On Saturday, April 24th 2021 Nathalia and Christian said their "I Do's" and we couldn't have been happier to be a part of it! Our SAEP bride and groom tied the knot at their beloved church, St. James Cathedral and later went on to celebrate at Tuscawilla Country Club. Here are a few pictures from their beautiful wedding and a little bit about their story!
How did you meet your spouse?
We met through mutual friends. We had known each other for roughly 3 years before we started dating. One night, we went out to eat and dance with a group of friends. We sat in front of each other for dinner that night by accident. After talking all dinner together, Christian asked me to dance. We locked eyes many times and felt a deep connection while we danced together almost the whole night. A week later, I added him on Instagram, he messaged me. After a couple of days talking and flirting with me, Christian asked me out on our first date. We had such an amazing night of laughter and deep conversation. We’ve been inseparable ever since.
How did he pop the question?
Christian had been planning the proposal for a while and thought the perfect time would be in August 2019. However, I had surprised Christian with tickets to Chicago for his birthday and he quickly shifted the plans to catch me off guard. We went to Chicago on July 13th, 2019 for our infamous one day trips. We had the whole day planned to get the most out of the day. We had just finished the tour at the Willis Tower and began walking down the river-walk. If anyone knows me well, they know I love to take pictures, so that’s exactly what I was doing in every corner with my selfie stick. Little did I know that Christian had a game plan this whole time. As we were walking, Christian points to an area and says “look over there, that’s a really nice spot to take pictures!” Of course I was happy since I’ll take any photo opportunity. Once we got to that place, we stopped for a moment to admire the area and patted down our sweat haha (it was extremely hot that day). There was a couple taking pictures right in the middle which was where we wanted to take our pictures too, so we asked kindly if they could move to the side. Christian then says “Oh look, what’s that over there?” Me being so naïve, I looked and then as I turned around, Christian was down on one knee! I was in shock and couldn’t believe this was happening. He said to me, “mi amor, I love you, will you marry me?” Of course I said YES! With all the emotion, I didn’t notice he had his cousin there waiting for us and ready to take our pictures of the whole proposal. Christian knew that I wanted my family to be involved in this special moment somehow. So later that night when we arrived home, my family surprised me with champagne, balloons, and dessert to celebrate our proposal. That day couldn’t have been more perfect!
What was the best part of your wedding day?
Obviously it would be saying "I DO". But besides the obvious, I would say the best part was seeing everything come together. It's so much planning and just seeing everything come to life and watching everyone having a good time and come together for our day was a relief that all the hard work paid off.
How did hiring Stephanie Arias Event Planning help you plan your dream wedding?
Breaking down the timeline was key for me and our photographer to know exactly when everything should be taking place, SAEP definitely helped smooth that process. Also the day of the wedding, I didn't feel stressed at all. They really took that stress away and handled any mishaps that happened without me noticing or taking away moments from the wedding.
If you could provide a tip to another couple planning their wedding, what would it be?
Open a joint bank account specifically for the wedding as soon as you get engaged. Have a specific amount of money direct deposited there every month from both ends. Next thing you know, you'll have a nice cushion of money saved without it hurting your own bank account.
And cue the confetti...
Vendors & Their Instagram Handles
Photography - @abdielcespedesph
Planning - @stephanieariasep
Rentals - @oceanhawksrentals
Venue - @tuscawillacountryclubevents
Ceremony - @stjamescatholiccathedral
Florals - @orlandoflowermarket
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