Claire + Hunter
#&FLREALBRIDE FEATURE
THE SAMARA
There is nothing I love more than a bride who just does what she wants on her wedding day. When I saw Claire’s wedding photos on IG I knew instantly she had that &FL #coolbride DNA about her. A bride who jumps into the pool in her wedding dress to eat spicy buffalo wings with her husband? SIGN.ME.UP.
The Deets:
Name: Claire Mason
Hubby: Hunter
Photographer: Emily Anne Photography
Location: Alys Beach Florida
Boutique: Joon Bridal
Accessories: Earrings- @simplysufficient_ Hair Piece- amazon (lol)
Hair/Makeup: My mom and sister
Shoes: Foot corsage by Rachelle Youd Designs
Cake: Sweet for Sirten
Flowers: Rachelle Youd Designs
Describe you and your guy? How did you meet? Hunter and I met in high school! We had gone to the same high school for three years and at the end of our senior year I started to fall hard for him. He was completely oblivious. I finally worked up the nerve to ask him out and we had our first date…which he had no clue was a date. But then he quickly figured out that it was a date and the rest was history. We were both planning on going to colleges that were 8 hours away from each other so we decided we were just going to be a “summer fling.” However, after 3 months we were ready to be married.
How did you know he was The One? I’m the type of girl who only crushes on guys for about a week before I decide that I don’t need a man. But for some reason I crushed on Hunter for about 3 months without him knowing. That was my first clue that he was “The One.” Then when we finally started dating and had to spend every single moment together, I knew that this was the one that I couldn’t let get away.
Describe yourself. What do you do? What is your regular street style? Right now, I am a full time student at the University of Arkansas studying Apparel Merchandising. My regular street style is any sort of high waisted, wide leg jean/pant paired with cropped tanks/sweaters/sweatshirts and cute heels or short boots! I love to feel comfortable yet confident in everything that I wear.
What was bridal style?I have always dreamed of wearing a white long sleeve dress on my wedding day. I am a huge fan of bohemian type weddings so I wanted to capture that in my dress as well.
What made you fall in love with your &FL dress and where did you find it?Joon Bridal carries the most beautiful dress that fit my taste perfectly. The very first dress that I tried on was the &FL Samara gown and I immediately knew that it was the one. I tried on about 15 other dresses just to be sure but it was the gown for me! I absolutely loved the billowing chiffon sleeves and the open back. The train was the perfect length and I knew Hunter would love the deep V in the front ;). But most importantly, it was the most comfortable dress I had ever put on and that’s exactly what I wanted for my wedding day.
Describe your wedding- any inspiration or themes were your drawn to when planning?What was the vibe? When planning our wedding, I knew that I wanted it to be very small and intimate with the most important people in our lives. I was drawn to the bohemian style with dried florals, neutral colors with a pop of terracotta, and a unique arbor. We got married on the beach where my vision really came to life and all 20 people sat on sage green couches while a violinist played in the background.
Fave thing about your day? Any surprises?! Hunter and I’s favorite part of our wedding day was when we jumped in the pool at the end of the night. After the traditional first dances, we thanked everyone for coming to our wedding and jumped in the pool and ate Buffalo Wild Wings. Everyone jumped in with us and we danced the night away.
What does marriage mean to you? To me, marriage means that you have someone to do life with. You have someone that you tell everything to and do everything with. You are with each other through every single stage of life. You never leave each other’s side even when you go through the hardest days. Marriage means that you always love each other, even if you don’t always like each other.
What's the one piece of advice you could give to brides?The one piece of advice I would give to other brides is to do what you want. When planning your wedding, everyone else has an opinion on how you should do things and who should be invited. But this is YOUR day. Do exactly what you want because everyone else’s opinion is irrelevant. We wanted a wedding with only 20 people there. People thought they “deserved to be there,” but it was our wedding and it turned out even better than we could have imagined.
Life post-wedding means .... Life post-wedding means loving my husband every single day.
Words by Claire