Amanda & Kalli

Calder Photography USA America two bride wedding marriage Dancing With Her

We have been together for two and a half beautiful, fun-filled years. We met in 2012 at a birthday party and instantly connected with laughter, good conversations, and fun. We became amazing friends and had a deep love for each other and started to date at the beginning of 2017.

On May 25th, 2018, Amanda proposed to Kalli in Poipu, Kauai, surrounded by seals and sea turtles; we were the only ones on the beach during a beautiful sunrise. Amanda had been planning the proposal for the perfect moment with Kalli. We got up early that morning, and Amanda got all dressed up. Kalli was confused about why she needed to look so cute at 6 am to get coffee, but just shrugged it off and put on a baggy shirt with a top knot on her head. When they got to the beach and Amanda got down on one knee to propose, Kalli started freaking out about her hair and outfit but instantly was filled with emotion as Amanda told her how much she loved her and wanted to spend every moment with her for the rest of ever.

Kalli started to cry and said YES!!

On August 11th, nearly three months later, Kalli proposed to Amanda at the Vatican Square in Rome during a beautiful sunset. We had been on a week-long cruise, and she had waited to the very last day to propose to Amanda when she was least expecting it. She explained how she never wanted to be without Amanda and how perfect their love is. Kalli wanted Amanda to know that she had never been with anyone as amazing as her, and from day one, knew she would be her number one!

Amanda, of course, said YES!

All Amanda really wanted at the wedding venue was water to be present wherever we got married, and Kalli wanted to be outdoors. We had been to Thanksgiving Point before during the summer for an event with our dogs.

When we took the venue’s tour, we instantly fell in love because it was outside, right in front of a waterfall. Not to mention the customer service at Thanksgiving Point was excellent! They never once made us feel uncomfortable and aimed to make sure we had everything we needed.

We wanted something straightforward but beautiful, and it had to incorporate our love for plants! If you have ever been to our home, you know that we cannot get enough of them, from tropical to desert. So, the theme literally was a tropical desert theme. We incorporated succulents, pineapples, eucalyptus, palm leaves, and much more. The colors we went with were pastel corals, blues, and greens as they worked so well together and blue and green are our favorite colors.

We did quite a few DIY projects. Kalli’s sister is a wizard on the Cricut machine, so she printed all the small signs and seating charts and vinyl needed. Amanda’s brother does woodwork as a hobby, so he created the wood cork boards and wooden welcome sign. We also filled all the honey jars and made all the wedding favors.

We both knew that we wanted to wear wedding dresses. Kalli pictured herself in a dress that had lace and was backless, and Amanda just wanted the boutique to find a dress that looked perfect on her [she hates shopping]. Kalli went to a few boutiques but ended up finding the perfect dress at ‘The Perfect Dress’ – fitting. They were seriously amazing to work with and found exactly what she needed.

Amanda went to Fantasy Bridal and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to find a dress. The lady helping her was so sweet and knew exactly the perfect dress for Amanda. Amanda fell in love right when she put it on.

When it came to the wedding day… HOLEY SHIT! IT WAS THE BEST DAY OF OUR LIVES! We seriously could not have asked for a better, more perfect day. The weather was outstanding, the venue was perfect, the vendors delivered, and our guests had the most amazing time.

We seriously had smiles on our faces all day and all night. There were a lot of happy tears too! Amanda has some anxiety, so she almost passed out before walking down the aisle, but she said right when Kalli came around the corner, all her anxiety was washed away.

It was seriously the most amazing moment to see each other for the first time in our wedding dresses. We won’t forget that feeling of just how beautiful our bride looked.

Kalli’s family is Greek, so Kalli really wanted to incorporate her culture into the wedding. In a Traditional Greek Wedding, they use many symbolic items to show the love between the couple, such as wedding crowns tied together with one ribbon, lit candles to help light the couple’s path, and a shared cup to drink from to seal each other’s vows. Kalli had her Godfather, Nick, read a prayer, and we were lucky enough to have Amanda’s Stepmom marry us! At the reception, we also had everyone Greek dance, because what is a Greek Wedding without some Greek dancing!

The rest of the night was full of fun, laughter, dancing, drinking, and enjoying ourselves with the closest people to us! It was so incredible to celebrate our love with our family and friends and to see how happy they were for us too!