So technically this wedding is not all white… it’s champagne, gold, peach, and coral, but the overall white out effect is my absolute favorite. Nothing is better than a bright and cheery white wedding (at least in my book) and with Botanicals on the Gulf behind the stunning blooms, this wedding from Maria Angela Photography is tops. Absolute tops.
From the beautiful bride… After moving to DC for my first job as a Special Education Teacher, I decided to have a high school reunion at my apartment. My friend Megan attended and invited her college friend, Jeff, who unbeknownst to me lived less than a mile away. Jeff couldn’t decline an 8:1 girl to guy ratio party! Although it was great meeting him, my attention was on my girlfriends that I hadn’t seen in months. Two dozen roses were sent to my apartment the following week!
I thought I was gaining a great friendship but wasn’t interested in getting involved in a relationship. After a persistent Jeff tried for a month to get me to go out on a date with him, I finally agreed. After just a few dates, we were inseparable. Jeff was traveling for work consulting every Monday-Thursday, but that didn’t stop us. I would pick him up from the airport every Thursday night and we were together until his flight every Monday morning. In just a few short months we knew our relationship would be forever.
About a year later Jeff and I planned a wonderful vacation to Key West, Florida. After visiting Jeff’s parents in Naples, Florida, we hopped into the convertible and headed to beautiful Key West. On our first night there, we went on the Wind and Wine Sunset Sail amid the warm tropical Caribbean waters of the Florida Keys making the evening an unforgettable start to a memorable night! After the romantic Sunset Sail, Jeff guided me to the Sunset Pier where we walked to the end and he got down on one knee! It was the most magical night of our lives!
The beginning phases of planning were definitely not the easiest. Jeff and I moved to Atlanta, my parents live in New York, and Jeff’s parents live in Florida. To top it off we were planning an interfaith wedding on a budget for a summer date. While the tradition to wed where the bride was raised seemed natural, NY was our first stop. Extremely high summer rates and a picky bride and groom left us without an agreement. The search continued in Atlanta and finally while visiting Jeff’s parents in Naples, Florida the search ended. We looked at the beautiful Club at the Strand. The romantic Botanical Gardens were just one of the selling points for us! We knew we wanted to marry on site and this was perfect! The gold tones, helpful coordinators, and flexible packages were exactly what we were looking for!
Our day was picture perfect. As my good listening husband says, “Our wedding colors were champagne and gold with POPS of peach and coral.” I was looking for the clean and elegant look with a bit of vintage inspirations. We kept floral arrangements elegant and simple with Kevin from Botanicals on the Gulf who blew me away. The teacher in me got creative with some DIY projects. I created fan programs to match our invitations, place cards in wine corks, a guest photobook, and hangers with the bridal party’s names bent in wire. Some other special touches I included were hotel gift bags for our out of town guests (98% of the guests), pictures of our parents and grandparents on their wedding day, monogrammed block letters, a fun lantern for our cards, monogrammed golf balls for our favors, and my favorite, pictures of Jeff and I posing with wooden numbers that were mounted in wine corks in vintage candle holders for our table numbers.
There are so many amazing memories, from walking down the aisle, to our first kiss as Mr. and Mrs., and being completely surprised with a top matching wedding band during the exchange of rings, but one of my favorite memories was after the wedding, back at the suite. No, not what you’re thinking! It was drinking a bottle of champagne in our wedding attire lounging on our suite balcony just reminiscing and reflecting on how perfect our night was! Thanks to Maria Angela Photography we have amazing photographs to continue reminiscing for many years to come!
Photography: Maria Angela Photography | Florist: Botanicals On The Gulf | Cake: Mikkelsen's Bakery | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Makeup: Salon Tease | Hair: Salon Tease | DJ: DJ Ceron | Bridal Store: Loretta Bridal Boutique | Country Club: The Club At The Strand | Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero