Orange County Wedding Photographer Miguel Pola Photographers

• Joe and I had somewhat of a unique situation. We started dating in High School. So by the time we were getting engaged, we were together for 11 years!! It was well worth the wait.

Q: How did he propose? (Details)

• Joe completely threw me for a loop. I was getting ready to go to a friends Christmas block party. Joe called me to see if I was ready, and to his surprise I was. So he came down to my house to pick me up. When I answered the door he was holding a wrapped T-Shirt box. Since it was December 21^st, it was cold outside and he said, “I got something for you that I thought you might want to wear it.” I didn’t think anything of it, I thought maybe it was a scarf, or gloves or a sweater. To my surprise, I opened the box and there was a T-Shirt in there with the letters “WILL U MARRY ME” screen printed on the front. I turned around and he was down on his knee, right in my mom’s kitchen with a BEAUTIFUL ring!! I was so happy, we both cried and laughed and hugged. I had NO idea he was going to propose!!!

Q: How long was your Engagement?

• Our engagement lasted about 9 months. We got engaged on December 21^st and we got married on October 11^th. I felt like it was the perfect amount of time.

Q: What was the first thing you planned once you were engaged?

• The first thing I began to plan was our venue! It’s hard to start booking anything else before you have your venue! Oh, and setting the date of course!!

Q: How did you figure out what your wedding budget would be?

• I did a lot of research when working on a budget. The 3 most important things for me was venue, florist & photographer, so I knew that a big chunk of my budget was going to go into those three vendors.

Q: How did you find your vendors?

• I found some of my vendors thought researching different websites like, The Knot, Project Wedding, DIY Bride, and using google to the extreme. Some I also found through referrals. Since I had been dating my husband for so long, I was one of the last of my friends to get married. So I got referrals from their weddings, and their experiences, ECT.

Q: What do you think is most important when considering your wedding design?

• The most important thing when considering your wedding design is, are you ever going to look back at your pictures and think “what was I thinking?” Keep it classic and simple, yet elegant!!

Q: How important is a good wedding venue

• I think the venue is one of the most important decisions you will make. You have to keep several things in mind. Is it “you”, how accommodating is the place – meaning, how late can you stay there, how many people does it accommodate and what is included in your pricing. You also want to consider your guests, meaning distance. You don’t really want to pick a place that could possibly hold people up in traffic.

Q: What was your favorite part of planning your wedding day?

• The favorite part of planning my wedding day was being able to be creative and put my own personal touches on everything. Seeing all of your hard work and organization come together is so rewarding! It’s an amazing feeling.

Q: What was the most fun part of your wedding day?

• There were so many fun parts of my wedding (just ask Miguel) but walking into that reception with your husband while all of your friends and family are standing and cheering for you – it’s indescribable.

Q: What was the one thing you remember most of your wedding day?

• There are sooooo many things that I remember, one thing in particular thing I will always remember about my wedding day was my fathers toast. It was amazing, emotional and sooo special.

Q: If you would do one thing different, what would it be?

• I think saying after the wedding is over “if I could change one thing, it would have been…” is unavoidable. One think you always have to face is that NOTHING is going to be 100% perfect, but when your in the moment, the little things do not matter. If I had to change something it would have been to have a videographer. No matter what, I will always tell people to save a little aside for this one thing. I will never hear my live string cortet play again, I will never hear my fathers speech, or see the live reaction of my husbands face as I walked down the isle because I didn’t think I “needed” it. It is my BIGGEST regret not to have one!

Q: If you could give a newly engaged bride to be any advice, what would it be?

• My advice to a newly engaged bride would be to have fun! This is one of the most important days of your life and the time flies by. It is all over before you know it! I loved every minute of my planning process, as stressed out as I may have been, I would do it all over again in a heat beat. Think of the things that matter the most to you and plan your budget around them. The little things can be added in if permitted but if you have your heart set on one specific thing, cut somewhere else in order to get it. Stay organized and really research. I found so much great advice and so many great ideas just from talking to people. This is your day, and you only get one!