A Tropical Christmas Wedding: Red, White, and So Much Green

I've been MIA for a bit but I just had to write about our Christmas wedding day because I'm still?? Pinching myself?? It feels like yesterday and also a million years ago at the same time. You know.

Anyway everyone's been asking about the outfits so I guess I'll start there but honestly my brain is all over the place. I didn't wear the big ballgown thing I always imagined. Ended up with this soft white midi dress with flowy chiffon sleeves—the fabric is super light and the sleeves have these little split details so I could actually move my arms, thank god, because I hugged approximately ten thousand people and danced like an idiot. The bodice has a little texture but nothing too fancy.

And the shoes—okay so I found these white block-heel sandals literally the night before. Panic buy. They turned out to be so comfy I didn't take them off till we got home. Total win. But also my feet were kinda sore the next morning? Whatever worth it. Accessories were just long pearl drop earrings and a tiny silver bracelet. I didn't want anything competing with the whole vibe. Oh and my hair kept falling out of the pins but whatever you can't really tell in the photos.

My husband though. Oh my god. He looked so good. Bright red button-down with a black vest over it, black slacks, those sleek black dress shoes. I was honestly a little nervous about the red at first—like is that gonna clash with my white dress? But when we stood under the arch together it actually popped against all the greenery and white flowers. So festive. That was exactly what we wanted, classic but with a holiday twist. Also he almost forgot his vest at home lmao. I had to run back inside. Classic him.

The arch—wait no first let me talk about the venue because I keep forgetting. It was this tropical garden with palm trees and all this lush green everywhere. I was so stressed about the weather because December can be iffy but it turned out perfect. Warm enough to be outside, this soft golden light filtering through the trees the whole time. The arch itself was circular metal draped with soft white fabric, covered in eucalyptus and white roses. On both sides we added these big arrangements of red poinsettias because Christmas. Honestly the red and white against all that green looked like a little holiday dream. I kept touching the flowers to make sure they were real. They were.

Okay the photos. So we worked with this local photographer who honestly I was a little nervous about because she showed up like ten minutes late? But then she was amazing. She took so many candid shots, not just the posed ones. There's one of us just smiling at the camera in the garden surrounded by bright red flowers—my face looks weird in that one but whatever I still love it. Another one where we're kissing under the arch with the poinsettias behind us. My favorite though is the one where he dips me back in the middle of the trees, both of us laughing, my dress swishing out around us. You can almost hear us giggling. We also did a few slower posed ones under the arch just looking at each other. Those make my heart skip when I look at them even though my lipstick got a little smudged in one of them. I don't care.

What I love most is that the photos actually capture us. Not some perfect staged version. Just us smiling and laughing and crying a little (okay a lot). The red and white against the green, the soft light, my bouquet with the red ribbons and eucalyptus leaves... it all came together better than I ever imagined. I mean there were definitely stressful moments—the florist mixed up the ribbons at first, I almost had a breakdown over seating charts, and my something old was a bracelet that broke as I was putting it on so I just didn't wear it lol. But none of that mattered once we were there.

Honestly I was so stressed about all the little stuff leading up to the day. The dress fit, the shoes were comfy enough, the arch looked like magic, the photos turned out great. If you're planning a Christmas ceremony just do what feels like you even if it's not "traditional." Or don't. I don't know. I'm not a wedding expert. I just know I had the best day.

I could go on forever but I'm gonna stop because I'm getting emotional again. Just wanted to share these favorite shots and gush a little.