When this Chicago-based duo set out to plan the warm-weather destination wedding they’d always dreamed of, they knew they’d need to assemble an expert team on the ground, in order to make their dreams come true. And where did they find their Miami vendors? Through SMP! Photographer Amy Jo Royall captured every romantic moment, and we can’t get enough of all the love in the gallery here!
[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/118036732 600 338]
From The Bride…If there is one word I would use to describe both my relationship with Lance and our entire wedding weekend, it would be MAGICAL.
Funny enough, we went elementary school together in a suburb of Chicago, but did not know each other that well. Both having left our hometown to pursue businesses and dreams in New York City, we ran into each other at a gym close to where we now live. To my surprise, he had recognized me and came over to chat. After a series of FB messages, a few misses at the gym and then a few more synchronistic run in’s out of the gym, we finally got together for a casual glass of wine. From that very first date, I knew he was my guy. We both had a Midwestern background with a similar drive that brought us to NYC.
After 10 months of dating, we got engaged and gave ourselves a few months before we dove into planning.
We chose Miami because we wanted to do an easy destination where all our friends and family from Chicago, New York, California and beyond could spend the weekend relaxing in the warmth.
On a weekend trip, we visited a few venues and fell in love with the Villa Woodbine immediately. We loved the Spanish style 1920’s vibe and the fact that it felt like it could be our home.
After I picked my dress, the whole vision for the day came together. I wanted it to be romantic yet relaxed, as if our friends and family were in our very own backyard filled with twinkling lights and beautiful flowers.
I hadn’t intended on wearing blush, but the minute I put it on the two-piece Watters set, I didn’t want to take it off. I couldn’t even look at a white dress after that! Picking bridesmaids dresses was a little trickier, but I knew I wanted all the girls to feel and look like individuals, so they picked their own dresses in shades of crème and gold accents. We didn’t see all the dresses come together until the day of, but I was thrilled with the look.
I couldn’t have asked for a better dream team of people to work with. Each vendor was not only amazing at what they do, but we managed to attract some of the kindest people possible. On your Big Day, you want to be surrounded by people you love. Not just your guests, but also the people helping to make the day special.
This was the case in every sense. Since we were planning from afar, I relied a lot in Style Me Pretty to direct me to vendors that fit my style. I came across our amazing, brilliant photographer, Amy Jo Royall’s work, here on the site. Her and her second shooter Megan Daas were a dream to have by our sides all day. We loved the husband and wife videographer team of Kevin and Becca Borge, as well Vanessa Oppo, our coordinator and the team from South Beach Makeup who were a joy to work with. Each of these people spend the most time with you and we would not have wanted anyone else. We also found our florist Julia Rhode here (her work is incredible!) along with the sweet delectables from Earth and Sugar.
Being an artist myself, I sprinkled my own creativity into the process. I designed our hotel canvas giveaway bags, our programs, our seating cards, and our seating card frame with ribbon. I also hand made all the signs seen throughout the venue and collected things like picture frames, an old suitcase of my grandfather’s and vases to make the venue feel like our home. My mom made the boxes for our dessert giveaways and my 8 year old nephew made our adorable Lego cake topper.
One of our favorite parts of the day was that we had husband and wife musicians, Barnaby Bright, play during our ceremony. We had gone to a small intimate concert of theirs on our second date and flew them down to perform our favorite songs as we walked down the aisle and during cocktail hour.
Our guest couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful and perfect everything was. The day whizzed by so fast, but without a doubt it felt like a magical dream come true!
Photography: Amy Jo Royall | Event Coordinator: Karma Goddess | Event Planning: Karma Goddess | Floral Design: Julia Rohde Designs | Wedding Dress: Watters | Cake: Earth And Sugar | Catering: Bill Hansen Luxury Catering and Event Production | Hair + Make Up: South Beach Makeup Studio | DJ: Boom Entertainment | Ceremony Music: Barnaby Bright | Venue: Villa Woodbine | Video: Kevin Borge Films