Kelly and Kevin’s wedding is the type of celebration that you’re going to want to bookmark, pin, and peruse for like, ever. Set alongside the water, their Yacht Club ceremony is filled with plenty of military traditions, elegant white wedding details, and of course endless love. Thanks to the candid captures a la Jacqui Cole Photography we’ve got this stunner of a soiree waiting for you in THE VAULT!
From Jacqui Cole Photography… I am thrilled to share Kelly and Kevin’s stunning fall wedding with you! They are such a beautiful couple inside and out and their wedding day was a joy to capture. There were so many perfect details and traditions that really spoke to Kelly and Kevin as a couple and made the big day very personal.
The couple chose Carlouel Yacht Club as their reception venue. Set alongside the water it is the most romantic backdrop to spend the evening in celebration. Kelly wanted both organic elements incorporated in her decor as well as maintaining an elegant and timeless feel. She accomplished this by having white florals with whimsical greenery and gold highlights throughout the reception details. Her sweet ‘To the moon and back” cake topper was such a perfect focal point of the room. Kelly broke out of the norm and incorporated deep emerald bridesmaid dresses! They looked absolutely stunning against the Florida greenery.
I absolutely love that Kelly was able to embrace two different bridal looks throughout her day. During the ceremony and portraits she wore a lace bolero and removed it for the reception. It was the best of both worlds!
Kevin is part of the US Coast Guard and therefore many military traditions were included throughout the day. One of the most important ones for Kelly and Kevin was the iconic saber arch at the end of the reception. It was so much fun to witness the joy on Kelly’s face after they announced “Welcome to the Navy!!” Congratulations Mr and Mrs Noll!
From the Bride… I knew that I wanted to have a military wedding in the church that I grew up in, and I knew that I wanted Kevin and I to be the only two in white. I envisioned an elegant and classic day, with old Florida touches.
Kevin and I met on Clearwater Beach the summer of our senior year in high school. We immediately connected over our love for the outdoors, and our first date was kayaking through the Weeki Wachi river. It seemed a no-brainer to have our wedding as near to the spot where we first met as possible, while incorporating all the lush greens and white of the sandy beaches that we love so much about Florida.
Our families are a large part of why Kevin and I were able to handle 7 years of long-distance, so we knew that incorporating our families any way we could was important. My family is Irish, and we had a sign at the entry say “Ceade Mil Failte” which in Gaelic means “one hundred thousand welcomes.” We had my mother give an Irish wedding blessing as the opening prayer, and included photos of our parents at their weddings on the mantle overlooking our wedding cake. I wore my grandmother’s bracelet and had photos of both my grandmothers on my bouquet. Also, I knew that as the day was drawing closer, my mom was thinking a lot about her own wedding and how much she missed her dad, who passed away when I was little. So, the morning of the wedding I gave her a locket that had a photo of her father walking her down the aisle inside.
We also wanted to incorporate Coast Guard elements into our wedding. Kevin wore his dress whites, we left the church under a sword arch, and cut our cake with Kevin’s saber. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing military men and women, that it was very important to us that we took a moment to thank them for their service to our country and to us, and to remember those were not able to attend because of their service.
My father brews his own beer, and growing up each of my siblings had one created specially for us. When Kevin and I discussed what type of favor we wanted to give our guests, we thought that showing our guests something so integral to my childhood and so special to me and my father was the best way to go. Also, who doesn’t love craft beer!?
Our cake topper said “to the Moon and Back.” This stemmed from a saying that Kevin and I would say to each other, when he was stationed on a cutter in North Carolina and I was in law school in Boston. Kevin would be in the middle of the ocean, with the beautiful night sky, and we knew that although we were so far apart, that we loved each other “to the moon and back,” and with a love like that, we could conquer any amount of distance. When Kevin proposed, on a mountain-top, he had my engagement ring engraved to say “Moon and Back” as well.
Although wedding planning is really fun and always on your mind, make sure to take time out from it to have fun with your fiancé! Kevin and I would go out on a date and focus on each other and our day-to-day lives, and not talk about all those items still on the to-do list. We would go hiking and just enjoy each other’s company, and remember why we were getting married in the first place!
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Photography: Jacqui Cole Photography | Event Planning: Merren Events | Floral Design: Palm Harbor Florist | Wedding Dress: Sophia Tolli | Invitations: Minted | Ceremony: Lady Of Lourdes | Reception Venue: Carlouel Yacht Club | Wedding Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Hair + Makeup: Beautiful You Makeup | Men's Suits: Men's Wearhouse