'Low-key bride' posts 457 engagement shoot photos

MARKHAM, ON—When Natasha Marino, 34, got engaged this past fall she decided right away she was going to do things differently.

"I've been a bridesmaid in so many weddings where the bride totally transforms into a psychotic, high maintenance, diva brideasaurus as soon as she gets engaged and I always vowed I'd never do that," Marino shared sincerely after laughing at her own wedding joke.

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"I knew once Mark and I planned his surprise proposal, and after we chose the photographer he would hire to pop out of the bushes to capture the super-spontaneous moment, that we'd be able to set the low-key tone right from the start because we are very in sync."

Of course, being such a low-key bride comes with its own challenges. Namely, managing family members' expectations and holding strong even when confronted with their concerns.

"My mom and Mark's mom both really wanted to throw us engagement parties, but we set a boundary right from the start and told them two parties would be too much." Marino went on to explain that she did allow the moms to combine their money and resources to instead throw one gigantic engagement party but emphasized it was "a very chill affair."

It was only a few weeks after the engagement party and proposal celebration cocktail mixer that Marino realized she'd made a huge mistake.

"I'd been concentrating so hard on being so laid back and barely even thinking about the wedding when I remembered I hadn't even posted ANY photos on Facebook from our save-the-date engagement photo shoot."

Concerned that her friends and family would be disappointed and confuse her mega-easygoing attitude with a lack of excitement, Marino decided to take action.

Everyone knows how stressed I've been being so chill about everything they totally understood and forgave me.- Tasha Marino

"I immediately posted all 457 photos from the shoot to my timeline and fired off an apology email to my bridesmaids as well. Everyone knows how stressed I've been being so chill about everything they totally understood and forgave me."

But Marino's mother was another story. "She wasn't happy that I didn't post photos 458-999 because she knew I had a few more outfit changes mixed in, but I explained that I'd release those at the wedding as a party favour. Plus, she knows as well as I do that people can't digest the subtle differences in the photos when you post them all at once!"

When asked if she has any advice for brides looking to be more low-key, Marino said plainly, "I think the most important thing to remember is that it's not all about you. A lot of people are a part of this event. So maybe consider doing something extra thoughtful for the bridal party? Like, I let mine decide if they wanted to pay to have their hair done in an up-do or curled and down."

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