Hello pretties! Hope your Halloween was a fun, safe, and warm one. Can you believe it’s November already? I know there are many who are already pulling out the extra blankets and turning up the heat so I’ll help keep things warm around here and show you a pretty little pink and navy Florida wedding from the awesome Dede Edwards Photography. Can’t decide if it’s the doll faced bride, gorgeous pink peony and rose bouquet, pretty pink shoes, or old school {getaway} ride that have me excited?
Megan & Justin had a beautiful May wedding at the Alys Beach Resort here in Florida. I am constantly amazed by all the breathtaking Florida wedding venues and beaches. I guess it’s what you’d expect from a state with miles and miles of coast, but yes, I still get blow away by all the little wedding wonders it has to offer.
I’ve always loved how these two colors just blend so well together. Navy and pink kind of have this magical feeling…
Okay this is one of my favorite parts about this venue. Check out that beach side reception platform! I seriously love it!
Yummy cookie favors!
Such a pretty venue at night…
Oh and it absolutely makes my day when I get video love to share with you guys! Diva Productions was super duper awesome to share a little wedding video teaser from Megan and Justin’s gorgeous wedding…Enjoy!
Okay, okay I know I have lots of favorites, but seriously this one is definitely going in the books as one of my top favorites. Stephanie A Smith never disappoints with her photography and this was just the most perfect St. Pete, Florida beach wedding to share with you! I think this beach wedding intertwined the perfect amount of nautically inspired decor and beach theme elements without going overboard. This wedding was so crisp, cool, and elegant. I actually was telling Mr. Oceanside about Amie & Matt’s wedding event as we headed to our own 2 weeks ago. I told him lately I’ve become obsessed with nautical stripes, boats, and knotted ropes and if I ever planned a vow renewal celebration, I’d keep this wedding in mind for inspiration. I just love everything about it.
I love how Stephanie describes this beautiful couple’s style, love and special moments…
My brother came up with this a saying and it always makes me laugh, “Were Nautical Baby”. The boat shoes, the crew cut shorts, some sort of tie to New England. And while many attempt to be nautical, it’s not something that can be easily gained. It’s something that’s inside, something that naturally resonates from your soul. With being said Amie + Matt are so nautical! I can remember the first time I set foot in their waterfront condo. I recall the sailing images, the view of the bay, and their pups boating collars. Not only did I dig their style but I also fell in love with the two of them. Their engagement session took place on their boat. We packed up a cooler and headed toward the sunset. They let me into their life and I was so happy to be a part of it. Thus enters wedding day. I knew Amie had an amazing talent for design however I was blown away at what I saw she was capable of. She designed everything from the invitations, menu cards, centerpieces, ceremony decor, etc. You name it, Amie designed it……And it was all nautical baby. I think the reason I enjoyed this wedding so much was because it was totally about Amie + Matt. We left plenty of time during the day to accomplish all that they wanted. Amie wanted a few snaps with her pups, Bella and Murphy. We had a first look and then family photos all before the ceremony giving Amie and Matt most of the cocktail hour to enjoy with their guests. And then we were out on the beach until the sunset. Such an awesome day.
This image only provided by the Bride, Amie Lee
And I absolutely adore this couple’s true seaside love story…{from the Oceanside Bride, Amie}
Matt and I met 3 years ago after we both moved to Florida. I’m originally from the Twin Cities, MN and it was my dream to escape the cold and live on the gulf coast of Florida. Matt was inspired to leave Boston, MA to further pursue his career and fell in love with the warm gulf waters as well. Matt comes from a family of sailors and grew up on the water so he naturally got me to date him by chartering a boat and taking me sailing. We fell in love from there and we share that love for the water and boating. We bought a boat and started our life together in Tierra Verde, a little island just before St. Pete Beach and this became our home. It was there that Matt proposed to me.
Getting married on St. Pete Beach was our obvious destination since it’s where we fell in love and became a little family, that is Matt and I, and our two yellow labs, Murphy and Bella. The gorgeous beaches and coastal islands were our weekend haven. We wanted to share this special place with our family and friends. Sadly, Matt’s work relocated us to the east coast of Florida so it became a destination wedding after all. We will always have those special memories of St. Pete Beach and where it all started.
I got inspired! I had so much fun creating everything from the invitations to the menus and thank you cards, that I am starting my own design company, Inspirations by Amie Lee. I made all of the paper products for the wedding myself. Since nautical was our theme, the dark navy blue and white stripe was a nice contrast on the white sandy beaches. Everyone received a “Save the Date” pocket invite with a magnet picture of the two of us on our boat to keep the date. The invite itself arrived in a box, attached with a starfish, nautical chart of the area and nautical invite details. All guests received a sail cloth cooler bag with personalized bottled water and little treats from our pups, chocolates “bagged by Bella from MN” and “Sail Mix, mixed by Murphy.” The bags were embroidered with our wedding date and included another invitation to our sailing party the day after in Tampa Bay. I made my own place cards by using starfish and handmade name plates. I also used a wedge favor box, stood it upright and created a sail filled with sweet sloop chocolates from Harbor Sweets in Salem, MA. They were perfect and delicious! I used nautical white line, navy striped ribbon and starfish for decorating the aisle and Matt’s father hand painted an old oar from a family boat for our guests to sign.
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your destination wedding? With today’s technology we found that it was not as hard as we thought it would be. I was able to choose my flowers during a virtual consultation with my florist. I chose a day to travel to St. Pete for the finishing touches on the menu, cake and dress. My best advice is to relax a little, because with destination weddings you can’t be there for everything. Let the professionals take over the fine details.
What was the best thing about having a destination wedding? Share your best wedding weekend moment! Having a destination wedding is like inviting everyone on vacation with you! We not only had the opportunity to share our special day with our closest friends and family, but they too had the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing and fun filled weekend vacation. Most of our guests arrived Thursday to enjoy our “Sailor’s Soiree” at our favorite little seafood restaurant. Our wedding was on Friday and the following Saturday was a day to relax by the pool and beach. Our best weekend moment was Saturday evening when we invited everyone to join us for a sunset sail where they enjoyed one last evening of fun with dolphins, food and wine on a 60 foot schooner in the Tampa Bay. It was important to us to share our special place and make sure our guests had a truly enjoyable vacation as well!
What is your best advice for other couples considering a destination wedding? Give your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements. Design a website that shares the upcoming events of your wedding so they can prepare and anticipate the fun they are going to have! Offer several options for hotel and accommodations to meet the needs of everyone. Consider your guest list when planning events and excursions. Make sure that the event is something that everyone can participate in.
Ahhhh- I just love the last photo of the bride- after the ceremony, alone on the beach at sunset, looking so free and relaxed. As you know I’ve only been married for less than two weeks and this moment is still soooo very fresh in my mind. The moment of having a million different emotions at one time- but all positive emotions. No worries or care in the world. Just bliss. Happy wedded bliss…and it feels so good.
Bride/Groom: Amie & Matthew Wedding Date: April 1, 2011 Location (City, State, Country): St. Pete Beach, FLorida, USA Approximate Guest Size: 30 Ceremony & Reception Venue: Beachside, St. Pete Beach at the Don Cesar Hotel
Ohhhh-tayyyy! So really peeps. What could be better kicking this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious kind of weekend off than with a spectacular seaside wedding and PINWHEELS!? I seriously could not wait to share this fabulous wedding captured by the super sweet, Angela Sackett, from Loving Legacy Photography. I’m only in love with like, ummmm, ALL of it! I especially love the bride’s veil, the groom’s Converse kicks, and their custom wood cake toppers!!
Okay, okay if you’ve been following me here than you already know we will have all the above details in our own wedding! Yay! I just love when couples intertwine such fun details throughout their day and Katie & Chris did just that. I can imagine this wedding was off the charts and Angela made sure not to miss one second of it!
A little bit about our Seaside Couple:
Where we met: I (Katie) was a senior in college and Chris had previously graduated from the same school in central Florida. After moving from states way up North we met down in Florida at a bar…not the most romantic beginning, but we both knew pretty much right away we would be here someday..married and happier than ever!
About the big day:The entire day was incredible. Getting ready for the ceremony was very surreal. I could see the ceremony site from the window of the B&B where I was getting ready with all of my girls and my mom. I loved spending that time going from nervous to excited over and over again with such an amazing group of girls. The walk down the aisle was the most memorable moment of the day. It felt like slow motion and all I could feel was my dad holding my arm as tight as he could and all I could see was my husband-to- be smiling at me from the other end of the aisle. It was a feeling I will never forget. The party was an immense amount of fun, but it was a whirlwind and flew by in what seemed like minutes! Chris and I especially loved looking around and seeing all the different people from different stages in our life together in one place all having a blast together.
It’s all in the details: Planning the wedding was incredible and an incredible amount of work! The most important thing to both of us was that our guests felt our presence throughout the night in as many aspects as possible. We wanted to create a very unique, personal, and fun experience for everyone. We feel so blessed to have had so many wonderful people in our lives that planning revolved so much around creating a special night not only for us, but for all of those people.
His favorite part of the day:Watching Kate coming around the corner.
Her favorite part of the day:It is really hard for me to choose a favorite moment, but when I sit back and think about the day I immediately go to the ceremony and the walk down the aisle. It was just so perfect. The ceremony took us a long time to plan so each moment during that part of the day was so packed with emotion. I could not stop smiling. At least, that is what I’ve been told.
One tip to share with other brides: Every few minutes, stop, look around, and remind yourself that it is your wedding day. It goes so incredibly fast.
And where did these lovebirds go for their honeymoon? The honeymoon was a big surprise. Chris revealed the destination on our sailboat farewell ride after the wedding. We took a Carnival Cruise to Grand Caymen, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel. We spent the week doing lots of relaxing and enjoying each others company and some fun adventurous excursions including Cave Tubing, Sea Trekking, & Snorkeling!
I love it when we can take a step even further into a couple’s day & get to know them a little better with video. So today I also get to share Katie & Chris’s amazing wedding trailer and they are adorable! Two thumbs up goes to Movie Magic Productions and to each of their dad’s for making such beautiful & sentimental speeches! *Squish*
Bride & Groom: Kaitlin & Chris Wedding Date: April 16, 2011 Location: Palmetto, Florida, United States Ceremony Location:Palmetto Riverside Inn
So what the heck does a couple {and their wedding party} do the day before the wedding? Mani Pedi’s with the girls? Nope. A bridesmaid luncheon? Wrong. Rehearsal Dinner? Eh-eh.
They go SKY DIVING of course!! Our oceanside couple from today’s real wedding, Vanessa and Mike fell head over heels in love, then fell (or jumped) out of a plane! And talk about a free spirited group of friends and fam because most of their wedding party jumped with them! I’m about 99% sure Mr. Oceanside (nor my wedding party) would go for a sky diving excursion. But learning that they tied faith as one meaning behind the jump, made it even more magical. It not only signified they were putting their lives in Gods hands to carry them down from their jump safely, but they were also putting themselves and their marriage in the hands of God to lead them through life. {BIG SIGH}….just love it!
So are you ready? Set. Jump!
Now Kiss!
Butterflies in your stomach yet?? Well get ready for more with their beautiful pink and yellow wedding as photographed by Lauren and Michael Kinsey from Lauren Kinsey Photography. So many details intertwined throughout their day reflected their style, cultures, and personality. Their love of the ocean influenced their decision to marry at the Sawgrass Country Club with an amazing ocean view.
From the photographers, Lauren and Michael Kinsey: Vanessa + Mike contacted us from North Carolina and since we weren’t able to meet in person, we settled for a Skype video chat (hello, the best thing EVER! so much cooler when you can video chat!) and we chatted for over 2 hours about everything under the sun! :) Their wedding was on April 2 at the beautiful Ponte Vedra Beach at the Sawgrass Beach Club. Ponte Vedra is home for Vanessa, so naturally, this is where she wanted to get married. :) It also holds a special meaning for Mike + Vanessa because Mike proposed to her there over Easter weekend. The thing that really struck Michael and I was the quiet, passionate love that they share for each other. I love the way that Mike holds Vanessa so naturally and the way that Vanessa balances Mike out so perfectly. It is beautiful to watch and it comes so naturally for them. They are also hugely adventurous! They went skydiving with the bridal party the day before the wedding! What the what?! True story. :) All the details were beautiful! Each table had a place card designating special places to Mike + Vanessa and a short story on the back about that location. :)
Now onto the pretty pink and yellow goodness…
First a little more from our Oceanside Bride, Vanessa:Mike is from Miami, FL (he’s first generation Cuban-American) and I am from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. We met back in the Spring of ’06 in a Calculus class at the University of Florida. We had secret crushes on each other as we sat near each other in class, but we went our separate ways until we realized we lived in the same apartment complex in the Spring of ’08. We were friends for a month but we both had such strong chemistry that falling in love was almost instantaneous. We’ve been going strong ever since. =) Mike proposed on the beach (on Easter while visiting my family in Ponte Vedra) on our two year anniversary, and we were married exactly one year later on our three year anniversary.
How and why did you choose your destination/location?We both love the beach and it has played a special role in our lives. We figured Ponte Vedra would be the best location, and some of our friends/family still lived in Florida. Also, for our other friends/family that were in difference states, wouldn’t the beach be a more exciting vacation? =) We knew we wanted the ocean to be visible during our ceremony and reception, and the Sawgrass Beach Club was the perfect place. It was close to my parents’ house and near the hotels our guests would stay in. It had a beautiful view of the ocean from their elevated balcony, which was just big enough for around 100 seats and felt intimate and cozy.
What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special?I really wanted to incorporate things about our Italian (that’s me) and Cuban heritages. I knew something both cultures have in common is the love of coffee! Our wedding favors were yellow coffee mugs with a gray goodie bag tied inside with a ribbon. The goodie bags were to be filled up at our candy bar—and all candy had a significance to these cultures. We had dark-chocolate-covered espresso beans, caramels, toffee, marzipan (made by a company called De La Rosa!) and malt balls. My mom found these great glass buckets and silver “shovels” (they were ice scoops) to tie in the beach feel, and that’s how the candy was displayed and dispensed into the goodie bags. Our centerpieces/flowers/ décor were all done by the magnificent Liz Stewart Floral Design. Mike and I made the table markers— which were designed to look like postcards. The front was a picture of the destination (a city or place that either we had traveled to together or held significance to our backgrounds). The back was like the postage side of post card with a hand-written explanation of how that place was important to us. I made the seating chart by myself as well as the candy signs, etc. I bought the metal card holders at Michael’s.
What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding? In December of ’09 (about four months before he proposed), Mike and I moved to Charlotte, NC. So the whole year of our engagement and wedding planning was done 6 hours away. My mom was a HUGE help. Every weekend I could, I would drive down to meet with vendors, try on dresses, etc, but my mom was always there for the meetings and preparations I couldn’t be there for. Mike’s job isn’t conducive to having two consecutive days off on the weekends, so he felt distanced from a lot of the decisions, and at times, so did I. This helped us ease up on caring too much about little things that were not important in the end. It helped us stay a little more grounded about it all. We loved the final product though, and all the effort was worth it!
Please tell us about your favorite wedding moment! I really loved our ceremony. Mike’s brother-in-law , Jason, was our officiant and he really knew how to balance spirituality, our personalities, serious, tender moments and humor perfectly! Mike, I, and almost ALL of our wedding party went skydiving the DAY before our wedding! So all nerves were crushed by the time we stood to make our vows. Jason tied in the leap of faith, how it symbolizes our trust in God and our willingness to take this step together. We had a few good laughs as we got ready to make our vows, and it was so exciting to see all our guests smile and feel comfortable as they took part in the special moment with us. You can see a few pictures where we break out into laughter. =)
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?The cliché is to say never to stress, focus on the reason you are getting married. I had a very hard time with this, as it seems most people do! So, my second best advice would be to set a timeline and use that as your guide to get things done so that you never feel overwhelmed. I loved knowing that I had this and this to do this month, and I didn’t need to worry about that until next month.
Thrilled that Lauren shared this gorgeous Florida wedding with us! Cheers to the newlyweds Michael & Vanessa! I think their sky dive to marriage is a great way to jump off into many more awesome adventures together!
Bride and Groom: Michael and Vanessa Date: April 2, 2011 City, State, Country: Ponte Vedra, Florida, United States Approximate Guest Size: 85 guests Ceremony Location: Sawgrass Beach Club, on a balcony overlooking the ocean Reception Location: Sawgrass Beach Club
The creative team behind the scenes:
Photographer: Lauren Kinsey Photography / Event Coordination: Michelle Cox (Seagrass Beach Club) Hair Stylist: Ten Salon / Floral Designer: Liz Stewart Floral Design / Reception Venue: Sawgrass Country Club / DJ: ABC Djs / Cake Designer: Sawgrass Beach Club / Paper Goods: Signage and Table Markers made by Bride/Groom and Invitations made by friend, Oliver French / Dress: Oleg Cassini / Shoes: Michael Shannon / Dress Hanger: Etsy / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal / Tuxes: Jones New York / Make-up: Bridesmaid, Erin Long
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