17 May 2012

Wed: Lauren & Tyler in Palm Coast

posted by Laura in Real Weddings

It's no secret that I'm a huge Gator fan, so when I received this lovely Southern and University of Florida-style affair at the Hammock Beach Resort from Details Flowers & Photography I honestly did a little happy dance. Lauren and Tyler met at a party at UF, and were both raised in Florida, so their vision of "really fancy tailgate" with loads of southern charm seems like the perfect fit... and who wouldn't want to attend a wedding like that? This is great inspiration for those of you out there that are thinking of incorporating some meaningful, less-than-traditional details into your big day while still keeping it classy.

The groom, Tyler, chose the colors based on his "most passionate obsession"... the Florida Gators. The couple then added sophistication by incorporating Southern-inspired details: seersucker (the men's suits), lace (Lauren's gorgeous Chantilly lace gown) and the local chocolate truffles they gave as favors to their lucky guests.

I love the story of how the couple met, as told by Lauren: "In June of 2007, I met Tyler through mutual friends during a get together at Tyler's house in the University of Florida's student ghetto. Unfortunately for Tyler, he had an exam the following morning and our first meeting was a desperate Tyler begging not so politely for the party to quiet down so he could continue studying. It was love at first sight! I was immediately attracted to this studious fellow and we spent the rest of the summer enjoying each other's company and ironically, not studying too hard. A year and a half later, the friendship blossomed into a romance when Tyler returned to Gainesville from an internship in Philadelphia to rekindle our summer romance! Two and a half years later he proposed. "

What Lauren loves about Tyler... "I love that Tyler makes me dinner every night and has the patience to put up with all my impatience. He is the passionate, artistic half of the relationship and I wouldn't be whole without him. "

... and Tyler about Lauren: "I love that Lauren is motivated and driven in all aspects of life. She is my level headed, grounded, and responsible half."

(Yup, that's another tebowing wedding party!)

Lauren shared their engagement story with us:

While I was away for the summer doing veterinary externships out west, Tyler met with my parents and asked for their permission. We traveled to Colorado in August 2011, which would be our third trip to the state together. On the second day of the trip, we spent the day in Aspen to hike at Maroon Bells. In an aspen tree grove, Tyler got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Tearfully, I said, Yes! I had always joked that I wanted to get engaged on the top of a mountain, and Tyler delivered. At the end of our hike, Tyler's family met us with champagne to celebrate. The rest of the week we enjoyed fly fishing and white water rafting and the wedding planning began!

A father escorting his daughter down the aisle is always a special moment; for Lauren, it had particular meaning: "My father has parkinson's disease and watching him get off his wheelchair to walk me down the aisle, was quite an emotional experience for everyone. He was feeling really great that day and it was a God given gift he was able to use his legs that day. I think everyone will remember that as the most memorable moment."

Both Lauren and Tyler's parents and grandparents are happily married (or were until they parted), and the couple celebrated this with placing all their photos on a table leading into the reception. Says Lauren, "We are both very proud of our committed lineage."

And thanks to five weeks of waltz lessons, they dazzled the crowd with their choreographed first dance.

How perfect is their head table? I love the idea of a comfy loveseat for the newlyweds.

Congratulations, Lauren and Tyler! Thank you for sharing your sweet story with us... and of course, Go Gators!

VENUE/VENDOR INFORMATION:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Hammock Beach Resort | Photography: Details Flowers & Photography | Event Planning & Coordination: Signature Weddings | Floral & Event Design: Details Flowers & Photography | Cinematography: CollabCreation Films | Hair Styling: M3 Weddings Hair & Makeup Services | Cake: Publix | Ceremony Music: Melody Long Anglin | Band: The Buzz Catz | Submission: Two Bright Lights

2 Comments
Related topics: , , , , , , , , , , ,
16 May 2012

Etsy Locals: Ivory Lace

posted by Laura in Wedding Inspiration

I'm loving all the new ways artists and brides alike are using this traditional element. Here are a few sweet findings from our local Etsy faves!

florida etsy ivory lace

Items & Etsy Shops

1. Vintage lace dress from adVintagous in Orlando

2. Lacey brass cuff bracelet from Sweet Auburn Studio in Panama City Beach

3. Bridal satin and lace shoe clips from Nestina Accessories in Lake Worth

4. Lace rings from The Papery Nook in Cape Coral

5. Vintage doily clutch from Sew Lola in Boca Raton

6. Lace garter set from Brides Boutik by Nestina Accessories in Lake Worth

7. French lace bolero from girlwithaseriousdream in Gainesville

8. Doily paper envelopes from All Things Angela's in Tampa

3 Comments
Related topics: , , , , ,
15 May 2012

Wed: Danielle & Mike in Naples

posted by Laura in Real Weddings

Get ready to fall just a little in love with the beautiful Naples wedding we're sharing today from Jamie Lee Photography! A high school crush led to a chance New Year's Eve meeting, and then a long-distance Minnesota/Florida love affair, and finally - the best day of Danielle and Mike's lives. The couple tied the knot at the Bellasera Hotel in downtown Naples, bringing to life their vision of a "neutral with a splash of color" affair with an emphasis on their love for each other, their love for family and friends... and a love of sweets!

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (25)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (24)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Danielle and Mike both grew up in Hastings, Minnesota, but didn't become friends until their senior year.

From Danielle: The funny thing is all through high school I always had a crush on him, but never thought in a million years he would ever look my way! We both ended up being in long-term relationships our Senior year of high school and into our college years. It wasn't until a good year after college we started dating one another long distance. He had just moved to Florida for a work opportunity about three months prior to us dating. He had flown back to MN to visit family for Christmas and New Year's. We ended up going out with a large group of people for New Year's Eve and completely hit it off. After that night our relationship started with nightly phone calls and visits back and forth from MN to FL and vice versa when our schedules allowed. We continued our long distance relationship for 1 1/2 years until I made the decision to come to FL as well. I was teaching at the time and drove down to FL with intentions of staying here all summer, then going back to MN in the Fall to teach. Here I am 7 years later still in FL, needless to say I never made it back like our family and friends predicted!

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (23)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

The couple had a first look in the hotel, at the bottom of a gorgeous staircase. Says Danielle, "We both were speechless and emotional. It was so reassuring to finally be in each other's arms."

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (22)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (21)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (20)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (19)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Danielle also shared their sweet engagement story with us:

Mike is very sneaky and of course surprised me with our engagement. He was in cahoots with a girlfriend of mine who had asked me to meet her and girlfriend of hers at a restaurant. When I arrived at the restaurant I didn't see her so I went to the outside area to call her. As she picked up the phone and was telling me she was there, Mike tapped me on my shoulder. I was completely shocked to see him there as he was supposed to be at work. With my girlfriend still on the phone I told her to "hang on" while I asked Mike "what are you doing here?". Mike didn't realize I was still on the phone and immediately went to bended knee saying all of these wonderful things that I wish I could recall. I had never seen him so nervous before! After accepting his proposal we celebrated with champagne, enjoying the moment just us two.

After a few minutes I decided to call my mom to let her know the good news. She already knew this was happening today since Mike had not only asked my dad for my hand in marriage but also my mom since we are extremely close. She was so happy. I then thought it would be nice for us to get a picture together to capture this moment. Mike agreed and thought it was a great idea, adding that possibly my mom could take the picture for us. I looked at him in confusion with what he said since my mom lives in MN. When I asked him what he meant by that, he said "turn around". Approaching the two of us was my mom, Mike's best friend and his girl friend who had just picked up my mom from the airport! It was that moment that I became very choked up. I couldn't believe that she was there to celebrate our exciting news! The rest of the night and weekend of celebrations were perfect, and having her there meant so much more!

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (18)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (17)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (16)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (15)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (14)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (13)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (12)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (11)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (10)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

To honor family members who had passed away, the couple had a white hydrangea for each person arranged on the top of their ceremony arch. They also had a close friend (and groomsman) become ordained to perform their wedding ceremony. As Danielle tells us, "We couldn't have been happier with the decision to do this! So many people came up to us afterward and expressed how meaningful the ceremony was, and how well he did. Having him do this for us made our day even more special."

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (9)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (8)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (7)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (6)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (5)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Neither Danielle and Mike are a fan of traditional wedding cakes, so they endulged Danielle's sweet tooth (her dad refers to her as the 'treat queen') and treated their guests to a delish spread of mini cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, mini fresh fruit tarts and mini key lime tarts (a local favorite). For favors, they provided another local treat: Norman Love Chocolates, which were also a huge hit.

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (3)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (4)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (2)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography (1)

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Danielle shared lots of details with us about the planning process and special moments of the day:

We wanted a neutral look with a splash of color which is why we went with the "toast" bridesmaid dresses and champagne dresses for the flower girls. I also had a champagne sash added to my dress to tie in with the flower girls. To add color, we used green and eggplant accents - green orchids, green hydrangeas, and eggplant calla lillies. We also used a lot of white for a clean, simple look. In order to make Mike stand out from the groomsmen, he wore a dark charcoal suit with a champagne tie while the groomsmen wore pants and a tie color similar to the bridesmaid's "toast" color. We really liked this contrast!

Another favorite moment was during dinner, right after we had finished eating. Mike and I looked at one another and we didn't even have to say anything as we were both thinking the same thing. We took time to just sit and observe all that was happening around us, and all the people who had come so far to celebrate our day with us. It was very heart-warming and incredible! All the hard work and planning was worth what we were experiencing in that moment. The entire day was everything we had hoped for and more.

Our band was AMAZING!!!!! They provided beautiful music for us during the ceremony, relaxing, romantic music during dinner, and the full band for the dance. The band had all of our guests on their feet dancing the entire night!!! People were dancing who typically don't dance. The band honestly sounded better than I ever imagined!

In college, my college roommates and I (one of them being my matron of honor) would choreograph and perform a dance for our friends on the weekends. One of the songs we used to religiously dance to every weekend was Michael Jackson's "Beat It". We had always said we will perform this dance at one of our weddings. Nearly ten years later with all of my college roommates already married, we had not performed the dance so we made a pact to do so that night. The night prior to our wedding we were all together practicing and trying to recall the steps to the dance. Needless to say, we succeeded in remembering the dance and therefore preformed the dance in front of all of our guests that evening! Everyone enjoyed it so much!

All that evening, the next day, and for weeks afterwards we were pleasantly surprised with the overwhelming compliments on our wedding. It was by far the best day of both of our lives!!! I look back and wish we could re-live that day over and over again.

Naples Wedding by Jamie Lee Photography

Photography by Jamie Lee Photography

Congrats you two! Thank you so much for sharing your perfect day with us.

VENUE/VENDOR INFORMATION:

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Bellasera Hotel | Photography: Jamie Lee Photography | Bakery: Sassy Cakes | Band: Brett Foreman | Makeup: Salon Tease | Submission: Two Bright Lights

1 Comment
Related topics: , , , , , , ,

  • So glad you're here! We share stylish inspiration and hand-picked vendors & venues for weddings in South Florida. more about us

    by category:
    by month:
    Subscribe via email

    Vendor Network Update

    We send a monthly (at least) update on what's happening on the site, types of content we're looking to publish, and networking opps with like-minded pros in the area. Sign up here!

  • Find Vendors & Venues

  • our sponsors


  • Elaine Palladino Photography




    • Advertise placeholder

  • Upcoming Local Events



  • 20% Off All Mens Monogram Jewelry at Shimmer & Stone