A relaxed celebration in South Haven, Michigan! Love this dreamy & romantic beach wedding with a touch of boho vibes. And Kristina looks positively giddy in her mermaid wedding dress with a beautiful illusion back. Cheers to Kristina & Jordan and can’t wait for you to see their wedding story below!
All photos were taken by Snap Photography.
Wedding Dress Style: #LWXT150CF
Q: Any advice or tips for future Mrs.?
The best advice I have is don’t stress the small things. My wedding day had very little go wrong. The weather was perfect, the food was great, and everyone had a wonderful time. I got the most stressed out the day off because of the timeline. People were late getting to where they needed to be. My flowers were delivered to the ceremony site and so I didn’t have my bouquets for some of the pictures, we ran out of light towards the end of the day and had to improvise on some family photos. But we made it work. I photographed Rachel was great as well. She kept me grounded and calm throughout the afternoon. Also, don’t be afraid to tell people what they need to do. My mom almost missed helping me get ready because she was afraid to delegate little things to my siblings. I told her to choose and she did. No harm was done.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your wedding theme?
When I first began planning our wedding I got so overwhelmed. There were so many decisions to make and the cost made me cringe. I actually quit planning for about 6 months because I didn’t know what kind of wedding I wanted and I didn’t know how we were going to pay for it. The more I thought about things and discussed them with my now husband, Jordan, I realized I didn’t really want a big event. He is a combat veteran from Iraq, so he has never been comfortable in big crowds or loud settings. So why would I have a wedding with 150 people when I knew he would be miserable? It’s OUR wedding and it was important to me that he enjoyed it as well. So we decided we wanted to keep things small and intimate. I stumbled upon an all-inclusive beach wedding planner, called my Barefoot Wedding. I’ve loved the beach since I was a little girl and after looking at photos and talking with the event planners I knew it was perfect for us. We had 45 people attend, only family and our closest friends were in attendance and we didn’t break the bank. When it was all over we just looked at each other and said, “yep, this night was perfect”.
Q: Tell us your love story! Where & How did he propose?
My husband and I met through my best friend. He was currently in the Michigan Army National Guard and was home from Iraq for two weeks on R&R when we were first introduced. The ironic thing was I was in the beginnings of dating one of his friends who he was deployed with. Obviously, that relationship did not go anywhere! We didn’t see each other again until my friend had a Halloween party after he finished his year tour in Iraq. It was at her wedding a few months later that we started talking outside of our group of friends and we hit it off right away. We dated for 5 years before he proposed. My cousin was getting married in Boulder, Colorado and Jordan flew out with me. I had suspicions he was thinking about proposing on our trip, but I wasn’t 100% sure. One day we went for a hike through the mountains and when we got to the top he proposed. He was so nervous he forgot everything he wanted to say, it was so adorable. My engagement ring was his grandmothers, along with my wedding band. Which means more to me than one he would have bought at a store.
Q: How would you define the message “Dare to Love”?
Love is hard. Love is scary. It’s unpredictable, but when you find it you fight hard to keep it. Being with a combat veteran has been anything but easy. When my husband first began showing signs of PTSD it was about 6 months after we started dating. I could have said screw it and left. Believe me, there were moments in the 6 years we were dating that I wanted to. But deep down I knew that if I took a chance and fought for our relationship with him, the reward would be amazing. We have been through what most people wouldn’t dream of. But each trial we faced has made us stronger as a whole. If I didn’t “dare to love” I wouldn’t be married to my best friend. I would not have just bought my first home. Jordan and I didn’t let the hard challenges we faced chase us apart. We fought and we fought hard. And we made it. You can’t find love if you don’t dare to love. Just like you won’t accomplish your dreams if you don’t dare to dream.
Q: What was the best/most memorable part of the day?
I think the best part of the day for me was the sand ceremony. My Barefoot Wedding provided us with a heart shaped vase and my husband and I both put sand from the beach into the vase. I plan on going back to South Haven when we have children and having them add sand to that same vase in the future. It was just really special to take the sand from the beach we stood on and keep it as momentum. Oh! Also, walking down the aisle! The look on Jordan’s face when he saw me was amazing. He also wrote the song I walked down the aisle to, which was incredibly special.
Q: What did you love most about your #Cocomelody dress (es)?
I loved the style and the price! That wedding dress cost me less than $500. It was exactly what I wanted with the lace cut-outs and the train. I would have had to spend close to $2000 for a dress like that in a bridal boutique.
Q: What do you think about Cocomelody and the customer service?
Cocomelody was amazing! The dress fit perfectly, the quality was amazing, and my mother couldn’t believe how I paid so little for it. The only thing I wish it would have had was a bustle. I added one through a local seamstress, but I would have liked the option to add one through Cocomelody because it would have been one less thing I needed to worry about.
