Fort White Wedding from Dana Goodson Photography

I’m going to say it before you can even think it.  This bride and groom are awesome.  Like marry in their own backyard, DIY every last detail (with the help of the bride’s amazing sister, Kristen Winters of Beehive Creative Events) and shower their invitations, save-the-dates and programs with photos of their adorable pups awesome.  They are that fabulous.  And their wedding?  Well, it’s as crazy cool as you think it would be with a “Time Stops Here” theme and moment after moment of pure happiness captured by Dana Goodson Photography.  Don’t miss a minute in the full gallery.

From Dana Goodson PhotographyIan and Barrett were married in their backyard at the home on the Santa Fe River in Fort White, Florida. The property has beautiful, tall, mossy oaks, to which they attached an eclectic mix of clocks. With the exception of me and the DJ, all other components of the day were designed by the couple and executed by themselves and their closest family and friends. It had a very personal touch. This was a DIY wedding all the way, and I loved the simplicity and raw emotion of the day. 

From the Groom… My wife’s sister, Kristen Winters (her business is Beehive Creative Events), helped the most with the planning process and setting up for our wedding day. She hired the DJ, Justin Nelson of AJ Entertainment, planned the Southern style menu (a family friend made the most amazing ribs and BBQ chicken, and Kristen and Barrett’s mom, Georgia Smith, made all of the sides), arranged the bouquets, managed the day-of setup, and much, much more.

The inspiration for our wedding was time. You only live once, so the time we spend living and loving is precious. The theme was “Time Stops Here.” We wanted to feel like time didn’t exist for this one special day. We hung up old clocks on the trees in our backyard, where we held the service and reception. We also were inspired by our dogs, who continually love us and take the tension out of our day-to-day lives. They have helped our relationship to grow and prosper, so it was only natural they should be in the limelight along with us. Their faces adorned our save-the-dates, invitations and thank-you cards. They were also ushered down the aisle by one of our close friends. Our favorite thing about the wedding was the location. We loved having the wedding at the same place that we met and shared our first summer together, as well as the place we just moved into and will spend the rest of our days in. It was where we got to know and love each other. The day was beautiful, and the majestic trees that surrounded us made us feel exceptionally connected with our surroundings, as well as our friends and family who shared our special day with us.

Wedding Photography: Dana Goodson Photography / Wedding Venue: The Couple’s Home in Fort White, Florida / Wedding Planning: Kristen Winters of Beehive Creative Events / Food: DIY by a Family Friend + The Bride’s Mother / DJ: Justin Nelson of AJ Entertainment / Wedding Dress: St. Pucci