Florida Weddings

Equal parts lovely and fresh, this pretty little party at the Winterbourne beautifully captured by Julie Paisley warms my heart right up. Maybe it’s the happy color palette, or perhaps it’s the sweet southern style – but I’m pretty sure it’s the love between the new Mr. & Mrs. that is giving me the warm and fuzzies, and you can see why right here.

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Photography: Julie Paisley Photography | Floral Design: Parkers Events | Cake: Kakes by Katie | Men's Attire: Jos. A. Bank | Bridal Boutique: Park Avenue Bridal | Wedding Location: Winterbourne

I’ve never actually visited the picturesque venue that is the Winterbourne on the St. Johns, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that it was one of the most beautiful places ever to say “I do.”  It’s a certainty that comes with a whole lot of definitive research on the subject, aka, hours upon hours of soaking in the pretty from this darling day captured by Jenn Hopkins Photography… a day that is dripping in heartwarming moments, beautiful blooms from Lori Parker Floral Studios and beyond breathtaking details.  Oh, Winterbourne.  I love you.  See so much more right here.

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From the Bride… Where it all began– Samuel and I knew each other throughout high school, but never really took the time to get to know one another. After high school Sam attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina and I went to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. On December 17, 2007, Sam returned from college for Christmas break. All of our friends decided to go camping at Hannah Park for my birthday. That night Sam told me in four years when he was a senior he was going to marry me. I thought that was very bold for someone who I wasn’t even dating. Since that moment we knew we were meant for each other and we began dating.

Exactly four years later on December 17, 2011, Sam took me back to Hannah park for our annual camping trip. He rented the same camp site where we first started dating. When it was time for bed we climbed inside the tent and all of a sudden he was down on one knee. He asked me if I remembered what he said to me four years ago. It was a perfect and meaningful engagement and we couldn’t be happier.

Samuel and I are so laid back and easy going we felt the Winterbourne Inn on the St. Johns was a perfect venue for us. It was a place where our family and close friends felt relaxed and it had a backyard wedding feeling. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. The weather was absolutely beautiful for a February wedding in Florida. We had our reception outside by the St. Johns River. We had cocktail hour outside where guest were able to play lawn games and eat butler passed food. Our wedding party was announced outside and Sam and I had our first dance on the lawn with all of our family and friends overlooking us from the balcony. We then made our way inside for the reception. We had a Southern buffet which was delicious! After dinner guest danced the night away, played lawn games and utilized our homemade photobooth which was a blast! We couldn’t have asked for a better day. We had our dream wedding and I am so lucky to have married my best friend.

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Wedding Photography: Jenn Hopkins Photography | Wedding Venue: Winterbourne on the St. Johns | Floral Design: Lori Parker Floral Studios | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau via The White Magnolia | Makeup: Paulina Perez

This probably goes without saying, but I happen to think that any twosome that serves comfort food at their reception is awesome.  Awesome in that “we’re serving mac ‘n’ cheese” kind of way.  And these adorable lovebirds?  They fit the bill quite nicely with their chicken ‘n’ dumplings, corn casserole and, yes, mac ‘n’ cheese feast.  They also happen to know a thing or two about throwing a beautiful wedding, with one drop-dead gorgeous (+ love-filled) moment after another taking our breath away in the full gallery captured by Becca Borge.  Join me there for all of the pretty.

And a little somethin’ special from Take One Productions for an extra dose of awesome…

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From Becca Borge… This bride and groom (Tiffany and Don) married at the lovely Winterbourne Inn on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. Tiffany wanted a relaxed, intimate, and Southern feel which was accomplished through a cozy atmosphere, eclectic decor, games of ladder ball being played during cocktail hour, and of course – an amazing spread of the best homemade comfort food dishes around (mac ‘n’ cheese, chicken ‘n’ dumplings, corn casserole, etc.)

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Wedding Photography: Becca Borge | Wedding Venue: Winterbourne Inn in Orange Park, Florida | Wedding Cinematography: Take One Productions | Floral Design: Bold Blooms | Wedding Cake: Cupcake Girls | DJ: Disc Jockeys To Go | Wedding Dress: Mori Lee

I am fairly certain that if you looked up the word “romance” in the dictionary, you’d see a photo of this gorgeous wedding courtesy of Dana Goodson Photography.  And if you don’t, well, there’s a problem.  It doesn’t get much more romantic than an elegant garden wedding with lovely florals by The Conservatorie Floral & Event Design, charming milk glass centerpieces and a simply awesome getaway car.  And let’s not forget the uber-stunning bride and her Officer husband.  Yes, this wedding is the absolute definition of romance.  And I am loving every last beautiful detail.  See even more in the full gallery!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…The style I was looking for was eclectic.  I wanted it to be elegant but charming, with playful colors, feminine and fresh, with some masculine nautical touches as a nod to the US Navy (The groom is an officer). I love texture and contrast, so I incorporated that into every aspect of the wedding, from the dress and shoes to the gorgeous floral design by Conservatorie.  My mom, Chris and I met with Amy, and together we picked all of the flowers, keeping their unique textures in mind.  I also loved the visual contrast of the white milk glass vases, crystal and glass with the rustic wood and glass pane lanterns.

The favors were special to me. My mom and I made and preserved Spiced Blueberry Jam from the blueberries my family grows in Georgia. My mom and I also bought simple glass votives and attached white lace around the top, which was a fun and simple DIY project, and added a little soft candlelight wherever needed.

The guest book was a cool yearbook from 1922 that my mom picked up at an antique store and was made by her friend, Kimberly.  It turned out beautifully, and I loved the touches she added, the lace and the button bookmark.  I stamped our names and date on the cover page with sepia ink for a final touch. The toasting glasses were a gift to us, handmade by a friend of my grandmother’s, who owns FlameTree, Inc. in Georgia.  I loved the delicate vintage goblet-style of the glasses.

My dad’s hobby is restoring vintage cars, so when my dad began restoring the 1960 MGA, which has always been my favorite, I asked if it could be finished for the wedding.  He took on the huge project, and with the help of everyone involved, it was restored back to original condition in nine months!  It was meaningful to me to ride away in it, plus, it’s beautiful and so much fun.

Wedding Photography: Dana Goodson Photography / Venue: Club Continental / Floral Design + Event Planning: The Conservatorie Floral & Event Design / Guest Book: Kimberly’s Eclectica / Toasting Glasses: Flame Tree Glass / Reception Music: DJ Connection / Wedding Cake: Kakes by Katie / Bride’s Hair and Make-up: the SPA at bartram walk

We have lots of ground to cover on the Little Black Book Blog today, so hold onto your hats!

First … the winner of the suite of letterpress invitations from Love At First Invite is … Susan (#34)! In her comment she said, “Thanks so much for this post. I’ve seen so many posts about “affordable” letterpress, but this is the first time that I looked at the website and actually thought, “wow…that might actually be possible for us.” I know so many brides would love to have gorgeous letterpress invitations, but they are just not in the wedding budget. Thanks, Cathy for finding a way to pass on this little luxury to us (and thanks Abby for telling us about it)! All that said, my favorite is Dotted. It’s not only uniquely beautiful, but those tiny dots just scream for letterpress–the texture would be amazing!” Congratulations Susan. We’ll be in touch.  For those of you who didn’t get in on the Style Me Pretty Sneak Peek of the new “Ready To Love” invitations, heed Susan’s words … they’re letterpress, they’re lovely, and they are totally affordable. Cathy, the super-talented creator of Love At First Invite, was so pleased to read all of your thoughtful answers, that she is extending a runner’s-up prize to ALL those who entered. She is offering all the contestants FREE table numbers with the purchase of any invitation package. Just contact her via her website.

Next Order of Business … Our incredibly talented Little Black Book Vendors have been sending us tons of Real Weddings and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to post them all! With Valentine’s Day and love and romance in the air, we want to show you as many Real Weddings the rest of this week as we can. To save time, we’re not going to elaborate on all the details … we’ll mainly be showing you lots and lots of weddings. Please … submit your comments and we’ll be sure all your questions get answered!

So onto our Valentine’s Week Wedding Blitz …

Our first wedding is from Little Black Book photographer Agnes Lopez, photographing weddings in Ponte Vedra Beach, Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Georgia’s Golden Coast!

A great old-fashioned love-story … Christienne + Justin

from Christienne …

“Justin and I met in chemistry class our junior year of high school. We never had the same circle of friends, but we always had one or two classes with one another. Naturally, I had the typical teenage crush on him back then! We struck up a friendship the summer before our big college move, and everything just fell into place. From the moment I first laid eyes on him, I always knew that I wanted to be with someone like him, but I never thought that it would actually be him!”

“Our wedding was hosted at Club Continental, an historic Mediterranean-style estate located on the banks of the St. John’s River, Orange Park, Florida. The location was a great choice for us as there was no mistaking the Old World elegance I wanted to produce for our wedding. To work with the natural beauty of the club, I chose an earthy theme for our event, so our colors included chocolate brown, shades of green, and hints of yellow, orange, and red. Our ceremony décor was very simple. With a view of the river and grand oak trees behind us, what more could we need?”

“We saved money by reusing the floral elements of the ceremony (including our bouquets) as table centerpieces or to dress up the dance and food areas. It wasn’t necessary to spruce up the receptions areas, either, since the interior was already attractive on its own. I added touches of our personality wherever I could. We had a Polaroid guest book, and our favors were candy-filled Chinese take-out boxes tagged with Moo mini-cards of our favorite engagement photos. Since the majority of our guests were out-of-towners, I had caramels specially made with a typical Floridian flavor – key lime!”

photography by Agnes Lopez

“To add texture, we splurged on pin-tucked linens for our tables, and I spray-painted leaf-shaped candle holders that would serve double-duty as table numbers. I also wanted to employ fabric in some way, and our table chart was a fabric-covered cork board (to make it easier, I bought inexpensive pre-stretched canvas, glued cork to it and wrapped/stapled fabric over it).  The dining area for our guests had recently been expanded and renovated. Due to this, the fire code hadn’t yet been officially approved, so our wedding coordinator was sorry to inform me that we couldn’t light any candles in there! I don’t think it took away from the ambience at all because the low lighting and glass walls worked to our advantage. If anything, it made the area more intimate.”

Congratulations to Christienne & Justin from all of us at Style Me Pretty!

Wedding Coordination by  Cassandra, Flaire Weddings & Events; Bridal Gown – “Tia” by Augusta Jones, Love Bridal Boutique; Make-Up Artist: Kimtasha Armstrong