There are some wedding videos that are just so emotional, so over-the-top or so absolutely stunning, we feel they deserve a bigger accolade on our site, like the title of Love Story of the Week! We love Greg and Nelson’s chic, modern celebration, but it was their clear love for each other that really spoke to us.
Watch the video by The Creative Fox and then scroll on for an inside look at Greg and Nelson’s planning process, tips and vendors!
1. How did you two meet?
We met at a social gathering with a group of friends. Funny story is we met the first time, but it was a simple \"nice to meet you\" and that's it. We didn't see each other nor spoke until a year later where we saw each other again at the same social event and that's when we hit it off.
2. How did the proposal happen?
The proposal took many months of planning because I (Greg) wanted it to be the most perfect proposal…and it was! I planned a trip to London (our favorite vacation spot) to pop the question. I hired a car service (Tesla) to come pick us up at the airport and drive us to the most romantic five-star hotel (Limewood) located two hours outside of London in a town called Lyndhurst in The New Forest. I had originally planned a picnic proposal, however it started to snow as soon as we got there and I had to change plans. It was a good sign and added a magical touch because it hadn't snowed like that in over five years according to the hotel staff. I booked the library of this amazing hotel where I asked to have our picnic moved. We had the library to ourselves while the fireplace was crackling, surrounded by amazing books watching the snowfall over the beautiful forest landscape. It was magical and the perfect setting to pop the question!
3. What are each of your favorite things about your relationship?
Our favorite things about our relationship are how effortless it is. Everything happens so naturally and we both have many things in common.
4. What was the first thing you did as an engaged couple?
First thing we did as an engaged couple was call all of our friends and family to give them the news! When we got back to Miami, we booked a meeting with our jeweler at David Yurman in Bal Harbor Shops to pick out our wedding bands.
5. What was your budget and how did you decide on it?
Originally our budget was around $30K, however because we are such perfectionists and wanted everything to be perfect and memorable, that budget was significantly increased to about $52K.
6. What were your top three priorities when planning your wedding?
Top three things were location, entertainment and ambience. Location was very important to us because we wanted a location that would reflect our personalities. We wanted a place that was different, classy, modern and very Miami. Entertainment was also important because we are a phone couple and our families love to party, therefore we needed to ensure that they would be entertained for several hours and most importantly, have fun. And we also wanted a classy and sophisticated ambience, which is why we asked everyone to come in black gowns and black tie attire.
7. What did you each think the first time you saw each other on your wedding day?
Well the wedding day was a bit hectic, but that moment when I saw him for the first time fully dressed in his tuxedo was magical. It was something out of a movie!
8. Did you write your own vows? If so, what personalized details did you add? If not, how come?
We did write our own vows. I (Greg) started mine about a week prior and added details about when we first met and how I knew Nelson was the right one from the very beginning. I wanted to highlight special moments and feelings that Nelson gave me, but I also didn’t want to get too detailed because I'm very emotional and didn’t want it to be too sentimental. It was a combination of sweet, funny and heartfelt moments. Nelson, wrote his the day of the wedding at the barbershop LOL. They were the most perfect vows because he included details on the characteristics he loves about me and how he wants to take care of me for the rest of our lives.
9. Tell us about your suit designers and your suit shopping experience.
Well, this was definitely an experience that was a little stressful. We went with this vendor through a friend recommendation. The location was about a 45-minute drive from our house. We encountered a huge problem about three days before the wedding when we received the wrong tuxedos. We drove several times to the location during those three days to get new tuxedos tailored just in time for the wedding. It wasn't exactly what we had ordered, but we were able to pull it off on the wedding day.
10. Did either of you include any special or personalized accessories? If so, why?
We each got each other a beautiful cufflink set from David Yurman. The funny part is that we both shopped for these on our own as a surprise and still ended up getting each other the same exact cufflinks. We are both shoe lovers; therefore, we wanted to make sure we made an entrance with style, so we decided to treat ourselves to Christian Louboutin shoes!
11. Did you two get ready together? If so, what made you decide to do this?
We did get ready together in some sort of way. We rented a suite at EAST Miami that had two bedrooms. We wanted a place where our wedding party would be comfortable getting ready and have enough room to spread around. When it came down to getting ready, Nelson grabbed one room and Greg grabbed the other. Therefore, we were in the same suite but getting ready in different rooms. We didn’t see each other until the photoshoot for the first time.
12. Did you personalize any reading in your ceremony? If so, what did you choose and why?
We did not personalize the readings for the ceremony. We had a good friend of ours (Rizwan Zaman) officiate the wedding. He quoted lines from Lin-Manuel Miranda and added personal touches of how he knew from the very beginning that this was meant to be.
13. You had such a modern, chic reception! Can you talk about what inspired your wedding details?
Yes, we had a very modern and chic reception…it was a reflection of our personalities and we wanted to showcase that. We don't like average and we don't like doing what’s trending in the rest of the world; therefore, we wanted something that would reflect us. I love orchids because they are modern, bold and delicate with lots of personality and that was our main flower choice. We also wanted to blend in the modern venue with the décor so everything would flow appropriately. Between the Miami skyline, the modern venue and the beautiful décor, it was the perfect reception.
14. Why would you suggest hiring a videographer?
We highly recommend hiring a videographer because the day of the wedding is so hectic that you probably won't remember lots of details. The videographer is able to capture those details so you can enjoy them for the rest of your life.
15. What is your favorite memory from your wedding day?
My favorite memory from the wedding was walking into the ceremony to see all of our family and friends there to celebrate our union but, most importantly, remembering Nelson's face as we stood there listening to our vows. It was amazing that we had so many people that love us there to share our special day.
16. What's your top tip to all soonlyweds out there planning their weddings?
Enjoy the planning process and remember that it's about you and your other half. Lots of people want to give opinions and suggestions on how and what you should do for your wedding, but it's about you and what makes you feel good. A wedding should be a reflection of both individuals getting married. I would also say, give yourself enough time to plan. This allows you to plan everything to perfection and plenty of time for research.
17. Who were your favorite wedding vendors and why?
A tip before we go into my favorite vendors…hire vendors that are easy to work with, that you have a connection with and that understand you. Our favorite vendors were our photographer, Tessa Maxine, videographer, The Creative Fox, and wedding cake designers, Ricky Bakery. It so happens that our photographer and videographer knew each other which made the experience smooth and effortless. They are wonderful individuals and very talented! They knew exactly what we wanted and captured everything we wanted. They were also VERY patient with us when it came down to details because we knew we wanted to capture every single detail from that day and wanted a very specific final product. The cake designers were our very good friends from Ricky Bakery. They designed exactly what we wanted and we enjoyed the process of designing the cake together. They are very talented, but best of all, we had our friends create our wedding cake!
See all the vendors here
18. Anything else you'd like to share about your wedding or some details I didn't ask about?
Planning a wedding is stressful but we are glad we had each other throughout the process to keep each other grounded and sane. We wish we could relive it all over again!
To watch more wedding videos by The Creative Fox, click below.