Steven & Brittney's Nautical Wedding, Happy 1 yr Anniversary!
"Love at first sight" and the feeling of "home" is how they describe their love.
On a perfect September day, Brittney and Steven prepared to stand in front of their family and friends and promise to love each other, always. Brittney got ready at her parents house with her closest friends and family. Their little family doggie got in on the action as well!
Steven and his best friends, fellow sailors, along with Brittney's father got ready at the church.
"I was unsure at first if it was "the dress," my mom told me it is totally you! It's fun and its just you, fits your personality!"
The bridesmaids chose their own gowns from Something Blue Bridal Boutique and received Nadri earrings as part of their gifts from Brittney.
The bride's father and ushers wore tuxes from Dunhill and the groomsmen and groom wore their Navy Uniform "Dress Whites". They were meticulous about how their medals and pins were positioned and I loved hearing about what each one represented.
How did their love story begin?
Brittney and Steven met on March 15th, 2012 in Oxnard, California. Brittney went on spring break to visit her brother in California, who at that time was stationed there with the Navy. She had once asked her brother if he had any "hot friends." Her brother said, "yeah, he's married." Her brother was referring to Steve, at that time he was going through a divorce. Steve and Brittney's brother were friends and both in the service, stationed in California. Steve had just returned back from a deployment from Ethiopia and had a few days off. The whole time Brittney was in California, her brother didn't tell Steve he had a sister. He kind of hid her from him, as if he didn't want them to meet. On her last day in California, Steve and Brittney's brother were working on Steve's car and once they had finished, her brother asked Steve if he wanted to go with him to take his sister to the airport. Steve got all excited and said, "you have a sister and you didn't tell me?" Steve was curious to see what his sister looked like and said, "I'm down!" Steve told her brother that he had to get some clothes because he was in uniform and then he'd meet him at his house. (Steve likes to work on his car in his uniform because he doesn't mind it getting dirty.) Steve arrived to her brothers house and walked in. The moment Brittney saw him she was thinking in her head, "dang, he's as tall as the doorway!" Once that thought had passed, she checked him out in his uniform, he looked handsome! The two of them shook hands and introduced each other. "Steve hurried up and changed and we got in the car to head to the airport." Brittney sat on the left side of the car in the backseat and Steve was sitting in the passenger seat in the front. The whole trip Steve kept looking into the backseat to stare at Brittney.
“She had brown hair, the most beautiful eyes and a nice tan. Who could pass that up!!!?”
They had stopped at McDonalds, because Steve was hungry. Steve had asked Brittney if she wanted anything and she said no thanks. Steve likes food, but on that day he decided he wouldn't eat as much because there was this beautiful woman in the car. They got their food and ate it quickly and continued their journey to the airport. Once they had arrived to the airport, Brittney got her bags and said her goodbyes. Steve stayed in the car because he didn't want it to be awkward to hug this girl he had just met. As she walked away, Steve was sad, but something just felt different from that moment on. Steve pretty much stared at her from behind the whole time she was walking into the airport. The whole way home Steve thought to himself, "man I want to get know her more". Something sparked his interest! While Brittney was flying home, Steve decided that he would look Brittney up on Facebook and message her. His message to her was, "Hey, how was your flight?" He was hoping that she would see it and respond. He was so nervous, yet super excited and then she responded a few hours later. After that the conversation continued and he asked for her number. They then called each other and texted, and then started to Skype and that is how the relationship started and grew stronger. Most of the relationship was Skype, airports, and long distance.
“We love each others company. Whether it be watching a movie together on the couch, making dinner together, playing Frisbee on the beach, having picnics on the beach, or traveling the world.”
How did you know He was "THE ONE"?
"The way he looked at me, the way he cared about me, he wanted to show me the world. He would skype me and text me everyday, miles and miles apart and we made it work. He wrote me a love letter saying why I should date him and when I said yes to dating him he sent me a build a bear in the mail. It was my "Little Steve" for when he wasn't there. When you squeezed his hand, the bear played "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz. That was his motto, don't give up on me and I won't give up on you! He was head over heels for me and I was starting to fall in love with him. He was my best friend, the person you have to tell everything to, the person you want to spend all your time with. He made me feel safe, loved, and home. That's how I knew."
How did you know She was "THE ONE"?
"It was love at fist sight, the way she smiled at me and looked at me with those blue eyes. It was very different from when anyone else had smiled at me."
The Proposal
"He proposed on the Amalfi Coast in Italy in a town called Positano. We got dinner and then hiked down the hillside and ate gelato on the beach. The beach was filled with beach chairs and a few people, it was night about 12ish-1ish. The beach was lit up by the cliff side houses, restaurants and the ocean front filled with boats. Steve was actually down on one knee getting ready to propose and then some British people ran out of a bar and started peeing in the ocean, so he quickly got back up and acted like he was tying his shoe. We were taking pictures of the area and I decided to take the camera from Steve and get a close up of the moon (Steve's chance to get back down on one knee)
He then was able to get back down on one knee and propose. I was putting the camera away as Steve was down on one knee, and he had to get my attention by calling my name and I had turned around and didn't notice he was on one knee. I finally realized he was down on one knee holding a box open with a ring inside, he gave a little speech and used my full name and then said you're pretty awesome, will you marry me? I was so excited that I just hugged him and kissed him and then he said, well, is that a yes? I said yes, and he placed the ring on my finger. It was so dark out I couldn't see my ring clearly, I was trying to use the moonlight to see it and then we walked back up the hillside and I was staring at my ring the whole time!"
The Ceremony
The emotional and sweet ceremony took place at Holy Name Catholic Church in Cedar Lake, IN.
Bridal Party
Maid of Honor- Courtney O'Neill (Childhood best friends), a sister I never had
Best Man- Chris Taylor (best friend and fellow sailor), always there when you need him
Bridesmaid- Diana Neff (friend, pretty much a cousin) love spending time with her
Bridesmaid- Kayla Kemp (cousin) so much fun
Groomsman- Spencer Maguire (fellow sailor), 1st friend in Virginia
Describe your wedding style in 3 words.
“Nautical, Elegant, & Fun”
Brittney chose royal blue, silver and a hint of peach for her wedding colors. Everything tied together beautifully. The vibrant blue bridesmaid dresses popped against the crisp sailor uniforms and the silver and peach accents gave it a romantic touch.
"Originally I wanted Pink & Gold, but when we went to try on dresses the girls didn't look good in pink, it just washed them away. My Maid of Honor tried on a blue dress that she absolutely fell in love with and looked great in. We had the other girls try it on and they loved it too. I was uneasy about the color because I really wanted pink & gold, and I just couldn't picture in my head what kind of flowers or colors I would put with it. While we were at the bridal shop everyone was looking up pictures of flowers that would match the dress and it gave me a better insight on what it would look like. That's how the color blue was picked! I had a belt for my dress that was beaded and silver in color so I decided to incorporate the color silver. The hint of peach came along when I got on Pinterest and started looking up flower combinations, and I just fell in love with a hint of the color."
His ring is from Jared Galleria of Jewelry. He wanted a black ring and it looks so cool. Her ring was made in Crown Point, IN. at Brad's Designs and Jewelry with her grandmothers diamond. So sweet!
"I fell in love with the flowers on pinterest and wanted them recreated, hydrangeas were the most important because they were in our centerpieces."
Steven & Brittney paid tribute to the Servicemen and Servicewomen that attended their wedding. The DJ played "Proud to be an American" and called them all to the dance floor for a round of applause and photos.
Music and up-lighting by the always fun and professional 219 Productions.
"The reception (at Villa Cesare) was the perfect location with great food!"
Vendor Recap:
- Venue: Villa Cesare
- Wedding gown: Robert Taylor Gown & Tux
- Bridesmaid gowns: Something Blue Bridal Boutique
- Hair & Makeup: Trisha at Thomas Williams Salon & LeRoc
- Rings: his- Jared Galleria of Jewelry, hers- Brad's Designs and Jewelry
- Tuxes: Dunhill Tuxedos
- Flowers: Floraland of Lowell
- Music & Lighting: 219 Productions
- Favors: Albanese Candy Factory
Advice From the Bride
"I had about a year to plan my wedding. The most difficult part was planning from a distance and hoping Steve wouldn't get deployed before the wedding and having to cancel if he did. The most helpful part of our wedding was my mom and my grandma. My mom was there for me when I was unable to go to the hall or do a food tasting. I would have to plan coming home and getting as much as I can done while I was there. My mom helped create our centerpieces and get our colors spot on with flowers and matching the cake. She was my go to person for everything when I couldn't be there. I used Pinterest and Etsy a lot!! I would pick up the Wedding Essentials magazines they have for free and research venues and bridal shows, and everything else you need for a wedding."
"Meet with your vendors as much as you can, always make sure they're in the loop, and stay in contact with them! Pick up the Wedding Essentials magazine for resources and go to as many bridal shows as you can! Enjoy the day, because it goes by quick!!"
What made you choose Carmen & Jamie as your wedding photographers?:
One of the first things I loved about Carmen & Jamie was that they came together as a pair, not only do you get one photographer you get two. Not only do you get two photographers you get their different talents. They were with us all day as if they were family. Our photos tell a story that we get to relive everyday for the rest of our lives. We loved their creativity capturing the perfect photos.
We met with some other photographers at bridal shows, but it was important to us to have two photographers and photographers with artistic styles! Carmen & Jamie were the perfect fit for that!
