Nina and Steven worked together at the same company when a mutual co-worker set them up on a blind lunch date, getting Nina’s attention after telling her he was a real-life Captain America. The pair hit it off and started dating a couple months later. After a few years, Steven completely surprised Nina on Thanksgiving weekend, proposing with both their families present.
Shortly after, the newly engaged couple moved to Florida and began planning their wedding. Nina was inspired by the beauty of Florida – its luscious, colorful flowers and Spanish moss-covered trees – and wanted the day to be a reflection of their new life together in the sunshine state. They chose a vibrant color palette of magenta and orange, but kept the details elegant and classic for balance. The best part of the event was being with all of their favorite people. They had to rescheduled twice due to COVID, so after a year and a half of waiting, they were so excited to celebrate (safely) with all of their friends and family! Scroll to see all the pretty captured by Flora Bloom Photography!
In their own words
We met just over 7 years ago in Bloomington, IL. We worked at the same company and a mutual co-worker set us up on a blind lunch date after telling me he was a real life Captain America. We hit it off and started dating a couple months later after a romantic getaway weekend in Chicago.
We got engaged almost 3 years ago in Chicago, on the State Street bridge right outside the hotel we stayed at when we first started dating. We were on a Thanksgiving weekend shopping trip with Steven’s family and he surprised me when my parents showed up and he dropped to one knee. I had no idea he was going to propose that weekend and was in awe at the ring he picked out for me! We spent the weekend celebrating our engagement with our families. We moved to Florida about a month later and started planning our wedding.
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).
We were inspired by the beauty of Florida – its luscious, colorful flowers and Spanish moss covered trees. We wanted the day to be a reflection of our new life together in Florida. The florals were our priority when it came to decor and our florist had so much fun making our dream come to life!
Tell us about your attire choices.
I picked out my dress in Orlando with our moms, Steven’s sister, and my MOH. It was love at first sight – the dress hugged all my curves, was so simple and classy, and the detailing on the back was a fun touch. I wore a diamond bracelet and earrings which were both gifts from Steven. The Tiffany’s bracelet has our original, pre-COVID wedding date engraved on the inside: 4-4-2020. Steven and his groomsmen wore custom suits they picked out in Vegas on his bachelor party. You can imagine how nervous I was to see what they came home with! Steven wore a open collar white shirt and the groomsmen wore floral shirts, to fit the Florida vibe we were going for. They all had matching flamingo socks on too, even our dads!
What were your favorite parts of the day? (memories and stories)
Being with all of our favorite people! We rescheduled twice due to COVID so after a year and a half of waiting, all we wanted was to celebrate (safely) with all our friends and family! Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing everyone together for the first time was so emotional. I couldn’t keep it together and it was pure joy when Steve and I were finally holding hands at the altar. Our first dance was perfect. Not only was the song so special to us, but our bridal party was swaying behind us on the dance floor. The DJ kept us on the dance floor all night long, exactly like we wanted! At the end of the night, the dance version of “The Time of My Life” played and all our guests circled around us. It was a dream!
Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?
My wedding dress had a piece of my mom’s wedding dress sewn into the bottom, which was my “something old”. My bouquet had a charm on it with a picture of my deceased grandmas and heirlooms from each of them. My maternal grandma’s ring was my “something borrowed” and my paternal grandma’s charm with a sapphire stone was my “something blue”. We had a sign and candle burning for our loved ones who were not able to be with us on our wedding day. We did a love locks ceremony, which was a testament to Steven’s deceased grandfather’s career in the safe and lock industry.
Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?
Do whatever you can to reduce the stress not only on your wedding day, but in the weeks leading up to it. It all goes by so fast and it’s so important to soak in every moment. Trusting our planner and vendors to execute the details let me live in the moment without a care in the world! We couldn’t have done it without the amazing team at Runway!