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Romantic Italian Fall Wedding – Shannon

December 11, 2018

I don’t know how we get so lucky to photograph couples like Nate and Jamie! They are the type of people you meet that just exude positivity and they are so wonderful to photograph because their love comes through in such an authentic and beautiful way that their photos just seem extra magical!
As Jamie got her finishing details on with her mom and bridesmaieds at Villa Siena on the morning of the wedding, it was so endearing to see her Dad watch over her! He was beaming and you could just see how much he loved his little girl!  As soon as she was ready we got them prepped for the first look,  and although initially unsure of doing a first look, I remember Nate commenting how glad and happy he was that they decided to it!  Their first look was so endearing and full of genuine emotion. He was simply smitten and overwhelmed upon seeing Jamie and she was beaming! I remember thinking I could stay on the sidelines all day capturing their joy and tender exchanges from the first look. I know they both appreciated those private first moments together!
At the ceremony Jamie and Nate had handwritten vows that were so genuine and sincere! We were holding back tears as they expressed their love for each other before their friends and family! Moving into the reception and end of the night, knew getting time with each of their guests was important to her and she and Nate made sure to make everyone feel special throughout the entire day and reception. They even did a unique last circle dance where they got to hug all of their guests goodbye before the send off. Speaking of send off….FIREWORKS Spectacular!! It was PERFECT!
Jamie is hands down one of the sweetest and kindest brides I’ve had the pleasure of working with. You feel like you’ve known her your whole life and she treats you as if your’e one of her nearest and dearest. She loves and cares deeply for people and it shows. She was so calm & joyful on her wedding day. There was nothing that was going to stress her out or distract her from savoring and enjoying every single moment!
It was a truly an honor to capture their beautiful day!
– Shannon and Kayla and the studio girls!

Thanks so much to these INCREDIBLE vendors for putting together such a flawless day! The design and execution came together perfectly and it was so great working with you all!
Dress Brand: Mia Solano
Dress Shop: Luv Bridal
Cake: Piece of Cake
Cookies: Suss Cookies
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Entertainment: SKM Entertainment
Paper: Paper Crazy
Linens: GBS Linens
Videographer: Sufo Films
Groomswear: Mr. Formal AZ
Makeup: Tamara Makeup
Sparklers: Sparklers Online
Bridesmaids Dresses: Dessy Group

“Jamie looked so beautiful in her dress.  The dress looked like something out of a fashion magazine. It fit her perfectly and I can’t even imagine our wedding without that dress.  Jamie’s dress looked like something from a fairy tale. ” – Nate

“As for the flowers, we worked with the most incredible florist, Andrea McKay with Garden Gate Flowers. I had a vision of wanting romantic flowers assembled in an organic way and she delivered above and beyond! The arrangements had some of my favorite flowers including peonies, roses, dahlias, and ranunculus. My bouquet and Nate’s corsage also had white roses that both my mom and Nate’s mom had in their bouquets on their

wedding days.” -Jamie

“ Villa Siena was where our special day took place and we truly believe that was one of the best decisions we made! The venue is stunning and looks like you stepped into another country with its beautiful Italian architecture and stunning landscapes. I’m Italian and wanted to honor my family’s heritage with a day that could feel like we escaped to Italy and this venue did just that! Nate has also traveled to Siena, Italy, which is where the venue gets its name and talked to me about his trip there during the first conversation we ever had together, so that was another reason we felt that Villa Siena was the perfect choice for us.” -Jamie

“We chose colors based on my parents’ wedding colors (ie. burgundy) and then added in accents of yellow gold and ivory to add some additional elegance. Our wedding also took place in the fall, so we also thought these colors would work well during this time of the year.” -Jamie

 

“There were so many incredible memories of the day! A few of my favorites include right before my first look, as well as my first look. Right before I saw Nate for our first look, I was standing in front of Villa Siena and my dad walked up and saw me for the first time. It was so sweet as I hugged him and took in the moment. A few tears were shed, but it was such a special time between father and daughter. Soon after, the rest of my bridal party went inside Villa Siena, with the exception of my sister. She asked if she could pray over me and it was exactly what I needed! After she prayed, I felt instant peace and joy as I was getting ready to see my groom for the first time. Then the big moment came! I remember walking up, starting to shed a few tears, and then tapping Nate on his shoulder for him to turn around and see me. It was just the best as he embraced me, cried with me, laughed with me, and told me how beautiful I looked! It was so special and intimate, but hands down one of my most favorite memories of the day!” – Jamie

“If I could could relive 1 hour of our wedding day I would go back to the first look.  I remember walking from the groomsman suite and having Kayla guide me through Villa Siena with my eyes closed.  My heart was racing since I had no idea of what to expect Jamie’s dress to look like.  Once I opened my eyes and I turned around I remember having a couple of tears run down my cheek.  Jamie looked so beautiful with her hair, make up and dress.  The first words out of my mouth were “you look so gorgeous”.” – Nate

“There’s so much advice that I could give to a bride planning her wedding, but the best advice is to focus on each other and the relationship that the two of you share instead of stressing about the details! As a detail-oriented person, I totally get wanting to have the “perfect day” and making sure that not a thing is out of place, but at the end of the day, that is not what matters. What matters most is that you’re getting ready for a lifetime together, so make sure to make that a priority. To help us, we made sure to carve out time and do things with each other that helped develop our relationship. Two of our favorite things were doing premarital counseling together and taking ballroom dance lessons. Premarital counseling is AMAZING and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to get married. It really helped us discover more about each other and gave us a great foundation so that we could have a successful marriage. The dance lessons were so much fun and were a great way for the two of us to relax. It is an investment, but totally worth it!” -Jamie

 

 

 

“The moment of the wedding that stuck out to me most was after Jamie read her vows and I stuck out my right hand to have her put my wedding ring on.  A few moments later her mother said we put the ring on the wrong hand.  I panicked and tried to take the ring off the right hand but the ring got stuck and it took what seemed like an eternity to get it off.  Once I got the ring off, Jamie put the ring on the left hand and we all had a good laugh. ” – Nate

“My groomsmen were all chosen because they are the 6 people me in my life besides my Grandpa and Dad that play a important part in my life.  I had my 6 best friends Kenny, Jon, Matthew, Aaron, Cale and Joe.  These people are friends, brothers and cousins that have been with me through thick and thin. ” – Nate

“One moment that I was not anticipating, but that I loved, was when I forgot part of our dance steps for our first dance. Nate and I had taken lessons for over three months and we were so excited for this moment, but when I entered the ballroom, my mind went completely blank. Lucky for me, Nate was a champ and led me through the dance. Towards the end, we were getting ready for a lift and I completely messed up the spin prior to the lift, so we had to adlib. Although it didn’t match the choreography, we truly leaned on each other and created our own ending in the moment. It was truly incredible and something that I will always cherish! !” – Jamie

“In addition to the flowers, we also added in a few personal touches for our décor. Two of my favorites include using my parents’ cake topper from their wedding over 30 years ago, as well as our signature cocktails that were named after our two dogs, J.D. and Pedro!” -Jamie

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FILED IN: Villa Siena