There are many obvious romantic moments that every bride looks forward to on her wedding day — reciting the vows, being announced as "Mr. and Mrs." at the reception and locking eyes with their new husband during the first dance. But if you're lucky, there will be one unexpected moment that in a split second, will remind you why you fell in love with your husband in the first place.
As a wedding planner, I always remind my couples to take everything in, which we all know can be quite a challenge on the big day. You want to remember it perfectly for the rest of time, but also allow yourselves to let go and truly be present. I'll need to heed my own advice at my upcoming wedding, since I know it'll be tough for me to forget about schedules and details when the time comes and fully live in the moment!
Photo by: Elizabeth Messina on Kiss The Groom via Lover.ly
So, how am I going to accomplish this? One of the best (and sometimes overlooked) ways to fully capture your wedding day from start to finish is to hire a videographer. A great videography team will evoke the emotion of that day through film and capture things you might otherwise forget, like those hilarious late-night dance moves!
Videography is something that I think every couple should include in their wedding budget; your video and photos will be your only way of reliving that special day years from now. For me, the video will also give me peace of mind that I won't have to try to make mental notes since there will be a pro team making sure that they're my eyes and ears for the day.
Besides the obvious of great photography and videography, I also enjoy seeing my couples take a step back and observe everything that is transpiring around them, all because of their love for each other.
I asked Jocelyn Mabery, one of my favorite brides who is still madly in love with her husband, Brooks, about the romantic things that completely caught her off-guard, and here is what she had to say:
There is one vivid moment from my wedding day that will stay with me for a lifetime...it was after everything — the vows, introductions, speeches, cake, dances, etc. I finally found a few minutes where I could sit down and take everything in. Everyone was on the dance floor having a good time and I was at the head table watching our guests when I noticed my husband.
First, I should explain that my husband tends to be a pretty shy guy with two left feet! I always have to beg and plead for him to dance with me and then I have to resort to leading him out onto the dance floor against his will, which he'll eventually do, albeit regretfully. But in that moment, I saw him singing, smiling and happily dancing with every kid at the wedding.
At one point, he had our son Landon in one arm and our niece in the other, while three children danced in a circle around them. All of them were dancing to the music like nobody was watching and none of them had any rhythm, but it just didn't matter!
I walked over to my husband and kissed him right then and there in the middle of the dance floor. In that moment, my heart was so full and I felt so thankful. I was reminded of all the wonderful reasons why I wanted to marry Brooks and of what an amazing and dedicated father he is. My heart tore to pieces at how unbelievably adorable he looked out there being silly and letting loose, which he doesn't always do. I knew in that moment he was utterly and completely happy and that made me happy.
As I look back to that day three years ago, we are lucky to still be happy and in love. We now have another child together and seeing Brooks every day with the boys makes me so proud to be his wife. The best part about this story is that I never told anyone about it or shared these thoughts from my wedding day. But when I received the wedding photos from my photographer, she had captured parts of that special memory on camera. It honestly couldn't have been more perfect than that. A small moment of admiration is now two pictures worth a thousand words.
Photo Credits: Danielle Capito Photography
Didn't Jocelyn explain it perfectly? As I was reading what she wrote and looking at the pictures, I remembered thinking to myself on their wedding day, "now there are two people so blissfully in love," but little did I know how significant this moment was to her. It's a perfect example of what I'm looking forward to the most on my own wedding day.
Tell us: What was the most unexpected, romantic moment from your wedding day?
— Davia Lee
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Davia Lee is a real bride, entrepreneur, lead designer and wedding planner for Davia Lee Events. She loves all things sparkly, fashionable and girly. In contrast, her fiancé, Jesse, is a "man's man" — beard and all! They are the poster couple for "opposites attract" and prove that true love knows no boundaries. Their greatest wedding-planning challenge will be finding a middle ground where all of their wants, needs and dreams will meet. We can tell you this, though — when everything aligns, their big day will be fabulous!
