At 27, Amanda, a UI/UX product designer, found love with her husband on Instagram during the pandemic, sharing a passion for global travel and cozy moments with their goldendoodles. Their wedding planning prioritized timeless beauty and simplicity against a picturesque backdrop, though organizing a destination wedding abroad brought moments of stress, she focused on the bigger picture and embraced the journey. Opting for a week-long celebration with close family and friends, they were surprised by the swift passage of the day, ending the reception early due to exhaustion. Reflecting on the magic of perfect weather and overwhelming love, Amanda advises future brides to join local Facebook groups and embrace imperfections, cherishing precious moments like her Homebodii experience in a romantic lace robe that made her feel every bit the bride.
Homebodii Bride of the Month: Amanda Joy Smith
A little about me...
I am 27 years old and I am a product designer (I do UI/UX work). My husband and I met on Instagram during the pandemic! We love to travel the world, and also to hang out at home with our goldendoodles.
Our approach to planning the wedding was...
To have a beautiful, timeless day! We wanted to be able to look back on our photos 50 years from now and still adore them. We wanted to keep the wedding itself more simplistic since the location and venue were so stunning! There were also moments where I felt a bit stressed since I was planning a wedding abroad, so I tried not to sweat the small things. I tried to focus on the fact that it would be beautiful no matter how it turned out.
Looking back on the day we are so glad that we...
Did a destination wedding! After comparing costs of a wedding in the U.S. to costs of a wedding abroad, it seemed like a no brainer. We decided to only have our family and closest friends come, and we made it a week long vacation for everyone. It was so much fun!
The most unexpected part of the day was...
How fast it flew by! It seemed like every moment of the day we were being ushered onto doing the next thing to make sure we were staying on schedule. I wasn’t prepared for how long and exhausting the day would be, we ended the reception early because I was so tired. But I had the most wonderful team of vendors that helped me feel stress free throughout it all and captured the day perfectly.
When I look back on the day now I feel...
Immense happiness! I feel so lucky, and so thankful. The day itself felt like magic. We had the most perfect weather - low 70s, sunny, not windy, it was perfect. Almost all of our closest friends and family were present and we felt so wrapped up in love the whole entire day. I don’t know if anything else in life will ever compare!
A word of advice to new brides would be...
Join Facebook groups for brides in your area or the area of your wedding! I wish I had known this before our wedding, it would have saved me a lot of headache - haha! Also, everything will probably not go exactly according to plan the day of. When those things happen just let it go and embrace the day for what it is! The guests will never know.
My Homebodii moment was special because and I wore....
I loved my long lace robe because it was so romantic and feminine! I truly felt like a bride in it.
Photo @evarendlphotography
Video @magicvideography
Hair & Make Up @mariannanomikou @makeup_artist_mina8
Venue @santorinigem
