Samantha ♥ Allen
These two are the funniest couple we’ve ever featured. Sam loves bright colors while Allen loves the goofiness of his bride. Their personalities prove that they are a match made in heaven. They got married in Pensacola, Florida. With dolphins jumping the entire ceremony, their union was absolutely a day to remember. Sam and Allen – congratulations from our team who always loved weddings! Wishing you a fabulous married life!
More about the wedding from the bride:
My dream wedding was a destination one. Tropical paradise. The closest of family and friends to witness. Then everyone travels back home and you are already at your honeymoon! However, my now husband wanted something that his parents did not have to get passports to attend, so we made a compromise! (Hey, that’s the basics of marriage right?) Being from Baton Rouge, LA, we immediately came up with Pensacola, FL! It was the prettiest, CLOSEST beach to our friends and family! We wanted something intimate and unique, like us! Well, quirky is a better word for us, but our wedding was so stunningly beautiful I could never use that word to describe it. We picked a beach house that is welcome to having smaller weddings on site. We hired a caterer, minister, tent/chair supply company, and florist, and we did everything else!
The Happily Ever After
Extra Special Wedding Details
Favorite part of the day. It was how beautiful it turned out to be. You always roll the dice when having an outside event, and the days leading up to our special day were rather dreary. But on August 22, 2015, the waterworks were turned off, and the clouds were blown away! It was wedding day!!!
The DIY projects. I had one friend (a graphic designer) make our fan-shaped programs, another (a cake designer) make two of the most gorgeous cakes I’ve ever seen, another (DJ) run our ceremony/reception music, and last (but not even CLOSE to least) my family (I called my “Aunt Militia”) took care of ALL the decorations! They drive out to Pensacola pre-wedding to get an image of what was needed. One Aunt collected wood from her lake to build the suspended centerpieces at the reception. Another aunt hand sewed fabric to wrap around the columns under the house, then added lights underneath to make it that much more sparkly. I will always be in great debt to my family for everything they did!!
One of the most rewarding things. Allen and I waited to take “our pictures” until the next day. We were married at sunset, so the lighting wasn’t ideal afterwards. What better way to take pictures on the beach, than to get in the ocean! My husband, photographer, and maid of honor (who had to redo my hair/makeup) were all on board to wake up at dawn and shoot more photos!) it was so fun, silly, and intimate. Sure I got my dress wet, but I just hung it up to dry and then had it professionally cleaned when we returned home! It was such an awesome experience!
Heed Her Advice!
♥ Make sure this is what YOU TWO want. We paid for most of the wedding, so we didn’t have too many comments about others’ wishes. But this day is for Y’ALL and only y’all.
♥ Make a budget before anything else, and sticky tightly to it. If you don’t think you will spend $1500 on a wedding gown, but more like $1000, find somewhere else that could use that $500! I used “the knot’s” budget estimator as a guide.
♥ Remember during your wedding day, that THIS day is the one you’ve been planning for months or years! Breathe it all in, and don’t sweat the small stuff. This is one of the best days of your life, so make it count! –Samantha
Money Matters
$20,000 – $45,000
VENDORS
Photographer: Stash Photography