differently when planning your wedding?
When planning, remember that perfection will not happen–but it can come pretty close. Be sure to have contingency plans, especially those setup by planners with familiarity of weddings and all that can go wrong. Also wish I had more face-to-face time with certain vendors over purely email contact to better explain things.
which three vendors were most important to you when planning your wedding?
Definitely the caterer / venue because they do this all the time and were our single most important vendor with the planning. She’s seen it all and could direct us on what works and what doesn’t work. Photography and videography were also crucial in our planning. The timelines and questionnaires got us thinking and helped contribute to the planning on process.
what was your biggest wedding day savings? (and was it worth it?)
The DJ, which for us unfortunately was not worth the savings. It wasn’t a bad experience, just not an ideal experience. We went on the basis of a single recommendation and the price was right. The quality was ok, but not what we envisioned.
what was your biggest wedding day splurge? (and was it worth it?)
Photography / videography–which we so far believe to very much worth it from previews. We were always told to make sure we captured every moment and certainly every moment we would see both photographers and videographers. Their experience, know-how, and everything made this wedding truly special. We can’t wait to see the final product!
what was the best advice you received when planning your wedding? (and did you listen?)
Take time to enjoy the event and all that was going on around us, be sure to eat, and not sweat the small stuff. We definitely took time to pause and enjoy everything. We ate whenever we got a chance to–even if it was some speed eating, but we needed the energy to keep us going. It took about an hour to realize not to freak out when something super minor didn’t go as planned, but once we finally did not sweat the small stuff, the stress level went down.
was there anything encountered during wedding planning that was unexpected?
Not really. We were well prepared for most things. There will almost definitely by unexpected costs, but thankfully nothing too prohibitive for us.
was there a moment(s) during your wedding day that surprised you?
For once, everyone seemed to get along well and there was an overwhelming sense of camaraderie, love, and seeing everyone with a smile on their face.
when you look back on your wedding day in 50 years, what do you think you’ll remember most?
Very simple–the overwhelming sense of happiness and how special the moment was. The nuptial mass was perfect and the reception was amazing. We were so happy and just being with so many seemingly happy friends and family was perfect. It was special and memorable.

… how it all came together …