Good afternoon everyone! We’ve got a beautiful Real Weddings Wednesday right on schedule for your lunch break. Today, we’re celebrating Nicole + Connor’s absolutely jaw-dropping Ballroom wedding! Complete with heartfelt first looks, romantic finishes and fun photography in the orchard — courtesy of Ashton Imagery, this wedding has us wanting more, more, more!

Bride and bridal party taking a photo

 

Tell us a little about you and your beloved.

We were each other’s first tinder dates – that’s right – ever! One swipe right is all we needed. He proposed on the top of Half Dome in Yosemite [and] it was the most exhausting and magical proposal! We hiked 19 miles and he got terrible blisters, but he says it was all worth it. He is a safety-first type of person and I am a bit of a wild child, but one thing we share is our love for the outdoors. He said he would never climb up a granite cliff side for anyone else and that made my heart beam. Planning the wedding was a bit less glamorous because, well… COVID. I found an amazing wedding planner that supported me throughout the planning process and that made all the difference. Both Connor and myself come from large families — think My Big Fat Greek Wedding but Irish-Catholics instead. We wanted everyone to be there to celebrate with us but we also wanted to keep everyone safe. Were we the luckiest couple? Maybe! Because it just so happened that October 2021 was a major lull in the COVID surge, [so] people were feeling safe again and everyone was looking forward to being around family once again. It felt like a family reunion but also a celebration of love, and we couldn’t have been happier that day. To say it was the best day of our lives is completely true.

What was the best part of your wedding day?

The thing we remember the most is dancing the night away with family and friends. Watching all the videos that surfaced after our wedding of people boogy-ing on the dance floor made us laugh for weeks after. Everyone had such a genuinely good time and that meant the world to us.

What else would you like to share about your big day?

Having a few minutes together after the ceremony and sunset pictures was priceless. We ate appetizers and giggled about the ceremony. After being around other people all day long, spending 10 minutes as just the two of us, now husband and wife, was a memory we would never forget.

What advice would you give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now?

Get a wedding planner! I cannot recommend it enough. Most couples haven’t planned a wedding before when they start the process- let an expert help you! (Worth every cent). Advice I give for the brides: Bring some non-alcoholic champagne for getting ready! It tastes about the same in a mimosa but you won’t have sleepy eyes or a champagne headache when you make it to your wedding. Getting ready for the wedding takes hours and people usually drink mimosas with brunch while the girls get their hair and makeup done. Swap the real stuff for non-alcoholic and its a real game changer! I felt my best and tell all my bride friends about this trick.

Newlyweds dancing in room

Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance?

Try and set yourself up for a decent night sleep the night before your wedding. You are so excited and anxious for the next day that sleep seems impossible. I wish I would have planned a small relaxation session before bed to help unwind from the rehearsal dinner. Think sheet mask, spa music, etc…

Husband dipping wife during a dance

Photos courtesy of and copyright Ashton Imagery Photography used with permission.

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