Chandler + Zach

How did you meet?

We met at Rhode Island College. He was born in Rhode Island, I was born in Michigan and I came to RI to compete in collegiate gymnastics. He was a wrestler at the college and we met through mutual friends.

When did you know they were the one?

Him and I were best friends before we started dating. I was actually in a relationship at the time that I met him with a guy who broke me in a lot of ways. It was a toxic relationship but I was in too deep to see that. After I met Zach he brought back out the fun lighthearted side of myself that I had lost for so long being in a relationship with a narcissistic man. Zach made me realize how much more I deserved and in the process of ending my relationship with my ex I realized that Zach was everything I’ve ever needed. The right person makes you fall in love with yourself too and after meeting Zach, all the pain in my life suddenly disappeared and everything fell so effortlessly into place. Deciding to let yourself fall for your best friend is a scary feeling as relationships end badly a lot of the time, at least from what I have previously experienced, so i was very nervous to take our relationship to the next level because I didn’t want to lose him. I am so glad I decided to let myself fall for him because since that moment we never looked back and now he is my husband. I have never felt so sure about a person in my whole life. He is my everything and my best friend and it still doesn’t feel real that I got to marry him!!

What are your three favourite attributes of your partner?

How loyal he is, how much of a gentleman he is. How he treats me with respect and loves me unconditionally. When I met Zach I was in the darkest place I’ve ever been in. Dealing with healing from trauma I had experienced in my childhood, as well as getting out of a toxic relationship. Zach was the light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel for me. He made everything make sense. He loved me for who I was at my worst and continued to love me when I was at my best. We know each other’s scars, and we know each other’s glory and no matter what the case is our love doesn’t change. Our love is constant and we both know it always will be. I love how safe he makes me feel. What I love most about him is how his love made me fall back in love with myself again. He was the missing piece I always needed and I am thankful for him every single day and I thank god for giving me him when I needed him most.

Who proposed and how?

Zach proposed. We were taking a vacation to his families beach condo in Ft. Meyers Beach Florida. He had told me we were going out to eat at the capital grille with his grandfather that lives in Florida who I had yet to meet! I was nervous, but eager to meet him! While we were on our way to dinner he told me his grandpa wanted us to meet him at the beach so he could show us the sea turtles as it was the time of year where they hatch and make their way to the sea. I thought that it was so sweet he wanted to show us that!! When we arrived I followed Zach along the beach and questioned where his grandpa was, when Zach turned around to face me I could see it in his eyes and I just burst out crying. He got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I obviously said yes, a million times yes!!! He had a photographer waiting in the water to capture every moment!!! I still can’t believe I had NO idea, and that he traveled with my engagement ring in one of his socks.

Where did you fall in love with your dress and why?

Oh my goodness, Archie!!!! I can’t even type that without smiling. I fell in love with Archie instantly when i saw an Instagram post about two years ago. I searched for a stockist close to me and the closest one was in Connecticut, called Everthine Bridal Boutique, about an hour and a half drive away from me. My sister and mom flew in from Michigan to be able to look at dresses with me, and the mother of the groom came as well. Ironically, when we were on the way i kind of talked myself out of trying on Archie, because i felt it might be too fancy looking for a beach wedding and i wasn’t sure how it would go with the flow of my theme, so i decided i was going to try on Louie and Rosie instead thinking they were more beachy. As i tried those ones on and some other dresses as well i just kept saying “these are so pretty”, and the woman working with me said, “all of the dresses in this place are going to be pretty, they are wedding dresses!”, that kind of opened my eyes to the fact that these dresses i had tried on, weren’t the one, because they didn’t make me feel a certain way. My mom had said, “Why don’t you just try on Archie, we’re already here you might as well just see it on”, i agreed to try it on, and the moment i saw myself in it in the mirror i burst into tears, and so did my mom, sister and mother in law, even the woman helping us cried as well!! We knew in that exact moment it was the one, and i cannot even describe in words how magical of a moment that was. I will remember it forever. I could picture in my head my fiancés reaction seeing me come down the aisle in Archie and i knew for sure it was the dress i would be getting married in. It made me feel more beautiful than i have ever felt in my whole life. Ahhh i just got goosebumps reliving that moment all over again.

What was the best moment for you at your wedding?

When we read our vows to one another. It was truly the most beautiful moment i have ever experienced in my life. I can close my eyes and put myself back in that moment. If felt like we were the only two people in the world when we were standing across from one another.

What were your favourite details?

The flowers!!!! We used fake flowers and they couldn’t have been more perfect!! We were going for the boho chic vibe and everyone who walked in named the theme we were going for without them actually knowing which made me know we nailed the decorations!! Oh and of course the big poster board signs we had one each side of the aisle with pictures of our two pups who are our WHOLE world, meant the absolute world to us having them by our side on our special day even though they couldn’t be there. We also had a signature drink called the Bully Bite with pictures of their face on them as well!! It was adorable!!! I also loved how i had something old, a coin that my mother in law passed down to me that she wore in her shoe on her wedding day, that was passed down from 2 generations before her as well, something new, my dress, something borrowed, my earrings i wore were my hairdressers that she offered to me that she wore at her wedding, and something blue, i had the evil eye painted on my French manicure, that stands for always being protected, it is an Italian thing and that is what my fiancé is so it was perfect!!!

What advice would you tell other brides?

I would tell other brides to enjoy the planning process. It is definitely stressful at times but it is all worth it when you wake up on your wedding day and everything is absolutely perfect and you realize that this is everything you’ve ever wanted and dreamed about since you were a little girl. I would tell them to give their mom a huge hug for all her help in planning everything, as i could have not survived without my mom during this time, she planned and coordinated everything so i would have my dream wedding and i could not thank her enough for that I would also tell them to soak up every single minute of everything!! From the bachelorette party to the bridal shower to the rehearsal dinner and to the big day!! It all goes by so fast so just try your hardest to be present and take it all in as these memories you are making are ones you will hold so close to your heart forever!!! I would also tell them to take a deep breath and if on your big day if something isn’t going exactly as planned, realize that nothing can take away from what the day is really about, which is you marrying the love of your life. Lastly i recommend writing your own vows to each other. I am so glad my husband and i chose to do so because it made our ceremony so intimate and romantic and standing there across from one another, reading our deepest feelings about one another, in front of all our friends and loved ones was the most special moment in my life. There wasn’t a dry eye around after we finished, we even had the officiant in tears! Lastly, I would tell brides to keep the guest list small. The night goes by so fast already you don’t want to have to spend all of it doing small talk with people you haven’t talked to in years!! I had 45 people at our destination wedding, just family and closest friends who were in our wedding parties, and it was absolutely perfect. One more thing!! Don’t do your honeymoon right away!! The post wedding blues are real and it helps to have something to look forward to after all the wedding hype is over!! I may or may not have decided to not preserve my wedding dress in a box yet because i can see myself in the near future wearing it around the house because i miss being a bride so much already LOL

Any standout vendors?

All of the vendors that the Key Largo Lighthouse venue recommended to us were absolutely amazing. Linda Schonning who did my hair and make up as well as my sister and my moms, and the rest of her bridal team who did the wedding parties hair and make up as well as the mother of the groom was absolutely outstanding!!! The Catering team Dade County Food Group was also AMAZING!!! We got so many compliments on the food!