Happy Friday! (yesss!). Today's bride features the beautiful Monique Lundstedt, who got married at 22 (what were you doing at 22?!) and had absolutely no guidance or potential wedding feedback from any friends since she was the first to take the plunge (a hero, in my opinion). My favorite aspects about this wedding are the intimacy and the venue - Red Fish Grill in Miami, Florida. An outside wedding done beautifully that was the perfect reflection of this gorgeous couple (seriously, they're both gorgeous, as is their offspring, adorable Emma June). She was a really laid-back bride, so for all of you laid-back brides, she gives the best advice! Take a look. Photography by Hitz Photography.

Bride and Groom: Monique and Jerrid Lundstedt
Wedding Date: November 22, 2008
Venue: Red Fish Grill

1. How you felt when you got engaged.

I was so surprised and happy. I was overwhelmed with emotion and didn't even think about the wedding part for quite some time! I was just shocked (a happy kind of shocked of course) and loving that I was going to spend the rest of my life with my handsome and loving Fiancé!

2. Step One - what you did first and what you would have done differently, if anything.

First thing we did was plan an engagement party, we weren't getting married for a bit (I had promised my parents I would finish school first) and it was almost my 21st (I know what a baby) birthday so we planned a big Mexican Fiesta and started worrying about the details after that.

3. What was most overwhelming about the process?

EVERYTHING at first! I was pretty much the first of my friends to get married and had not been to very many weddings prior to mine so I had no idea what we were in for, no idea what style of anything I liked, and no idea what I wanted. I, unlike many other soon to be brides, had NOT been planning my fairy tale wedding since I was 6! I had no idea where to start.

4. Your wedding look - how did you get to the final result, i.e., how you picked your linens, flowers, bridesmaid dresses, color scheme, venue, etc. What sources or people helped and what was their advice?

I spent a lot of time on the theknot.com, I got a good idea of the feel I wanted and the things I liked. My mom is the most creative person I know. And she was my source for everything! I shared the things I liked and she gave me her thoughts and opinions, I trusted her and basically handed over the reigns to her for anything that I really knew I had no business handling! I was a very relaxed bride as you may have already realized by my previous answers so I let me bridesmaids pick whichever dresses they wanted and they bought different styles all in the same color. My husband and I spent a lot of time on the water and I truly could not envision us in a ballroom or anything of the sort. We started thinking of a venue that would be fun and beautiful without much fuss and that was really 'us'. The Red Fish Grill, on the water in Matheson, was the only venue we visited and as it was the site of our official second date (3 short years prior) - we chose it immediately. *please note when I say 'we' I mean my mother and I because my dear husband had zero interest in anything wedding, I was and remain very appreciative of this!* as for the dress I saw it in a magazine AFTER I had already scheduled second appointments to see dresses I had liked, and when I saw it I knew it was the one and I was so lucky to have found it at Coral Gables Bridals.

5. Do you feel like a company like HOL, which focuses on event design and vendor referrals, would have been beneficial with respect to your answer in No. 4 above?

Oh yes! I wasn't armed with much information back then. A lot of internet searching and word of mouth referrals were how we narrowed it down. I really wanted to do minimal 'shopping' so I only had a few choices for vendors that we 'interviewed'. If there was a HOL back then I know they could have helped with great referrals and narrowed down the search for me with quality vendors.

6. What you found most helpful during planning, whether a wedding planner, a parent, a friend, certain vendors.

My mother! Our wedding wouldn't have had much sparkle if not for her. I really have no creativity to play with - she on the other hand was a Pinterest pro before Pinterest even existed! She designed everything and came up with all of our little extras and details. I only wish someone (like a HOL) would have insisted on and referred to us a wonderful day of planner. We skimped on that and my poor mother ran around all night making sure everything was perfect while I enjoyed myself and had no idea what was running smoothly and what was not! (She is the best, this I know!)

7. What you found most difficult during planning.

Keeping to a budget, knowing what to really budget for each vendor/expense! Having little to no referrals for many necessities was hard. Also guest list, oooooh that still haunts me to this day!

8. How you found your vendors and how you feel like HOL would've helped and facilitated the planning (including for your wedding planner).

As mentioned before, mostly through researching on our own and some through word of mouth. I almost skimped on a videographer (I know so naive, I know HOL l would have never allowed such a thought!) and I was on Facebook one day and an ad for a videographer appeared. In true bridal Monique fashion I took this as a sign and called her, paying no mind to her out of town area code. We talked, I liked her, she showed me some of her work, and then told me that as luck would have it, although she was based out of Orlando, she would be in Miami for Thanksgiving and was happy to capture our wedding. (Thank you, Key Moment Films for talking me out of missing out on our wedding video!)

9. Looking back, what would you have done differently (in general).

Nothing really, other than having a planner to help my real planner, my Mom.

10. Your advice to any bride planning a wedding is:

Enjoy it! It's one night, don't kill yourself (or your friends and family) over it! This is supposed to be fun! Do what you can and make the best of it!

11. Your favorite moments during the whole planning process were:

Spending time with my Mom and letting her take creative design over everything. And then of course, watching it all unfold before my eyes the day of our wedding, after all Jerrid hadn't seen any of it coming together and I was almost in the same boat! XXXXXX

Thank you, Mo, for these beautiful pictures and for letting me relive this beautiful day (almost 6 years ago). You and Jerrid are the best.