Welcome to the blog.

Crystal Bolin Photography 11/6/19 Crystal Bolin Photography 11/6/19

Nicole + Charles | Chic Tropical Palm Beach Wedding

A Chic Tropical Palm Beach Wedding at the West Palm Beach Lake Pavilion

On October 18th 2019, Andrew and I had the pleasure of capturing Charles and Nicole ‘s Chic Tropical Palm Beach Wedding at the West Palm Beach Lake Pavilion. Their wedding day was a classy, tropical dream with a splash of Lilly Pulitzer flare. Their vibrant day was pure 'Palm Beach' perfection.

They said, “I do,” in the same place they shared their first kiss and where Charles proposed, on the dock of the West Palm Beach waterfront. It was a very overcast day, but it didn’t rain! Every last detail was carefully thought out and reflected Nicole and Charles so well. From the colorful hand-painted bottle of Veuve Clicquot to the assorted ice cream cones for dessert, every last detail was an elegant, tropical dream.

Andrew and I have known Nicole for many years. Three years ago, at a wedding we captured where Nicole was a guest, we chatted for a few minutes. While we were catching up, she said, “One day, when I find a guy and get married, you will be my photographer!” Little did she know then, but her future husband was a guest at that very wedding, and she had just met him that night. It was an honor to see their story come full circle. Their entire sweet love story is below.

Charles & Nicole, thank you for choosing us to document your stunning wedding day! It was such an honor working with both of you! We wish you all the best in this exciting new season of life. May God continue to bless you both and your marriage for many years to come.

The Love Story

Nicole and Charles first met on September 17th, 2016, at their mutual friends’, A.J. & Laura Titus, wedding at the Flagler Museum. Charles was head over heels about Nicole from the moment he saw her, but they did not connect in that moment. He assumed she was dating the guy next to her, her brother.

The following year, on February 13th, 2017, Charles began his new job in West Palm Beach, where he was greeted by, and for the first time, formally introduced to Nicole. Even though they worked at the same company, for the first 6 months they had minimal interactions, despite Charles’ best efforts.

The work trip that changed everything:

Later in the year, Charles moved to Texas and flew to New Orleans for a last minute work conference. Charles was excited to find out Nicole was there too. They spent the next four days getting to know each other, working in close quarters, and sharing Hurricanes at Pat O'briens. During the last night of the conference, Nicole mentioned she wanted to get beignets. Since Charles had been to New Orleans many times, he knew the best spot, and he took the opportunity to escort her, so she wasn't roaming the streets of New Orleans alone. He, of course, just wanted to spend more time with her.

After that trip, he knew there was something special about Nicole, even if she showed no interest in him. They went back to their normal work life, miles away from one another. They continued to talk on the phone once a week and hung out whenever he flew to South Florida for a quick weekend to see his parents.

First proper date:

Fast forward to a few weeks before Christmas 2017. Charles knew he was going to be in South Florida for ten days around the holidays, so he asked Nicole on a proper date to her favorite restaurant, Kitchen. She agreed to go to dinner with him because of his “the worst thing that can happen is you have a great meal at your favorite restaurant” pitch. They spent the whole night talking about their families, who they are outside of work, and their values. Everything clicked. After dinner, they continued the conversation while walking around downtown West Palm, Nicole’s favorite way to converse. They ended the evening with a three-hour heart-to-heart on the end of the dock and shared their first kiss.

The remaining seven days of his trip were the start to their relationship. They did everything together from lunch dates, touristy sightseeing, and more dinners. After the seven days of speed dating, Charles had to fly back to Houston. Both hesitant on trying the long distance dating, they decided to see where this relationship could go. A week of time apart was too long, so they talked every night and decided to give the long distance a shot. And it worked!

The majority of their relationship was spent miles, apart but the time a part made every weekend trip together special. For weeks at a time, all they had were phone calls and Face-Timing. The foundation of their relationship started with communication.

The big question:

On December 22nd, 2018, exactly one year from their first date, Charles proposed on the same dock in West Palm where they spent hours talking under the stars. Charles has now moved back to West Palm, and they are excited to be starting their lives together and are thankful for the distance because of the bond they created, no matter the miles in between.

The details that brought this Chic Tropical Palm Beach Wedding together:

Venue: The West Palm Beach Lake Pavilion

Coordinator: Allison Lewis of The Golden Pineapple

Florist: Southern Floral

Painted Champagne Bottle: Go Coastal Studio

DJ: Kenny Mondo

Officiate: Rev. Jul MedenblikCatering: Alexander Event

Invitation Designer: Anna Moore from Prime Pretty Prints

Hair Stylist: A Better Cut

Makeup Artist: A Better Cut

Dress Designer: Justin Alexander

Men's Wear: Men’s Warehouse & A Black Tux

Ring Designer: Marcus Jewelers

Head Piece Designer: The Ruffled Rose Boutique

Shoe Designer: Sam Edelman

Bridesmaids Dresses: Show Me Your Mumu

Photography: Crystal & Andrew Bolin

Crystal Bolin Photography 3/8/18 Crystal Bolin Photography 3/8/18

Kirsten + Alex | Tropical Downtown West Palm Beach Wedding

A Tropical Downtown West Palm Beach Wedding at the Lake Pavilion in West Palm Beach, Florida

On Saturday, February 17th, 2018, Andrew and I had the honor of documenting Alex and Kirsten's tropical downtown West Palm Beach wedding. This breezy spring wedding ceremony was held on the waterfront dock and the reception took place at the Lake Pavilion in Downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. The inspiration for their wedding was elegant and modern Palm Beach. They brought their vision together with soft rose hues and a tropical flair. They even included their adorable golden doodle named Ziggy. This was one gorgeous tropical wedding day from beginning to end!

Their Love Story:

Kirsten and Alex first met on April 30th, 2011, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a Saturday night and they were both meeting up with a mutual friend for a house party at the University of Cincinnati. After their eyes met for the first time, they spent the rest of the evening waiting for an opportunity to talk and get to know one another. When that moment finally came, they felt an instant connection while sharing drinks on an old, raggedy loveseat in the driveway.

They began dating and eventually moved to South Florida together in October of 2013. After moving, Alex immediately began working for an e-commerce company where he continues to helps manage one of their key accounts. Kirsten attended and recently graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a Master's degree in Medical Science. She now works as a Physician's Assistant for a family medicine office.

The Proposal Story:

After five years of dating Alex was ready to pop the big question! On September 17th, 2016 in Jupiter, Florida, he did just that! For several weeks Alex had been telling Kirsten his company was planning an "employee and family photo shoot" for their new line of sunglasses.

Unfortunately, the date of the "shoot" was the only Saturday that Kirsten was scheduled to be at her Internal Medicine rotation at Nova. Two days prior to the proposal, Kirsten's instructor looked over the schedule and told her she no longer needed to come into the office because there were no interesting cases. Alex was thrilled that she could go to the "shoot".

They got up that day and prepared for the 10:00 am shoot. His "boss" kept calling all morning to discuss the photographer, the location, etc. The original plan had been to meet at Coral Cove at 9:45am, but then the location changed to the Jupiter Lighthouse. The lighthouse employees said they had some time to check out the top of the lighthouse before the photographer arrived. A little reluctantly, Kirsten agreed to go to the top. The view was amazing and they were soaking it all in when Alex got down on one knee and popped the question!

There was never a sunglass photo shoot and Alex had convinced Kirsten's instructor to give her the day off without giving away the surprise! The surprises continued when they went to Alex's parents house to share the good news. Alex had arranged for Kirsten's mother and stepfather to travel from Ohio to help celebrate the occasion!

Thank you!

Kirsten and Alex, thank you for allowing Andrew and I the pleasure of being a part of your gorgeous wedding day! It was such an honor to work with you both! We wish you all the best in this wonderful new season!

First all the pretty details!