Tristen and Adam | Key West Wedding Vendors

It is always so wonderful to feature all the beautiful weddings that I get to be a part of, but even more than that, I love sharing the bride’s thoughts about her own wedding. Tristen was one of the most glamorous brides I’ve ever worked with. She’s nothing short of a supermodel, and her bridal part was just as stunning. I loved working with her, styling her and her party for the big day.

Tristen wore her hair in a low classic bun that incorporated a fishtail braid for some added drama. I just love that look! Another one of my favorite parts of this wedding was the photography. I simply loved the Key West wedding photographer’s B&W interpretation of some of these gorgeous moments. I was excited to hear what the bride had to say about her gorgeous wedding. Below is our interview!

How did you and Adam meet?

 Our story dates back about 5 years to a random, last second trip with a friend…followed by some lucky, out-of-town scheduling on my internship. It was October 2008 and a good friend of mine was planning a trip to her home town of Montgomery, IN for a high school class reunion. It was a three and a half hour drive, but I had nothing planned that weekend and decided to tag along at the last second. While at the reunion, this cute boy walked up and started a conversation. Knowing Adam now, he probably began with something completely cheesy, but we eventually got into the subject of what we do for a living. He was a brand new CPA working for a big firm in Indianapolis, and I was an accounting major working as an intern for a competing firm in Cincinnati. As luck would have it, my firm had scheduled me on an out-of-town engagement over the next few weeks in Indianapolis. We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet sometime for dinner or lunch, so Adam could welcome me to the city and show me around. I agreed and the rest is history! Our change bump in at the reunion (I later found out that Adam almost skipped it as well), to my stay in Indianapolis, eventually led to a first date in the rain and a proposal on Lake Michigan overlooking the Chicago skyline.

Tell us why you chose to get married in Key West:

We are very passionate about traveling and have always wanted a smaller, destination wedding. We originally thought about having our wedding in Mexico or Jamaica but decided against it after researching venues and vendors in Key West. Adam and I had never been to Key West but quickly knew it was “our destination” after realizing what it offered: gorgeous weather, tons of great food and entertainment for our guests, creative and friendly people, and absolutely stunning weddings. And yes, we booked our venue site and several of our vendors (including Studio Marie-Pierre) prior to ever visiting Key West. Adam was a little apprehensive about this, but he trusted me, and it ended up being the best experience of our lives. Our goal was to sit back, relax, and enjoy this special time with our friends and family, and we did exactly that.

Hair & Makeup: Studio Marie-Pierre
Ceremony & Reception: Ocean Key Resort & Spa Sunset Pier
Ceremony Music: Din Allen
Reception Music: DJ Shawna Soundwave Productions
Wedding Coordinator: Erica Simply You Weddings
Bakery: Key West Cakes
Officiant: Aaron Wechter
Videographer: Marcela Morgan – Solaris Photography
Florist: Simply Unique Floral Design
Photographer: JHunter Photography
Ceremony Programs & Calligraphy: Beth Dye
Transportation: Historic Tours of America
Dance Lessons: Big City Swing

My favorite moment by far was our first dance. We took private dance lessons in Chicago a few months before our wedding, and it was one of our best investments. We had the time of our lives on the dance floor together.

Any thoughts or reflection you would like to share with other brides?

We had several people tell us “it will be the biggest party you ever throw but won’t enjoy” or “your day will fly by, so enjoy it.” So, as you can imagine, we were determined to embrace every second of our wedding. We didn’t worry about what was next on our timeline or what went wrong during the day; we stayed “in the moment,” made sure to stick by each other’s side through the day/night, and just enjoyed our special day with our closest friends and family. Our wedding did seem to fly by, but we enjoyed every minute of it and made some lasting memories…with plenty of pictures and video to remember it by.