An All-White Secret Garden Wedding at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The Planning
Design / Vibe / Vision
Vision was secret garden-esque. We wanted it to be very romantic, classic, timeless and whimsical with the afterparty giving a completely different fun, upbeat, party vibe.
Proposal Story
Max proposed over Thanksgiving break 1.5 years before the wedding at the Four Seasons in Nassau, Bahamas. He proposed in the gardens of the medieval cloisters there. It was very intimate and just us two. Then Max had both our families surprise me for a celebration afterward.
Getting Ready
Bridal Portraits
Flat Lays
First Look
The Fashion
Wedding Gown
Monique Lhuillier, shoes were Louboutin. I wore my moms diamond studs and a gold diamond bracelet that I got my mom, my sister and I to wear on the day as a gift.
Bridesmaid Dresses
Amsale white dresses with gold jewelry and tan shoes
Groomsman Attire
Suit Supply, shoes were Christian Louboutin
Wedding Party
Ceremony
Cocktail Hour
The Details
Food & Drink
First Course: Burrata Salad with parma prosciutto, arugula, boston, radicchio, heirloom tomatoes, beet greens drizzled with Balsamic reduction & olive oil duet. Entree: Boneless short ribs of beef braised in chianti mirepoix paired with Miso glazed Grouper Served with Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, grilled corn ‘off the cob’ blistered peppers & green beans. Dessert: wedding cake!
Florals & Decor
Neutrals, whites and greenery with candlelight. For the ceremony, we included a large arch of greenery at the entrance to the aisle. Then for dancing indoors, we wanted to turn it into more of a Miami club vibe to get the party going. Dark colors like glitter blacks, dark sage greens and gold
Wedding Cake
We did simple florals on the wedding cake to go along with the color scheme
Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs
First Reading: Ruth 1: 16-17
Second Reading: 1 John 4: 7-12
Circle of Blessing of the Rings -The circle of the blessing of the rings - during the ceremony, we called up our parents to form a circle around us and each one did a silent blessing upon the rings
For our Recessional we had the song -“HIGHER LOVE”
In our reception - we did: Mother/Daughter Dance - untraditionally, in addition to the father daughter dance, we did a mother/daughter dance, but with a twist. We danced to "dancing queen" (our favorite song while growing up) and had all the women join us on the dance floor to get the party started.
Special Detail #1
DiVine - She is best described as a "living tree". She came out during the cocktail hour and was definitely a "wow" moment for guests
Special Detail #2
March from dinner to the afterparty- since the afterparty was across the property, we served guests mini espresso martinis and had my brother in law, Austin Hodge, play his trumpet leading the guests there.
Special Detail #3
Live painter at the afterparty - we had a live painter at the afterparty who was painting watercolors of the guests
Couple Portraits
Reception
