We fall hard for amazing wedding stories - because, after all, isn't that what it's all about? Jen and Brian exchanged sunset vows at his Grandmother's lake house in Lakeland, next to a tree he had planted as a child; a beautiful place filled with childhood memories and the happy occasion of his brother's wedding a few years before. Jillian Joseph Photography captured this day in which the couple infused every moment with personal, heartfelt details.
The Jen and Brian shared a group of friends, but didn't really connect with each other until Brian rented Jen some sound equipment for her birthday party. They fell so quickly into a serious relationship after that party that Jen actually never paid him for the rental (more on that later). Says Jen, "Basically, I flirted with him and did the sound rental to INSURE that he would be at my party. We both knew immediately (as did all of our friends that knew us well) that we were 'done' ... we had found the one."
Brian loved their first look, and seeing Jen looking beautiful in the dress she worked so hard on to make perfect. Jen also loved the stolen moments they were able to spend together: "There were several moments captured in those pictures that will be what I turn to in dark days and bright days and know that all the emotions from those moments and the day will come flooding back to me."
“More than anything I love Jen's absolute support of my passions and accomplishments in life. Whenever we have the opportunity to work together on things, we compliment each other so well it breeds success. We connect on a level where we can finish each others thoughts and her company makes everything that much brighter for me. I love her vision, passion, and creativity trying to make simple things spectacular. ”
Wanting an intimate wedding day with only closest friends and family, and a location that allowed for Brian's 94 year old grandmother to attend, the two chose Granny's lake house. Being a flower girl was on Granny's bucket list, and she got her wish; they also honored Granny by tucking a few of her brooches into Jen's bouquet, which was filled with roses in honor of Jen's grandmother, who loved them.
Jen's father, a retired reverend, both walked her down the aisle and performed the ceremony. Their older daughter played her violin with the string quartet for Jen's entrance; she learned Canon in D just for this moment. Says Jen, "She played beautifully and it was a very touching moment for she and I as our eyes locked at the top of the aisle and she began." During the ceremony, Jen handed her groom $40 for the aforementioned speaker rental. Says Brian, "This came as such as surprise to me that I lost any and all composure."
Their reception was infused with personal (and nerdy) details as well, from a Leia and Hans Solo cake topper with a logo heart to the light sabers the two used during the cake cutting. Brian loved picking oranges of the trees at the house when he was a child, so they added orange touches throughout the day; they also used a few of his grandfather's old records as place mats as a nod to their shared passion for music.
We drove away that night and looked at each other and said, 'That was our wedding. How did we get so lucky to have such a beautiful perfect day?!?' We were in awe.
I can't sum it up any better than that. Congratulations, you two!
