When you fall in love with your wedding venue, you just know, no matter what your plans originally were. Amanda and Vlad planned for a Colorado wedding, but they never knew what hit them as they stepped foot onto Bella Collina’s stunning grounds in Florida. Reminiscent of the Tuscan countryside, it was love at first sight for the duo and it just jived so well with their romantic wedding vision that we get to fawn over thanks to Kristen Weaver Photography‘s epic photos. The white florals and greenery by Lee James Floral looked resplendent against the venue’s landscape, but no matter how glorious the blooms looked, it just couldn’t compare to Amanda and Vlad looking like a million bucks. They stole the show, for sure!
In their own words
How did you meet?
A little over six years ago, I was working as a local news anchor and reporter in Florida and Vladimir was my dentist. A few months after we met, I was accepting an award at an event and Vlad happened to be at the same venue celebrating his birthday with friends. We talked all night, met up the next day, and we’ve been together ever since. He later followed me to Oregon for work, and then I followed him to Colorado, where we live now.
What is your proposal story?
We got ready for a night out and Vladimir told me there was a new event at the downtown Denver clocktower, where you bring your own wine and watch the sunset. When we arrived, we were greeted by–who I thought was–an elevator attendant. He escorted us up and we walked into a room full of rose petals and champagne. It was so beautiful. I thought we had walked into someone else’s surprise. But then Vlad grabbed my hands and I knew. He got down on his knee and we hugged. I said yes, of course. The elevator attendant was actually a photographer who snapped some photos before we headed to the top of the clocktower for dinner at sunset.
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
We just wanted the day to be full of love. We put a lot of thought into making sure our families and our different cultures were honored.
What were your favorite parts of the day?
We knew from the start that we would want to do a first look. And it is one of my greatest memories. Vladimir teared up a little bit when he saw me. In six years, I’ve only rarely seen him cry. All the nerves faded away and it was just the two of us. We also took our couple photos pre-ceremony, so we were able to join our guests at cocktail hour.
We really enjoyed taking dance lessons for the wedding. Our first dance was to Ben Rector’s “Forever Like That” and we were so happy we nailed the dip. Our last dance was to Ruelle’s “I Get to Love You.”
Vladimir’s family is Serbian and Macedonian, as were half our guests, and we made sure to incorporate the traditional dance music. We were so thrilled that everyone got on the dance floor, and continued to surround Vlad’s mom during her special dance as well. It truly was a highlight of the night.
I grew up in a musical family. My dad has been performing all my life. For the father-daughter dance, I chose my favorite jazz instrumental song from his 1990s band CD. And of course, I asked him to perform a song as well. He sang “I Will†by The Beatles. It was a really special moment for us.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
You’re planning a marriage, not a wedding. Focus on your love.