Wed: Kristen & Daniel in Gainesville

Two Gators, now living in Washington D.C., return to Gainesville for their rustic, natural wedding filled with meaningful DIY details... all of it captured beautifully by Erika Delgado. Could it get any better!? This is our little Tuesday gift to you!

Remember this gorgeous couple? We featured Kristen and Daniel's vintage-inspired engagement session, also by the talented Erika, back in March - it is one of our all-time faves.

From Erika: Haile Plantation was a perfect venue for them with green lush hills and forest giving us that perfectly natural backdrop. I loved the portraits of Kristen and Daniel from this wedding... unlike others, I felt there was more of a focus on them and I just loved that! They kept their decor simple, yet effective. Kristen wanted her photos to feel "natural" and she wanted lots of greenery.

Kristen's stunning engagement ring is very special to her - the center diamond is from her grandmother's ring, which Daniel had reset.

I love this sweet story behind how the couple met: Daniel and I live in Washington, DC now but met at the University of Florida. We actually met at a wedding at the UF Football stadium. I was working for the event/catering company and Daniel was a guest. The couple whose wedding it was were guests at our wedding, so we feel like we've come full circle.

Kristin shared all the personal touches her and Daniel added to their big day, and the special memories - so I'll just let the bride take it from here!

We wanted a rustic, classic wedding. We just wanted everything to have meaning and so we worked that into the details. Our colors were very natural - whites, greens, burlap with wood and navy blue accents.

Since we live in DC now, we don't have a Publix - which we love - anymore, so we knew we had to have a Publix cake. Daniel told them exactly what we wanted and they exceeded our expectations. Our cake topper was twisted twigs in the shape of a heart that I found on Etsy. Our cake cutter was the same knife that my grandmother used at her wedding 60 years ago! We had a lot of DIY projects: for the centerpieces, Daniel cut the wood cookies and his mom cut the burlap. I made the programs. My dad made the little wood hearts that were on our favors. Daniel's cousin Jason Duenas was our officiant (we wanted someone that knew us to marry us). My cousin Michelle Wilkie was our day of coordinator and she made sure everything ran smoothly. It was a family affair!

Our bridal party was incredible - they made us laugh and cry and laugh again. My sister (Eileen) was my maid of honor and she was unbelievable, she had everything under control. Daniel had three best men (Curtis, Ben, and Johnny) who were so funny and pretty much provided the entertainment. My bridesmaids and I choreographed a dance to Michael Jackson's "the way you make me feel" as a surprise for Daniel. We even got the groomsmen to be our back up dancers. I think every moment was special!

Overall, our wedding was soooo much fun and we have the greatest memories from that day. I think it was equally sentimental and celebratory. It was wonderful to celebrate with our families and friends. We were so happy and could not have started our lives together in a better way.

Congrats to Kristen and Daniel, and thanks both to you and Erika for sharing this perfect little day with us!

VENUE/VENDOR INFORMATION:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Haile Plantation Golf & Country Club | Photography: Erika Delgado Photography | Floral Design: Gay Rita Boros | Cake: Publix | DJ: AJ Gerdon | Submission: Two Bright Lights

you might also like:

• Wed: Lisa & Bill in North Palm Beach
• Sunday Cinema: Lauren & Philip in Stop Motion
• Bright Pink Beach Wedding: Katie & Mike at Ponte Vedra Lodge
• Inspiration: Modern Preppy Plaid