It doesn’t get more adorable than this retro-inpsired shoot captured by Wings of Glory Photography, it simply doesn’t. It’s old school Americana at its very finest planned by  Vows Wedding & Event Planning - with bow ties, splashes of gingham, coke bottles galore and that 1940s feel that can’t be matched. It’s got style for miles and some of the cutest vintage touches I ever did see, and you can see every last adorable bit of it right here.

 

From Wings of Glory Photography… The amazing wedding venue was formed by a gentleman named Dan. He built and designed a 1940′s “man cave” that he now rents out for weddings. This venue was also featured on the HGTV million dollar rooms. All of the vintage vehicles and the airplane are available to any couple who books their wedding at Danville Such fun! All of the hair accessories, bow ties, boutonnieres, and the giant chocolate fountain turned into an ice cream cone! Fun design such as the gingham print, soda pop, and vintage touches and props were the inspiration of this 1940′s themed wedding!

Photography Wings of Glory Photography | Venue: Danville, a Celebration Destination | Cinematography: Key Moment Films | Event Planning: Vows Wedding & Event Planning | Pastry Chef: Wendy Woo Cakes | Props + Event Design: Martha Hale Stoetzer | Hair + Makeup: Marigold Scott On Location Hair & Makeup | Wedding Gown: Carolyn Allen’s Bridals & Tuxedos | Stationery: Dogwood Blossom Stationery & Invitation Studio, LLC | Chocolate Fountain + Dessert Table: RW Chocolate Fountain Rentals

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Preppy meets classic just might be my favorite combination ever.  Aside from the fact that they are both seriously gorgeous ways to style your day, it’s that feel of a classic celebration mixed with a dose of prepster whimsy that kind of takes a wedding from downright pretty to “oh my gosh, I’ve never seen something so amazing.”  And in the case of this stunning Boca Grande affair, it’s all of the aforementioned mixed with some of the sweetest details you will ever see, including beautiful bridesmaid frocks from Julie Brown Designs, fab paper goods from Dabney Lee and a whole host of breathtaking images from K&K Photography.  See them all in the full gallery.

 

From the Bride… We fell in love with Boca Grande when I surprised Justin with a weekend getaway at The Gasparilla Inn & Club for his 30th birthday. It was the most amazing, romantic place we had ever visited and we knew it was the perfect fit (even though we had already started planning our wedding in Maine). I am so happy that we chose a destination wedding because it allowed us to really spend time with our guests at the various events we planned (a cocktail party on Thursday, a golf tournament and a welcome dinner on Friday, and a brunch on Sunday), rather than frantically trying to visit with everyone in one night.

We wanted our wedding to feel like “us,” so we skipped lots of the traditions that didn’t feel right for the intimate night we had in mind (announcing the bride, groom, and the bridal party, the bouquet and garter toss, etc.). Instead, we focused on personal touches, like the salt favor escort cards that my mom and her girlfriends put together the morning of the wedding and the programs that we glued to painted wood so they would not blow away during our beachfront ceremony. The bridesmaid’s dresses were really the jumping off point for the “look” we were going for, and one of my best friends designed the amazing invitations, menus and table numbers to go with our theme. For the dinner, we wanted everyone to feel like they were at an intimate dinner party rather than a typical wedding reception. We chose long feasting tables covered in clustered floral arrangements and tons of candles and mercury glass that my mom and I found months before. The real icing on the cake was our DJ, Jonathan Cortez, singing live throughout dinner. It was so special and enchanting. I remember walking into that room, with all of the candles and the lit fire, and looking at Justin and feeling overwhelmed with the beauty of it all and the love that I felt for him.

It is amazing how fast the night flew by, but we are so thankful to Jeff at K&K Photography for capturing every moment. He is so incredibly talented and has such a natural ability to capture every moment while also making everyone feel comfortable and at ease. We feel so blessed that so many of our friends and family were able to come celebrate with us, and we are just so thrilled to start the next chapter of our lives together!

Wedding Photography: K&K Photography | Wedding Venue: Gasparilla Inn + Club | Invitations: Dabney Lee | Floral Design: Suncoast Florist | String Quartet: Musical Rendezvous | DJ: Jonathan Cortez | Wedding Dress: Amsale | Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Julie Brown Designs | Ties: Thomas Pink

K and K Photography, LLC is a member of our Little Black Book, Love what you see? Take a look at their portfolios.

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I love surprises… and I happen to consider myself a master at keeping said surprises secret.  But, a surprise wedding?  That’s a whole new level of secret keeping.  One that these two Jacksonville sweeties managed to pull off with flying colors, and the help of some behind-the-scenes friends and family.  The result?  A day that was chock-full of pretty (see: beautiful blooms from Shea Hopely Flowers + a plethora of gorgeous images from Alex Michele Photography) and one shocked face after another.  Oh, and did I mention that even their engagement was a secret?  Awesome.  Join me in the gallery for more.

 

From the Bride… My inspiration for our wedding came from our relationship – we have always been a very romantic “lovey-dovey,” but yet private couple and I wanted our wedding to reflect that. So, we decided to have a “surprise” wedding. The only people who knew were my mom and Adam’s brother (who officiated), so unlike most brides I didn’t have a lot of people to rely on. But since our wedding was also very small, it was actually really easy to plan. The hardest part was choosing the details because there are so many options since the invention of Pinterest. Our small group of (behind the scenes) helpers and vendors were amazing though. The night before the wedding we were all working on the final details together, and it was so much fun seeing it come together with them. Although having a surprise wedding is unconventional to most, we ended up doing it because we didn’t want the fuss and stress that usually comes along with planning a traditional wedding. And we got just that!

We decided to get married in our brand new home we just purchased together. The front yard was absolutely perfect! It has this GORGEOUS, classic Florida old oak tree with sweeping branches. How much more romantic could you be? We even incorporated that into our “thumb print guest book” as the artist painted our tree exactly how it was. The flowers were my favorite expression of that romantic feeling. Shea Hopely Florals has amazing taste and made the most beautiful arrangements I’ve ever seen. She really understood the “modern romantic” feeling that I wanted to convey and she executed it perfectly. We also decided to include our precious puppies in the pictures. They are like our kids and we knew we wanted them to be as much a part of the day as our guests were! Adam and I opted for doing a first look, so that all of our pictures were finished before our special guests arrive. The ceremony set-up was in our home so when our “guests” arrived they really had no idea until they actually saw us! In fact, no one even knew we were engaged! I hadn’t worn my ring this entire time. When our “guests” arrived, they thought they were coming for a housewarming party and to witness Adam’s proposal to me. Everyone was so happy though when they opened the door seeing us in our bridal gear – they all knew we would do something unique and totally unconventional like this. It ended up working out great! Our photographer was on point capturing all the candid moments, as that was so important to us, since after all it was so different that a usual wedding.

My favorite part of our wedding was getting to marry the love of my life! As far as the details are concerned, having only 20 guests who were our closest family was very warm and intimate, and it made the whole day so enjoyable and fun. I couldn’t imagine any other way to get married – it was perfect for us. And the best part was that it was executed perfectly without stress and strict timelines.

My advice for brides is to do what makes you happy. Your wedding day is not about pleasing your guests or throwing the best party in the world – it’s about celebrating your relationship and the love you have for each other. If your wedding is a reflection of that then it will be perfect.

Wedding Photography: Alex Michele Photography | Wedding Venue: Family Home in Jacksonville, Florida | Floral Design: Shea Hopely Flowers | Officiant: Groom’s Brother | Catering: Catering by Liz | Wedding Cake + Dessert: Publix | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau via The White Magnolia | Bride’s Shoes: Nine West | Groom’s Attire: Banana Republic | Groom’s Shoes: Rockport | Hair: Hair by Christian