Here’s an ideaééò how about relaxing on your actual wedding day, enjoying time with family and friends, and then have your photo session the next day? That way you also get to dress up twiceééò and let’s face it who doesn’t want to wear their wedding dress at least one more time! Without being rushed for time, Megan & Brandon got to relax and make the most of their photo sessionééò and for Megan it meant not stressing about getting the gown too dirty on the actual wedding day. ééòIt was so fun to adventure around Big Sur & not be afraid of getting my dress dirty since I didn’t have to think about having a ceremony later. Our photos are something I will cherish forever. Danielle is SO talented and fun to work with!ééò
Danielle being DANIELLE POFF, who’s work I adore! She’s done a beautiful job of these images. Megan & Brandon had slightly different ideas of what they wanted for their weddingééò he wanted an actual wedding, she wanted to elope. After some research Megan came across the perfect location in Big Sur and promptly fell in love with it. Some unforeseen circumstances saw them having a surprise ceremony back home on family property in Kentucky. Megan tell us, ééòWe told all of our guests they were coming to a party celebrate our marriage since we were eloping. The party was nautical themed and we even built a small “boat dock” and surrounded it with sand, so technically I could still get married in the sand. During the party we showed a video and when it was over we walked out and were married by our grandfathers. It was so special and fun! I opted not to hire a photographer for our ceremony because I still wanted to have our photos taken by Danielle on our honeymoon in California and I’m so glad we did! She was completely understanding of our change of plans and I couldn’t have been more thankful.ééò
HOW DID YOU MEET? Brandon and I met through a mutual friend who kept telling us about one another, but at the time neither of us were too interested in seeing anyone. One day I received a phone call from him trying to set us up on a date, which happened to be to a Nascar race in Bristol, Tennessee. I was a little skeptical because we live several hours away from Bristol, so even if we didn’t hit it off our first date would be an all day event. Plus, I’m not a huge Nascar fan, but I agreed to go. I can’t say our first date was very romantic, but it was so much fun! Brandon was such a gentleman and he still is to this day.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL? Brandon proposed on the beach at night in Jacksonville, Florida. It had rained almost our entire trip, so one evening we went on a movie and dinner date. After dinner I asked if we could take a walk on the beach. We walked out to the water and were standing ankle deep when he popped the question. His proposal made up for our not so romantic first date!
TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: I’m not a very high maintenance girl, so I knew I wanted a simple wedding dress. My mom, aunt, and I went on shopping trip to Knoxville, TN. I can’t even remember why, but we decided to stop and look at dresses in David’s Bridal on our way home. My wedding was still almost two years away and we didn’t even know where we were getting married yet, so I definitely wasn’t planning to buy. I ended up picking out a few dresses to try on and bought the first one a tried! Despite having no wedding plans, the dress ended up being perfect for our surprise wedding and day-after California photo session with the amazing Danielle.
ANY DIY OR BUDGET ELEMENTS? We were on a budget, so our ceremony/party was completely DIY, from the invitations, to the decorations and flowers, to the food. I have an amazingly talented aunt and she worked so hard to make our wedding beautiful. For our photo session with Danielle, my bouquet was DIY. Brandon and I spent the day driving down the beautiful California coast and stopping along the way to pick wildflowers. I put the bouquet together just before our photo session. I loved how it turned out!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Don’t worry about tradition or what everyone else wants you to do, just do what your heart desires. Remember, a wedding is about celebrating the start of a marriage, so plan and prepare more for your marriage than for your wedding. Don’t sweat the small stuff, just have fun & enjoy every moment because the wedding and the honeymoon come and go real quick!
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? After our ceremony/party we a had a campout with a few of our best friends and family. We stayed up all night & it was an absolute blast! No, not your typical wedding night, but I wouldn’t change it for a thing. We had so much fun! Like I said, everything doesn’t have to be traditional. For our session with Danielle, I loved getting in the water in our wedding attire. The pictures turned out awesome!
Photographer DANIELLE POFF / Cake BRIDE’S COUSIN / Gown GALINA / Shoes CORRAL BOOTS / Grooms Attire J.C. PENNEY
