It was love at first sight for this gorgeous bride and groom, so it seems only fitting that their Jacksonville wedding had me at, well, hello. Yes, just one look at these stunning images by Agnes Lopez Photography and I was most definitely swept off of my feet. Bumblebee Weddings and Events took a shared love of sailing and crafted some serious nautical perfection. From those awesome place card holders to the bouquet to end all bouquets by Marguerite’s Florist, it’s one gorgeous detail after another. And I adore every single one. Click here to see all of the pretty!
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride…Michael and I met in June 2007 and it truly was love at first sight. I never believed in that phenomena until I experienced it myself. I realized back then that he truly was my soul mate and I was his. As we started to plan our future together, I started to imagine our wedding day. Unlike most girls, I never gave much thought to the “big day” because I always thought that a lot of it would be dictated by the type of man I was going to marry and how we felt about each other. Once I knew that Michael was “the one,” I started to think about what would be important to us on one of the biggest days of our lives. I wanted to be sure that the day was an accurate representation of who we are as a couple, how we feel about each other and that the day would be as romantic for our guests as it was for us.
Some of these planning pieces sounded easy and some sounded very overwhelming. I knew I wanted to get married at an old mansion that has been turned into public property. Once we found the Epping Forest Yacht Club, the rest would fall into place. Bumblebee Weddings helped me with all of the details to make sure that I truly captured how we felt about each other and how we wanted the guests to feel like part of our family as well. We both love the water and sailing, so that was the theme that we went with, which was perfect for a Yacht Club setting. I immediately started working with Sage Sisters Press for my wedding invitations and programs, who successfully captured the ambiance, on paper, that we were going for.
The big day finally arrived and it was more amazing that I could have ever imagined. It really was a fairy tale wedding for us, I could not have asked for anything more! Everything went so smoothly and the weather was gorgeous. The best advice that I was given was to be sure that I paid attention to every moment of that day because it was the only chance I had and it would go by in a flash. I took that advice and I remember everything about walking down the aisle as though it had just happened yesterday.
The wedding started with a one hour cocktail for our guests to mingle, before the ceremony, which was a big hit. My sister was my Maid of Honor and my 3 younger cousins were my Junior Bridesmaids. They were stunning walking down the aisle in their navy dresses and multi-glitter shoes. Michael had his 3 brothers for his Best Men and of course they were a handsome group.
Our first dance was so romantic and meaningful to us, it was perfect. For the reception, we did a combination of round tables and banquet tables which gave it more of an eclectic look. Our guest book was not traditional, instead, we had a miniature sailboat on display and everyone signed the sails; this is now on display in our home. The place card holders were little ships-in-a-bottle that our guests could take home with them. As the night went on, our guests were entertained by our live band and the cigar rolling station that we had set up. The evening ended with a midnight buffet of sliders and fries, followed by our exit of flags. Our wedding day was the best day of our lives and we still talk about it all of the time. It’s a moment that we will never forget and it was the perfect way to begin the rest of our lives.
Wedding Photography: Agnes Lopez Photography / Wedding Ceremony & Reception Location: Epping Forest Yacht Club / Hair: Casey Powell / Makeup: Jackie Neal / Event Planning: Bumblebee Weddings and Events / Music: The B Town Playaz / Wedding Invitations: Sage Sisters Press / Cigar Bar: JC The Cuban Roller / Floral Design: Marguerite’s Florist