Isn’t crazy that Kayleigh and I met in Aruba, at her friend’s wedding that I had the pleasure of photographing? I think that was 8 years ago? Maybe 9? Even crazier that we stayed connected through all these years, and earlier this year I had the pleasure to photograph HER wedding to the love of her life… She’s incredibly sweet, a fellow LEO and TIGER, and I just love her to pieces! My time with her and pink margaritas was super sweet, and I’m very excited to share a little bit about her wedding experience on WEDDING TALK today!  

1. When did you get married? How many guests did you have? What were your venues? 

We got married on May 20, 2017.  We invited 220 guests and ended up with 175, and we had our ceremony and reception at Camp Foley which is on Whitefish Lake in the Crosslake area.  

2. What was your favorite thing about your wedding? 

Oh boy, that’s tough.  Can I have a top 3?  1: Getting out of the city and having the entire camp to ourselves because we had plenty of space but it still felt intimate and private.  2: I honestly loved that it rained that day because it felt so cozy and really brought out the best in everyone – we were all determined to have a great time!  3: The crazy loud sound of everyone cheering/whooping/hollering during our kiss and as we turned to face our guests at the end of the ceremony!

3. If you could do one thing differently, what would it be? 

Our venue was really a blank slate, where we could do/bring whatever we wanted.  We loved the flexibility, but in hindsight, I would consider a Day-Of Coordinator for the hundreds of details that end up coming together that day.  Our parents, aunts, cousins, and friends all pitched in and worked hard to make things perfect, but I would have loved to have someone in charge of making it easier for everyone. 

4. What was the most stressful part of planning the wedding? 

The guest list – 100%.  It’s really the first joint exercise your families go through together, and it’s your first lesson that the wedding is *about* you, but it’s *for* everyone.    

5. What advice would you give to someone planning their own wedding? 

Soak up all those moments where people want to celebrate you.  My showers, bachelorette party, and rehearsal dinner all have just as much space in my memories as our wedding day.  It’s such a special time, and those events in the months leading up to the wedding are bright spots to break up the actual work of planning.    

6. Favorite thing about working with Poly? 

Again, that’s tough!  I’ll take a top 2!  1: I never had a moment’s concern that Poly would miss any important moments – I went into our day not worrying about photography at all, which is worth so much.  2: Poly was able to get people where they needed to be, when they needed to be there.  She wasn’t afraid to wrangle the wedding party/family members and keep the schedule moving along – while still being charming and a joy to have with us throughout our day!