TINA + NICK by Emma Dau Visuals

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love, what is unique about you and your relationship:

Nick and I met in medical school, we’re two resident doctors – he’s in Internal Medicine and I’m in Pediatrics.

We were set up by friends because of our love for the outdoors, recent travels to Southeast Asia as well as our shared faith. Nick loves to paint and play the piano, I love to watch him do both of those things and try different hobbies like weaving to keep up with his genius.

Spring in Saint Augustine – Tina & Nick from Emma Dau on Vimeo.

We love biking, making Sicilian food together (Nick’s family is Sicilian), ocean hopping, and going fishing. Nick is good at the gym game, and I’ve been challenged and motivated by his routines. I was a big runner and biker before we met, and now I’m lucky to have him as my trainer. His Dad has a pizza oven that we love to take advantage of, and my parents live in a precious coastal town that we bike all over every chance we get. We also love our two cats, one I adopted in medical school, and the other we got a month after we married when Nick gifted her to me after I completed a difficult month in the hospital.

Tell us about your special day, was there a specific theme or style? Tell us a little about the setting, the styling and some of your favourite details:

Best day of our lives. We both love the outdoors so much, we wanted to make the outside come in.  Our florist was a friend of a friend whom I had always admired. She also took on the role of candle lighting and setting up as well as hanging blue breezy curtains and plants from every available surface. Hailey from Flower and Fringe truly made the inside reception and ceremony better than anything I had ever dreamed of. It was like a fairy garden with a nautical flair. The venue was perfect – old brick walls in the oldest city in America, right on the water. The ceremony was in the oldest church in North America as well, where Nick proposed. It has a beautiful garden and chapel with fairytale vibes all around. It was really special to have our love made into lifelong vows in such a historic place, setting the stage for our forever. Carley and Emma (photographer + videographer) truly made the day with their wonderful personalities and how well they knew me (and loved Nick because of how I loved him). They made us feel so so special and pampered.

Having my Dad there with me and the girls while we got ready and had our little pre-wedding dance parties was also a special touch. He was delivering us coffees, mimosas, and snacks in addition to my Mom who was such a gift. All my bridesmaids loved my parents, so having the two of them there was really important to me.

Tell us about your main outfits:

Tina: My parents and I went to BHLDN in Philly and it took me 5 minutes to decide. I only tried on three dresses and my choice was the first one. Nick and I picked out his suit together. We wanted something that made his eyes pop. His was a custom suit, the groomsmen’s suits were from Men’s Warehouse.

What were some of the most memorable/unique moments from the day?

Nick and I in the Fatima Room after the wedding and his joyful tears and repeating over and over, “I can’t believe I did it…. I married you…..”. Our friend from South America who we had lived with saw us in this special moment and we all hugged and cried together. It was perfect.

Any advice for other couples planning to spend the rest of their lives together?

Do Pre-Marital counseling – we had the most beautiful time discussing and praying together over our love and future lives as we prepared for what we knew would be our best day.

Take moments to breathe on the day, just the two of you together. Look at each other and step away to smooch. Go to each table and see your favorite people.

Make each moment of the preparation into a fun occasion. The guest list, the invites, the florist, etc. For us, each step was a victory we would toast to and giggle over. Keep the little things little and rejoice over the big moment that is coming.

Ceremony location: Lady of La Leche, Nombre de Dios Mission Church | Reception location + Catering + Beverages: The White Room | Videographer/Photographer: Emma Dau Visuals | Entertainment: Footloose Entertainment | Flora: Flower and Fringe | Planning: Tina and her Mother | Cake: Sweet Weddings | Father-Daughter dance live vocals: Kirsten Curry (Arian) | Bride’s Gown: The Monica, BHLDN | Rings: Vrai and Oro (engagement ring) Jewelry Design Studio (bands)| Hair + Makeup: The Bardot | Fragrance: Le Labo, Santal 33 (Tina), Patchouli (Nick) | Bridesmaids dresses: JJ’s House | Groomsmen attire: Men’s Wearhouse