Florida Weddings

We’re closing out another fabulous week with quite the gorgeous bang if I do say so myself. This wedding is one part pink, two parts DIY and all sorts of pretty! Lucky for us all the fabulous details were captured perfectly by Amalie Orrange Photography, like the pick your own shade of coral bridesmaid dresses and some of the prettiest flowers and table numbers we ever laid eyes on. See even more right here. 

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… Andrew and I wanted to have our wedding in a place we had ties to and meant something to us. Andrew grew up in Hobe Sound and attended the church we got married in. We got engaged on the beach there and we have so many special memories over the past five years that have taken place in Hobe Sound. We wanted to share this small beach town with lots of character with all of our guests.

Andrew and I wanted to incorporate things we love and love to do in our wedding to make it uniquely ours. Some ideas and items we incorporated included a sundae party, having a bonfire, having our reception on the water, serving our favorite cocktails, having a dessert table with all of our favorite desserts instead of a big wedding cake, donating to charity in lieu of favors, making our save-the-dates, and giving guests goody bags when they check into the hotel with our favorite snacks and a list of our favorite places to visit and things to do in Hobe Sound.

We wanted to have our wedding theme be rustic elegance with natural materials, lace details, candlelight and gorgeous flowers. The guys wore gray, and the girls wore  wear different dresses in shades of coral. We wanted everyone to be comfortable and have fun.

Wedding Photography: Amalie Orrange Photography / Ceremony: St. Christopher Church in Hobe Sound, Florida / Reception: Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club in Palm City, Florida / Floral Design: Beth Halpern of Creative Florals / Wedding Paper Goods: Icing on the Paper / DJ: Thomas Edunk of Accents Sounds & Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Custom by the In-House Designer at Minerva’s Bridal / Hair: Tracy Bond / Makeup: Katherine Devers / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale / Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

There are some weddings that are so perfect that when looking through the images, I just can’t believe they are real – the light is stunning, the flowers have been perfectly picked, the bridesmaids are beauties and the details couldn’t be more darling. This my lovelies, is one of those weddings. The only thing that has me convinced that this beyond lovely Florida fête by Mi.Amore.Foto is of the real wedding variety is how the love this couple shares pours through each picture. It makes for the most perfect of posts, and you can see even more in the full gallery of images!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… As I began putting the pieces together for our big day, I began to feel very overwhelmed. I love so much about weddings that I actually had a very difficult time narrowing down which details I wanted to include. Ok, I admit … my Pinterest addiction didn’t help. I had so many ideas but no clue how to create a cohesive event. After fighting myself over cakes or cupcakes, salmon or beef, and centerpieces, I decided to take a step back. I decided to make our wedding about “us” and not “me.” After I changed my focus I began to create the wedding of our dreams. I knew from the beginning that we were not the traditional couple. Our first dance was going to be “When I’m Sixty-Four” by The Beatles and we didn’t play the Electric Slide or the Macarena. Our wedding was going to be about our love for each other and not a cookie-cutter event.

We wanted the feel of our wedding to be very old Florida. There was lots of  lace, oil lamps, cut-glass bowls and real Florida scenery in our wedding. Since both of our families are from small southern towns in the heart of Florida, it was very important to us that our wedding was about our families as well. We included pictures of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents at the seating card table. The gold rings I wore on my right hand belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother. My shoes were vintage Salvatore Ferragamo pumps given to me by my aunt years ago. My childhood minister officiated the ceremony. Andrew’s father played guitar for the ceremony. Two of the songs used in the processional were written by Andrew. I was escorted down the aisle by both my father and mother. Needless to say, our wedding was all about us. As far as the details, we did a lot by ourselves. I made the boys’ bow ties, the ring bearer pillows, the “Here Comes the Bride” sign, the invitations, and even decorated the hanger for the picture of the dress. Friends and family helped with the invitations, the candy buffet and much, much more. I may have gotten a little carried away, but it was definitely all worth it in the end. It was all of the personal touches that made our wedding day so special.

We couldn’t have had a more fantastic day without Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club and Mi.Amore.Foto. Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club was just perfect. The view was spectacular, the dining room was impeccably Florida, and they had incredibly gracious staff. Not to mention they specially made us a guava-filled wedding cake even though it wasn’t on the menu. Other than the “I do’s,” the photography was the most important aspect of our wedding. We wanted a photographer that listened, was someone that we could trust and even collaborate with on our vision. Shannon Mathis of Mi.Amore.Foto was way beyond a wedding photographer. She made us feel so comfortable and truly captured our love. Our wedding day was incredibly personal and loving. As I look at our photos I am reminded of how lucky we are to have one another and our family and friends to support us. This day was only one day out of many in our marriage, but it stands out as the most beautiful start a couple could ask for.

Wedding Photography: Shannon Mathis of Mi.Amore.Foto / Wedding Venue, Catering + Cake: Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club in Palm City, Florida / Flowers: Harbour Bay Florist / Wedding Dress: San Patrick via Tamera’s Forever Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Vintage Salvatore Ferragamo / Bride’s Gold Rings: Family Heirlooms / Hair: Sara Lucas / Makeup: Shannon Mathis / DJ: Paragon Entertainment / Wedding Invitations, Bow Ties, Ring Bearer Pillows, “Here Comes the Bride” Sign, Dress Hanger + Candy Bar: DIY / Ceremony Music: The Groom’s Father

I want to send a big shout out to all you color-happy, fun-lovin’ brides-to-be out there!  This Palm City wedding by Stay Forever Photography is for you!  It is jam-packed with pretty hues, bright blossoms and darling details perfect for a seaside soiree.  What could make these vibrant festivities even more vivacious?  How about a two hour cocktail “hour”, incredible food and a packed dance floor! Check it all out in the full gallery!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride… Brian and I got engaged on our one year anniversary- very appropriately April Fool’s Day; we aren’t known for being the most serious people in a crowded room.  So, we had 13 months to plan our perfect day, and it was… perfect in every way!

The most important things to me and Brian were the food and atmosphere.  I am a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and Brian had been working in restaurants for over 10 years.  We expected great food, and we received it through Chef Carlino and his team.  Brian, Chef, and myself created our own personal menu that was outstanding!!  I am a vegetarian, and Brian is a meat-eater, so we came up with a great combination of seafood, grains, and meats that fit our goal and within out budget.  It was also not a sit down dinner, therefore people were able to pick and choose what they wanted and how much of it they wanted.  As for our cake, we enlisted my extremely generous and talented friend, Alexandra Mudry, who is a Pastry Chef in Washington, DC- she made our cake, flew with it on the plane, and constructed it at our wedding site-  and it was AMAZING! We also had a toppings bar to add to people’s sweet tooth.

My mother’s friend, Marilyn Haas, dedicated her talents and time to creating our atmosphere with flowers, candles, seashells, starfish, and just simple beauty.  That was one of the best parts about really creating our own wedding- we had so much say into everything that happened that day, that there was nothing else we could have asked for. I really could not have wanted a better day!

I could barely hold back my tears of joy, anticipation, excitement as I walked down the aisle with my dad, Louis.  (It was a really long aisle!!)  We had a beautifully intimate church ceremony with a full mass that went too quickly.  I felt everyone there with us cheering us on- it was awesome! Our cocktail hours (2) were fabulous with reggae music and tons of food, a fresh fruit ice bar, and a nice river breeze.  Our reception was four more hours of great food and DANCING!!  Everyone was out on the floor and cutting up a rug- it was way too much fun!

Hair + Make-up: Beauty Couture, Inc. / Wedding Cake: Alexandra Mudry of Buttercream Bakeshop / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / DJ: DJ Lynn Mozena / Ceremony Location: St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church / Reception Location + Floral Design: Palm Cove Golf and Yacht Club / Wedding Photography: Stay Forever Photography