I am obsessed with this wedding. First, I fell in love with this Bride’s Monique Lhuillier stunner of a gown. And then? Well, then I just fell head over heels with every thing else in this vintage yet elegant piece of wedding perfection. So perfect in fact, I want to reach through my computer screen and hug Margaret Events for bringing us such a beauty. It’s simply beyond from the first image snapped up by Trenholm Photography to the last, and it’s all sitting pretty right here.
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From Margaret... Jena and Brad’s wedding was an absolute dream. It was a lavish event combining ageless vintage and elegant modern touches with ease. The entire affair took place on the Bride’s Grandfather’s private Port Royal estate. The Groom and his Groomsmen readied themselves in the Guesthouse and the Bride and her attendants in the main house, all overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Being married in her Grandfather’s home was just the beginning of the small and intimate details that made this day so special.
The ceremony took place on a small island in the center of the property accessible only by an ornate red bridge. The entire wedding party crossed the bridge to stand under a beautiful archway built between two trees utilizing honeysuckle and grape vine with blush, white and green clusters and garlands of hydrangea, roses, orchids, astilbe, ranunculus with a beautiful crystal chandelier in the middle. The guests sat on farm chairs and benches interspersed with vintage wing backed chairs, assuring comfort for older family members during the exchanging of the vows. All watched from the shore under flowing fabric canopies holding delicate lace parasols and waving lace fans to keep cool and shade the sun.
The cocktail hour had the guests moving to the north side of the property where musicians played in the teahouse overlooking the koi ponds and aviaries. Games such as croquet, horseshoes and customized corn hole were played as the couples’ 165 guests watched the sun set over the Gulf and sipped signature drinks called ‘2200’created and named by Jena’s attendants at her bridal shower.
As dinner bells chimed, guests made their way to a 50′ by 120′ clear-sided tent complete with twelve crystal chandeliers to have an amazing meal served– and dance the night away to a 9-piece band. Jena and Brad were very specific about the tables not all looking the same. They had 3 acrylic kings tables with paloma lace runners, half of the round tables had tulle underlay with ivory matte satin overlays and the other half of the round tables had ivory matte satin underlay with paloma lace overlays. Each setting had a Riedel crystal charger with a round menu underneath so the guests could read the menu after each course was cleared. On top of the charger was a customized place card containing a message from the bride and groom that they had made a donation in their guest’s honor to either St. Jude’s if the guest was from the USA or to POGO if the guest was from Canada. The centerpieces had crystal candelabras or candlesticks with ivory, blush and white flowers around Manzanita branches with draping pearls.
To add to the special touches the couple arranged for a sitting area outside of the tent filled with overstuffed couches and vintage wing back chairs where guests could spend time in a photo booth creating video messages to the bride and groom, or sit in comfort as they had custom cigars rolled by artisan’s hands complete with personalized wrappers.
Concern for their guests as they were leaving was evident as Jena and Brad offered “one for the road” with personalized mini bottles of tequila as favors and custom “hangover recovery kits”. Jena and Brad were the last to leave the property, hanging on and cherishing every last moment of their dream wedding.
From the Bride… The location and setting of our “somewhat” destination wedding truly brought our two worlds together, which had been a common denominator throughout our entire relationship. Brad and I had been living in Canada (where I am from) for the last four years, but before I dragged this Floridian to Canada, we met in Florida where I had been attending university. So, when we got engaged, it felt natural for us to have our wedding in Florida, and when my grandfather offered for us to be married at his estate in Naples we both felt like we were getting married “at home”. We were overwhelmed by the love of our family and friends who flew in from four countries and many states to share in our big day.
Being blessed with the beautiful scenery and landscape of my grandfather’s grounds allowed my vision to come alive; a vision of soft vintage elegance, with a modern twist. We were able to put a personal twist on so many traditional elements of a wedding ceremony, by having our ceremony on an island with guests looking on from across the pond, while Anna Wilson’s soulful voice sang, “Can I walk with you.” I entered from my secret doorway in my blush pink wedding dress, holding my bouquet embellished with my grandmother’s wedding necklace and brooches, my father walked me down the path, leading to the bridge, where Brad met us halfway.
While Brad and I snuck off to the pier to take photos, our guests enjoyed the Anna Wilson trio, played corn hole and ate designer donuts, while sipping on our completely personal and customized signature drink, which was created and named– 2200 (to signify the address of our wedding) by four close family and friends at my bridal shower.
It was so important for us to be able to turn our perfect day into a memorable event for all our family and friends and with the countless hours of assistance from our wedding planner, Margaret, I think my incessant need for detail paid off! Every element of our reception tent overlooking the Gulf of Mexico captured the vintage elegance I had envisioned. I kept referring to the elements as works of art and each vendor we used took my vision and words to heart and created just that; from the lace and pearl detail work on the cake, the specific placement of each flower and strand of pearls in the centerpieces to my favorite of all, the orchids encircling the chandeliers. Having the tent walls up created a welcoming outdoor space with a lounge filled with vintage furniture where guests could relax and smoke a hand rolled cigar, while still being able to enjoy the music by CTO High Voltage. [dotted]
Wedding Photography: Trenholm Photography | Wedding Venue: Private Estate, Port Royal, Florida | Event Planning + Coordination: Margaret Events | Floral Design: Grace Lakes Florist | Cinematography: Matt Steeves Photography | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier (Candy) | Wedding Day Paper: Luster Designs | Linens: Wildflower Linens (Ivory Matte Satin) and Nuage Designs (Paloma Lace) | Wedding Cake: Kakes by Karen | Catering: Chef Sebastian Mazzotta | Entertainment: Anna Wilson Trio and CTO High Voltage | Lighting: Artisitic Science | Rentals: Tentlogix and Party Time Rentals | Hair + Makeup: Hope Artistry | Staffing: RKF Staffing | Valet: 5 Star Valet | Invitations: The Paper Merchant
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