The phone call came first from Naim’s sister, asking for proposal information for her brother. They had an elaborate plan to take the New Jersey family to Disney’s Magic Kingdom for Naim to propose to his beautiful lady, Elina. The women in the family planned an all-girls trip to Walt Disney World for a few days. Elina had no idea that the rest of the family, including Naim, would be there too.
Courtney and I waited in front of Cinderella Castle for Naim’s sister to take photos. I asked them if they would like some pro photos, I could email them to her. “Sure!” Elina said. After a few shots, I asked Elina if she would also like photos of the whole family? She said, “No, it’s just us.” I said, “Well, what about all the people behind you?!”
At that point, the whole family walked up behind them, including Naim. Elina could not believe her eyes when she saw him there! Then a double surprise as she watched him get down on one knee and ask her to marry him! With lots of tears, Elina said YES! Such a fun couple and photoshoot! Congratulations Elina and Naim!
OK, so if you are thinking about having an intimate wedding, I highly suggest the Maitland Art Center and have it in February. The azaleas and the pink tabebuia trees are in full bloom and so ridiculously pretty. Ann and Josh had such a sweet wedding with their friends and family and some great DIY goodies that Ann made herself, like the beautiful paper backdrop and flutter poles. Congratulations Ann and Josh! Thank you for including us. xo
From Ann:
My jewelry and my bridesmaids jewelry was created from my grandmothers pearls that were taken apart and redone to be more contemporary….the jeweler who did this for me was Aldo’s Fine Jewelry on Kirkman Road.
My wedding day style….my girlfriend will kill me for actually uttering these words, lol…but it honestly was “easy garden elegance”. I wanted it all to feel effortless…which is kind of funny considering how much planning goes into a wedding!
Favorite memory of the day….when I walked into the chapel and saw everyone, Josh, my kids, and family, it was the happiest day of my life next to when my children were born!
We went with the traditional “Bridal Chorus” for the processional. We danced to Johnny Cash “All Over Again”.
My color scheme was ivory with peach, blush, lavender and hints of gold.
I started with the dress and venue first and worked my way from there. I knew we wanted an outdoor wedding in the afternoon, so that kind of led me to the Garden Party feel.
My biggest advice is to follow a planning timeline, stay organized with a binder, and know that it will NOT be perfect, and that’s okay! Don’t lose sight of why you are getting married and keep that in the forefront of your mind. Make a budget and stick to it! We did this wedding for just over $10,000. I made a lot of the decor myself and bought my wedding dress on sale.
My most memorable moment was when I found the Maitland Art Center. I knew the minute I walked into their outdoor chapel that it was the perfect venue for us!
I am most looking forward to having a partner that is truly my best friend to share the rest of my life with.
I am so excited to see all of the photos! I don’t think I can pick one….if forced to I would say the ones at the altar.
I also loved how the flowers turned out. I saved glass bottles for a year, collecting them from friends and bars we went to….lol. I loved the idea of them scattered around in groupings with flowers in them.
Jaclyn and James had a sweet, intimate wedding at the Artisan Alley Garage in historic downtown Deland. It featured their favorite things: Mexican food, Disney, Dole Whip, Live Music- 80’s Music and 90’s Alternative, etc. Elements of the decor feature things mentioned in the song “These are a few of my favorite things” from the Sound of Music – copper kettles, girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, crisp apple strudel, brown paper packages tied up with string etc. Jaclyn always sang that song to their children at bedtime 🙂 See their Disney Engagement photos here. Congratulations Jaclyn and James!
Catering Chipotle Mexican Grill Band The Click Coordinator Shari Gamble Flowers Publix Cake Publix Wedding Dress Davids Bridal Shoes Davids Bridal Bridesmaid dresses BCBG Menswear Ralph Lauren, Dillards Makeup Kayla Matusick Brides Custom Rings Downtown Goldsmith, DeLand FL Grooms Custom Ring Rustic & Main, Charlotte NC
Describe your wedding day style in one sentence: Eclectic; merging a vintage feel with natural, rustic elements. Favorite memory of the day: James- “Seeing Jaclyn come through the doors.” Jaclyn-“Having both of my late father’s, brothers there to walk me down the aisle” What were your songs? Processional- “Come to Me”, by the Goo Goo Dolls, Preformed by Dustin Seymour, First Dance- “Say You Won’t Let Go”, by James Authur Wedding day color scheme Copper, Earthy Tones, Black and Vintage Blue Describe your wedding planning process Winging It What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day? Go with your first instinct and don’t overthink. Anything you would have done differently? I would have sent out invitations. (I didn’t have time after we moved the date up) I plan to send out marriage announcements for those who couldn’t make it, when we get our pictures 🙂 Most memorable moment during the planning process– Running around the county with my girlfriends, searching for enough matching copper forks. What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? All of us officially having the same last name and all the milestones the future holds. Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? Photos that include our children. What was your wedding inspiration?The song Favorite Things, from the Sound of Music. Describe some of your favorite wedding detailsand how you came up with them-We had a soft serve yogurt machine with Pineapple, Vanilla, and both Swirled. We recreated Dole Whip, one of our favorite Disney World treats.
Stacia and Kaden are so great together – we had so much fun with them for their engagement shoot out in the woods. Even got to them to juggle lemons! We can’t wait for their wedding in November planned by Kaden’s mother and our amazing friend Courtney Ford Event Design! xo
From Stacia:We were in high school and we met through mutual friends, we were just friends for about a year before we started dating in 2014. I love that Kaden has always shown so much love and care for me – anything I need he’s always there, and I love that no matter what we are doing we always have a good time. He’s pretty great ?
Nick was very slick pretending to tie his shoe, but was really getting Jordan’s ring so that he could propose to her! We had such a fun day with them – we even got to meet their wonderful families afterwards for a champagne toast.
From Nick:Jordan and I met 2012 in Choir at High Point University. We quickly became friends and started dating at the end of my senior year of college. Jordan was still in college at that time. We knew long distance would be a challenge but when you love someone enough anything is possible. We spent every minute we had free to travel to each other together. I am a police officer in Ohio and Jordan is a 2nd semester medical school student. I love Jordan because she makes me such a better person. I proposed to Jordan at Disney because we have been there many times together over our 4.5 years of dating and it’s a special place full of amazing memories for us! I told Jordan I wanted to walk around the Boardwalk at Disney before we had dinner at Il Mulino. After walking around for a while, I told her I had to tie my shoe. When she turned around I was down on one knee asking her to marry me. She said YES and we can’t wait to start our life together!
And a surprise message for Nick from Jordan, she wanted him to read it here:Nick is the man that every girl dreams of marrying. From day one he has treated me like a princess so proposing to me at Disney could not have been a more perfect place. He makes me laugh and he is always there for me. He has the kindest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. We are so blessed to have found each other and that God placed us in each other’s lives. We can’t wait for our future together! I’m so thankful that Nick hired The Canovas Photography to capture our special moment. He couldn’t have picked a better team! (Thank you! That means a lot. xo – Kelly)
On Thanksgiving Day in 2012, Jimmy and Sara were both at Skydive DeLand for the annual dinner in the packing hangar. Sara was with her family when she spotted Jimmy across the hangar, taste-testing the smoked turkey he’d brought. They didn’t meet then, not until several days later when they both happened to be attending a concert in downtown DeLand at Cafe DaVinci. Sara recognized Jimmy from the Thanksgiving dinner and decided to introduce herself. After speaking for a few minutes, they found they had many mutual acquaintances (including Sara’s parents!).
While Sara grew up spending weekends at her mother’s drop zone, Skydive Palatka, she had no interest in skydiving until years later, choosing instead to study music in high school and college. Jimmy, on the other hand, earned his private pilot’s license when he was 17 and later moved from Maryland to Florida to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which is where he discovered skydiving. It was at Embry-Riddle that Jimmy met Sara’s dad (who also works in the aviation industry), nearly a decade before Jimmy and Sara met. In that time, Jimmy also met and got to know Sara’s stepfather, who was one of Skydive DeLand’s jump pilots.
After their first date (dinner at Oudom’s in downtown DeLand), for their second date Jimmy offered to fly the two of them to Jacksonville for dinner. After an eventful flight (it was an unusually foggy night, which led to a very exciting landing!), they both knew this relationship was something special. Aviation has continued to be an important part of their lives, as they both enjoy skydiving and both of their families are in some way connected to the aviation industry. Since the DeLand Airport is where they first crossed paths, it’s an especially meaningful location to them.?
