michelle & jae | wedding at the safety harbor resort | safety harbor wedding photographer

… insights from michelle …

how would you describe your wedding to someone who was not there? what were some of your inspirations? how did you envision the wedding prior to your special day?

The most memorable beginning of our journey together and when we think back to that day, we all want to go back to relive and enjoy those moments again.

We wanted to incorporate both of our favorite things, such as, celebrating our special day by the harbor since Jae loves fishing and one day dreams of having a boat to go fishing in, and Michelle’s favorite flowers – the sunflowers as the main color theme and wanting the sunflower yellow to pop. Sunflowers symbolize happiness, loyalty, and longevity and it perfectly described our 9 year relationship. We both wanted a traditional yet simple modern style wedding – adding a bit of rustic and nautical theme to it. Also, adding some Korean tradition for the family with having a bilingual officiant and Korean rice cakes.

With Michelle’s pharmacy residency and trying to meet parents’ needs in what they envisioned for our wedding to be like, it was a rough wedding planning period. Like any other stressful wedding planning experience and hearing about the horror stories about other people’s wedding, there were several times we envisioned wanting to just elope, but after everything was finally finalized, we knew that nothing else should matter as long as we had each other.

is there anything you wish you had done differently when planning your wedding?

Asking for more help and guidance from others with wedding planning. Be more organized, especially with time management.

which three vendors were most important to you when planning your wedding?

Venue, Photographer, and DJ

what was your biggest wedding day savings?

DIY decorations from Hobby Lobby and Michaels

what was your biggest wedding day splurge?

Venue which included food and alcohol

what was the best advice you received when planning your wedding? 

It’s your special day/moment, but in reality, it’s more about your parents and the guests.

was there anything encountered during wedding planning that was unexpected?

The cold front. With the usual Florida weather, we didn’t expect it to be that cold in January (especially since last year we barely had any cold front). 

was there a moment during your wedding day that surprised you?

Gangnam Style blowout – where everyone, including all the grandparents, great uncles/aunts, all danced and even had a dance off!

what was your favorite moment, or favorite part, of your wedding day?

Our clumsy first dance

when you look back on your wedding day in 50 years, what do you think you’ll remember most?

Gangnam style dance blowout!

… how it all came together…