Real Wedding: Brittany & Jesse – Photography by Paula O’Hara

We live in New York where my husband is a chef and I’m a photographer. We both love music and Jesse’s grandfather was the musician Glen Campbell, so he grew up in the industry.

We go to a lot of concerts and always bring home the posters to decorate our home. Jesse proposed on a family trip to Mexico that was filled with sightseeing, zip-lining, and swimming in the ocean. After dinner, we all went to the beach for a walk and to look at the full moon. I started to feel my family members backing away and that’s when it happened! After Jesse proposed, a group of people on the beach started clapping and cheering. It was magical. We were married in Florence at the Villa Medicea di Lilliano. Jesse’s daughter’s name is Olive and that served as a theme: olive branches, olives to eat, and that beautiful shade of green. We wanted our wedding to feel rustic and comfortable, a small get-together with 60 of our closest friends. The only misfortune was that, on the morning of the wedding, Jesse’s father broke his thumb and the amazing manager at the Villa had to drive him to hospital and then ensured he made it back in time for the ceremony to walk down the aisle with Jesse. It was a tough morning for Jesse and when he saw me at our ‘first look’, I could sense it was the comfort he needed. I found Jesse’s tuxedo jacket in a discount store and found the matching pants two years later, in the lead up to the wedding — and they looked amazing! I love how much we explore together. We can walk for hours around New York and we’re always taking different routes to get home so we can see what lies around a different corner. I feel safe when I’m with him. We both grew up in divorced households so we want to cherish our marriage and keep it safe through the bitter, sweet, and salty parts of life.