Kristen and James hold a special place in my heart. James, a Florida State Alum has a sweet and kind soul which is the perfect match for Kristen’s bright and loving personality. Kristen and James met at the hospital where they both worked in NY at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. Kristen was working as a mother baby nurse and James came thru the nursery for his well baby rotation.

When James planned to propose he told Kristen he had planned a weekend away.   They drove up to NYC from DC. From Kristen: “The whole time we were going north I was so excited and hoping that we would be going to NYC. I really missed living there, I began crying the moment I could see the skyline. I’m probably the only person to ever cry happy tears while stuck in the Lincoln tunnel. The apartment building that we lived in together in the city also has a few floors of dedicated hotel space and he rented a room and proposed almost the minute we walked thru the door. That night he had planned a dinner with some of our friends at one of our favorite restaurants.” When you hear them tell this story in person it makes it even more special. This proposal stuck out to me because this is also how Ian proposed to me!

The day of their wedding, I arrived a bit ahead of Kristen to grab some details and when she arrived I noticed she was a bit anxious. I asked if she needed anything and she laughed “I am so ready to see James”. I knew their first look would be special and they did not disappoint. They both were ready to see each other the moment they got to the venue and were both having the same anxious wait. I love how simpatico they are! We were lucky with beautiful weather and because they chose to do a first look we had plenty of time for photos.

At sunset, they were married in the gardens among their family and friends. Instead of wedding favors, Kristen and James have made a donation to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The both share a passion for animals and Kristen especially loves elephants. Every year for Christmas James adopts a baby orphan elephant for Kristen and the trust cares for the orphan elephant until they are old enough to be returned into the wild. How sweet that they were able to share these special memories with their wedding guests.

Vendor Team:

Cake and catering.- Olympia Catering

Reverend Camille DeLise

Hair/makeup- Beauty brought out by Julissa

Dress- Sarah Janks Harpist- Sarah Sterling Ansley

DJ- Grant Hemond Associates