Their Story:

If you ask Andrea, she and her husband Luis don’t have a “traditional” fairytale love story. Actually, according to her, Luis didn’t even like her when they first met!  If you start at the very beginning, Andrea and Luis’ love story starts in 2012 when Andrea transferred to Southern Connecticut State University and met Luis in an elective class. At that time, Andrea only knew one person on campus that she had known since high school. She spent most of her time hanging out with her. Because Luis knew this friend previously and did not like her, he assumed he would not like Andrea either! Even though they sat through the same class together for an entire semester, they barely spoke. The semester ended and they went on with their lives. But, you wouldn’t be reading this post if this was the end of their story! Fate works in mysterious ways and later in life Andrea and Luis met again through mutual friends. Andrea says that is when they really got to know each other and they clicked instantly. Since that moment, Andrea and Luis have been inseparable just like Bonnie and Clyde, Ricky and Lucy, Harry and Sally, Danny and Sandy…you get the point.

Luis and Andrea are perfect for each other. Both love family, have huge hearts and love to explore the world. Together, they’ve been through graduations, birthdays, countless vacations, getting their own cat and to just recently buying their first home together (congratulations)! They never dreamed that they would end up together, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Isn’t that always how the best love stories work out (eh hem we’re looking at you, Danny and Sandy)?

Now that you know a little bit about our featured bride’s love story, let’s get to know how she chose her vendors for her and Luis’ big day! Wedding planning can be a headache and choosing vendors can be just as stressful as finalizing your guest list. In Connecticut, there are thousands of people willing to take your pictures, do your hair, roll your cigars or create your bouquets. Each one offers something different and unique from the next. Between staying in your budget, finding someone you click with and creating your dream wedding, the vendor search can become daunting.  Let’s see how Andrea went about choosing for her big day!

How did you choose a photographer?

 Katie Kanazawich was actually referred to me by a friend at work. As a photographer, he had shot with her a few times and highly recommended her. So, I ended up stalking her page and seeing just how great her work is for myself! I ended up booking Katie pretty early and throughout the whole process, she kept in contact with me. The day of the wedding, she was extremely calming to me. Katie was silently snapping photos in the background as we got ready in the morning and throughout the day. The photos she ended up taking captured the natural flow of the day. A big concern of mine was I wanted to be able to make it to my cocktail hour to hang out with my guests. Katie herded my very large wedding party and got us to the cocktail hour on time! The scenery she chose on the fly that day really made for some excellent pictures. I really felt like Katie understood what I was looking for and delivered.

With photography covered, you want to make sure you look flawless in all of your photos. Next task is choosing a hair and makeup team that you are confident will have you and your girls glowing, sparkling and slaying the entire day. Andrea used Genevieve Salon for her hair services and they created the exact look she imagined. Let’s see how she chose her makeup artist.

How did you choose your makeup artists?

I actually had a trial before Pam and really wasn’t thrilled with the results. I searched all over different wedding websites to try to find a decently-priced makeup artist in the area. I stumbled on KiSSandMaKeUp’s site and read all the great reviews. After my experience with my first trial, I decided to take the plunge and do the second trial with KiSSandMaKeUp. I was instantly sold! I was more than thrilled with Pam and the work she did for my bridesmaids and I the day of the wedding. Pam and I instantly clicked when we first met and I felt really comfortable with her. Pam really listened to what I wanted for the day of my wedding. I generally don’t wear a lot of makeup so it was difficult for me to explain what I wanted, but KiSSandMaKeUp got it right! I trusted her to decide for me and the results were incredible. All my bridesmaids were more than thrilled with how their look turned out as well. They each individually had their own style and Pam made sure that their makeup reflected that. Pam even fixed my sister’s makeup after she went to a different salon to get it done. I really can’t thank Pam enough for making my wedding day special and doing fantastic work.

When your hair and makeup come together and you look in the mirror and see exactly what you imagined, it’s a beautiful thing. Booking the right photographers, makeup artists and hair stylists for the day of your wedding can be scary but take Andrea’s advice and it’s possible. It is the goal of all good bridal beauty artists to create a cohesive look that reflects each individuals personality and Andrea found a perfect team to accomplish just that. She looked beautiful, her girls looked stunning and the photos are brag worthy! That is a wedding planning success. Now all that is left is the “Happily Ever After”.