It was great to meet Ralph and Avison on their wedding day at The Reunion Resort. They have been together for 10 years, and we could tell. They were playful, in love, and so happy together. Thanks guys for making us a part of your big day.
How did you meet?
We met online late one night and talked for several hours. The next day we had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and it has progressed from there.
What do you love about each other?
We love that we can relax at home and we both are perfectly happy just doing nothing together.
Wedding planning?
We thought an intimate wedding officiated by Ralph’s Sister would be ideal, so we rented a beautiful Reunion Resort house and invited 4 family members and 4 friends to spend the next 5 days with…and we had a fantastic time.
Now we share a beautiful life together, along with our two Yorkies, Chica and Paco.
We met KC a few years ago at an art gallery were we saw some of her work on the wall, loved it and bought it. We kept in touch and have worked and played together since then. We were so happy to see her and her honey Bob celebrate their wedding! We are so happy for you both ?
Bob and KC met 12 years ago and wanted a private wedding that would be a formalization and celebration of their relationship. The vintage/rustic-themed wedding and casual party following were held at Elixir Hash House and Bar in downtown Orlando. KC wrapped brown bottles with rustic ribbon and they were filled with mixed small white blossoms and baby’s breath. She provided a collection of antique laces and linens for the staff at Elixir to use for decorating. The semi-naked cake vanilla with lemon filling and garnished with sugared berries from ideas acquired on Pinterest and executed beautifully by Publix College Park. The staff also arranged the back room of Elixir as a chapel and created a candy bar for party guests. KC’s short dress was from a boutique in her home state of Vermont with a Free People silk shift under it. Her lace headband was handmade by one of her daughters. The simple rustic bouquet was created by Orlando Florist in College Park. Music at the party was vintage country music provided by Giddy Up Go. Wedding Illustration artist Thomas Thorspecken.
I had so much fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for our styled shoot for Ever After Bridal‘s Veluz Reyes exquisite wedding gowns! Special thanks to beautiful Jen and her adorable husband Mike for making this such a great day. Featured here are the KAMIRA and HELENA gowns. Thank you also to Nikun Event Design and Cloud 9 Wedding Flowers for the perfectly vibrant bouquet and flower crown!
Ever After Bridal is the official US representative for the incredible Philippine designer Veluz Reyes. Vellum launched her first Ready To Wear line in 2013. Known for her exquisite details, stunning beadwork and unique designs there is nothing comparable to a Veluz Reyes gown in the bridal market today. Her work can be seen flooding social media, inspiration boards, blogs and bridal magazines. Ever After Bridal is honored to work directly with Veluz and exclusively represent her here in the USA.
We loved Danielle and David’s beautiful coral and metallic Dubsdread Wedding! With amazing florals and lots of sorority sisters, this was one of our favorites. (See their engagement shoot here.) We started at the Grand Bohemian, photographed through downtown Orlando and to the Dubsdread golf course. Thank you Danielle and David! Here is to you new life together ❤️
From Danielle: Describe your wedding day style in one sentence: Our wedding style evoked the festiveness and colorful hues of springtime in Florida. Wedding day color scheme: Coral (3 shades) and metallics (gold and copper) Describe your wedding planning process: We used a bunch of different wedding planning tools – The Knot, Wedding Wire, several books, timelines, Pinterest boards. The biggest help was a 3-ring binder created by The Knot that had sections for each of the big wedding components – ceremony, food, attires, music, etc. We bought it at Barnes & Noble. Inside was a super detailed timeline of what to accomplish each month, questions to ask all of your vendors, note pages to stay organized, inspiration photos, and more. It helped us stay on track and make sure we didn’t forget something along the way. We also relied a lot on our moms, who are both in Central Florida. We set up phone calls with all of our vendors and then Danielle’s mom would meet them in person too. This was a huge help since it was hard to do certain things being all the way down here in Miami. What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day? 1. Make sure you take a moment (or more if you’re lucky enough!) to really soak it all in. The entire day is going to pass in a flash. It’s going to be an exciting, overwhelming and hectic whirlwind of activity and there won’t be any slowing down once it starts. 2. This is coming from a self-proclaimed procrastinator, don’t procrastinate! If you’re using a wedding planning timeline, like a monthly checklist from The Knot, stick to it. You may think you have 2 weeks to ponder every invitation style known to man, but you don’t. Something else on the list is going to side swipe you and you’ll run out of time. Also, be decisive. Make sure you like what you choose of course, but also be confident with your decisions and move on to the next one. 3. And most important, if you’re having an outdoor wedding, bring every single umbrella you own….and maybe even purchase a new one for good measure. That will ensure it doesn’t rain! 😉 Anything you would have done differently? Danielle – I would have asked for more help from the bridesmaids. I really could have used someone to play time keeper and make sure we stayed on schedule. Another good duty would have been to have someone be “the eyes” over everything. So when Kelsey’s dress ripped, they would have been responsible for getting that fixed, not my mom. David – Him and the groomsmen were drinking whiskey and relaxing before the ceremony. Nothing went wrong for them. 😉 Most memorable moment during the planning process: This happened really early in the planning process, but booking our venue was the biggest milestone. From that point forward, everything we thought about related back to Dubsdread. We were always thinking about the atmosphere, the scenery, and the feel of the space. It allowed us to have a point of reference for the rest of the planning process. What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? We’ve been together for over 7 years, so we’ve had a lot of fun adventures together. What we’re most looking forward to in married life are all of our continued adventures, but now they’ll be “firsts.” First official date as husband and wife, first move, first home, first pet. We’ve made it a point to continue to “court” each other, and all of these fun adventures are part of that! Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? The moment we first saw each other at the ceremony. What was your wedding inspiration? The color inspiration came from the beautiful outdoor setting at Dubsdread and the colors of springtime. We wanted something fun and colorful that would compliment the green of the trees and golf course. We decided to use metallics to compliment the wood throughout Dubsdread’s. The sparkle added the right touch of color against the dark browns. We wanted our wedding to be a celebratory time that our friends and family would always remember and associate with us as a couple. Our wedding was classy and put together, but not stuffy or too formal. We really focused on the flowers and music to set the mood of the wedding. Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them. 1. Our DIY projects – the cake topper, MR & MRS letters on the sweetheart table, the wine box used during the ceremony, the table numbers. We used Pinterest to find inspiration and then had a few crafting days the week leading up to the wedding. Surprisingly, the crafting was a good bonding experience for us. 2. The varying shades of coral for the bridesmaid dresses. We loved the burst of color the shades of coral brought to the outdoor ceremony. We came up with this idea while trying to decide on wedding colors. 3. The BEAUTIFUL flowers. The flowers matched the bridesmaid dresses perfectly. Each shade of coral was represented in a single garden rose. Our florist was just awesome. We trusted her completely and let her make a lot of suggestions. 4. Our handwritten vows. We didn’t love the script our officiant sent us, so we decided to customize it to us. Along the way, we decided to write our own vows. Instead of keeping them a secret and writing them separately, we wrote them together.
Veterinarians James and Sarika’s engagement shoot at the Sanford Zoo was one of my favorite of all time – so I knew their wedding at Oviedo on the Park was going to be a lot fun (check out the bearded dragon cake topper!) There was a perfect mix of cultures, so much beautiful color and amazing friends and family. Thank you Sarika and James for including us xo
From Sarika: Describe your wedding day style in one sentence:I wanted the style to reflect a cultural fusion of both Indian and American elements
Wedding day color scheme: Orange and White Describe your wedding planning process:The wedding planning started fairly early since I was determined not to be stressed out! It actually all came together quite smoothly and with minimal stress which I love. I don’t have any nightmare stories about anything being messed up or delayed etc…and no bridezilla or family-zilla moments. I pretty much put together a list of the major stuff I needed to get done–dress, hair and makeup, venue, food, decorations, guest list, party favors, cake, music, invitations–and got one item done at a time. The guest list probably was the biggest challenge since we both wanted a small wedding and nothing over the top. Initially we had about 40 guests on our list, but it ended up being about 100 invitees instead! The end head count was around 65 which was perfect so it all worked out beautifully. What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?I think the more time you give yourself to get things done, the less stressed you will be. It may sound crazy to start scouting a venue 8-10 months in advance but if it is a popular location, chances are there are already reservations in place close to the date you want. Also, once you have the venue figured out, everything else will fall in place around it much easier so get that done first (after figuring out the date you want, of course!). I would also recommend sticking to what YOU and your FIANCE want vs. what everyone else wants. Ultimately, this day is about the two of you and you can’t control if everyone around you is happy or not. Chances are, there will always be someone who has a different opinion about what you should’ve done so just expect it and accept it, but do what will make the both of you happy since it is YOUR DAY. Try to soak in the moments of the day as it will likely move at a fast pace and you will be busier than you thought. I never wanted to be the bride who couldn’t enjoy her day because of the million things that were happening–and I wasn’t. I remember every detail and truly enjoyed the entire day. Anything you would have done differently? Not really; I guess it would’ve been nice to maybe have the venue for a couple more hours just because everyone was having such a good time socializing and catching up with family. Most memorable moment during the planning process: It was really exciting when we found the wedding invitation we liked–it seemed to make it more real all of a sudden. Also, getting our engagement picture location planned out was fantastic since we were able to incorporate our careers into it. The zoo was a pretty unbelievable location and the pictures were so unique and gorgeous. What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? I think just the everyday routine knowing that we will waking up together and going to bed together for the rest of our lives! Having each other as that constant in our lives is such a comfort and being able to share all of the moments whether little or large will be wonderful. Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? That is such a hard question! I honestly don’t know since I’m excited to see all of them! I am always a fan of candid pics and natural photos because it’s almost like a challenge to see if you can catch that one fleeting moment that is unplanned, and when you do, you feel great! Since we ended up doing some ‘first looks’ I am curious to see how they turned out. What was your wedding inspiration?I really was just inspired to have a wedding that reflected simple elegance. Culturally, Indian weddings are so extravagant, lavish and over the top (in a good way). But even so, I never really wanted it to be such a huge affair and so I was inspired to keep it small, simple but still beautiful. I liked the idea of a day-time wedding because living in Florida, we get such beautiful light with the sunshine and weather, and it adds to the more casual tone I wanted overall. I can honestly say other than wanting it small, I really didn’t have any other ideas of what I wanted when I started planning. It all seemed to evolve and just come together as I tackled the tasks of getting the venue, food etc…Even finding my dress was an accident since I initially was going to buy it to wear to my brother’s wedding reception, but then found another one so I made the first one my wedding dress by default! Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them: I think the bearded dragon cake topper is a favorite of both mine and my husband. Since we work with animals, we wanted to show that in small detail at our wedding. Initially, we were looking for a cute cat cake topper so we just started googling images of animal cake toppers. We ran across this bearded dragon bride and groom topper which was just ADORABLE!! Turns out this very talented lady in Canada makes them from her own custom mold and can customize them to reflect the wedding colors. The example online actually was exactly what we would be wearing in terms of colors so it was almost a given that that’s the one we settled on. It was also very important to me to have a representation of my grandfather who passed away a number of years ago, so I had my decorator make a special commemorative boutonniere for him and had a reserved seat for him during the ceremony in his memory. I also wanted to have his picture there so I placed one by the card box inside where the reception would take place and that way he had a place both during the ceremony and the reception. The party favors were a tough job to tackle since I hate clutter and usually these tokens are just something else to collect which I didn’t want. My husband and I ended up going with personalized mini mason jars because we figured at least they can be used after the wedding as well as be a memento. They turned out really nice and we filled them with some sweet and salty goodies so I think it was a great idea.
Libby and Scotty are the sweetest couple, she actually said of her wedding photos, ” I want photos of my friends having fun, not of me.” Their wedding was nothing but fun, with a live band, special beer bottle vases and wonderful family and friends. Thank you Libby and Scotty for including us xo
This venue was perfect for Heather and Dale – orange and purple details and everything wood (including Dale’s wedding ring!) We hit it off right away at their engagement session through historic downtown DeLand (see it here) and loved everything about their wedding, orange and grape soda toasts, lots of family and friends and a lip-sync sing-off that was too fun. Thank you Heather and Dale for including us ?
In Heather’s words: Describe your wedding day style in one sentence – Rustic Vintage with a splash of country! Wedding day color scheme – Purple, Orange and neutrals Describe your wedding planning process -Prayer, Pinterest, YouTube, more Prayer, more Pinterest and TheKnot Planning GuideWhat advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day? Hire a day of Coordinator – I am a bit of perfectionist and I knew the only way I would be able to “let it go” was to have someone else be the one in charge that day. Anything you would have done differently? Nope! Most memorable moment during the planning process– When we decided on our “special” gift to our guests! We performed our BEST lip sync performances ever!! What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? Building a family together! Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? From Heather – Dale’s reaction when the doors opened! From Dale – Photos from the lip sync battle What was your wedding inspiration? – Focused on God and making the day fun and memorable. Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them. One our favorite’s was our toast. We had seen some pinterest posts with old fashioned soda bottles and thought it would be fun to incorporate them in to our wedding. So instead of the classic champagne toast, we had Orange and Grape glass soda bottles. Using wood throughout our theme – a reminder that our relationship is built on a firm foundation with deep roots!
I was so happy when Chelsea called me to tell me she was getting married and – oh by the way – it’s next week and it’s just going to be us. She and Colin got married in beautiful Loch Haven Park in between the Orlando museums. Even though it was a stormy morning, they got married outside, in the rain. They were not paying attention to the weather – just each other. Thank you Chelsea and Colin for including us in your beautiful intimate wedding ?
Natalie and Kevin’s wedding was beautiful and all about travel, with post cards, a globe guest “book” and an amazing world map seating chart. It was also about their beloved boxer Cheyenne, who walked down the aisle and stood with them, just like everyone else. There was a lot (a lot) of rain that day, but it did not hinder Natalie and Kevin’s attitude, fun or love for each other. Make sure you read their take below, especially Kevin’s last line advice for grooms-to-be. Thank you Natalie and Kevin for taking us “traveling” with you! xo.
From Natalie:
Describe your wedding day style in one sentence: We wanted a romantic feel, to show our silly/whimsical side and our love of travel. Wedding day color scheme:Navy/silver/blush Describe your wedding planning process:Staying organized. I wanted to get as much done as quickly as possible so that I didn’t wait until the last minute for anything. All diy projects projects were done 4 months prior to the wedding. What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?Stay as organized and under budget as possible. Try on a bunch of dresses, you never know what will look best! Anything you would have done differently? Have a rain plan for pictures and transportation. Wish I would’ve had more communication with others day of. They say don’t worry the bride, which was great all day then when I got to the reception I freaked out. That was a horrible feeling for everyone! From Kevin: Prayed to rain gods more to get it to stop raining. Most memorable moment during the planning process: Walking into the venue, looking at my man and knowing right then that it was our location. What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? Traveling the world From Kevin:I’m Looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my best friend, sharing great adventures with her, and loving her like crazy, of course. Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos?Standing as a married couple… With our dog 🙂 From Kevin: Oh, man, so many. My groomsmen and I waiting around beforehand, Natalie walking down the aisle, the kiss, walking down the aisle, any photos with our dog Cheyenne, family photos, our dance, and all the fun candid moments which were captured. What was your wedding inspiration?Romantic travel without being too serious. We are a silly couple, hence the “UP” references, his Batman stuff, etc. and we really like to travel but it’s a wedding, of course I want everyone to feel the love <3 From Kevin: Our theme was based on the Pixar/Disney movie Up! and traveling. We had post cards for people to write their marriage and travel advice to us and a mailbox with our handprints on it to place them inside, a globe to sign instead of a guest book, a suitcase for cards, and Our Adventure Book like in the movie full of photos from our travels and experiences. Also, instead of table numbers, we used postcards of destinations and had a world map to show the seating chart. Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them: Kevin’s mom is very crafty, she did the LOVE letters, my hangers for the girls, our save the date stone, and misc other times. Colin Cowie is an event genius, my coordinator/florist found the candelabras that I fell in love with immediately. Pinterest is and evil necessity for so many ideas. I wanted to create my own feel but get basic ideas, I’m just so busy with work that I needed something to go off of, so it helped in that way. The popcorn stand was a nice end of the night treat that I wanted to have. *Side note for all the future grooms out there from Kevin:seeing your bride in her dress for the first time as she’s walking down the aisle is truly a great moment. I wish I could see Natalie in her dress for the first time all over again. She was absolutely beautiful and it’s a moment I will always treasure from that day.
Steve and Omar’s wedding was beautiful at the Grand Bohemian in downtown Orlando. With personal touches like photos of each guest as their table numbers, purple details, and a very meaningful wedding date, Steve and Omar made their night really special for their many friends and families. We were very honored to be a part of it. In Omar’s words:
Steve and I were introduced by a mutual friend in 2003. We actually met on his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, so it was a lucky night to meet! We got married on our 12th anniversary (and Steve’s parents’ 62nd wedding anniversary) at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in downtown Orlando. We get along so well since we have different strengths. We always say Omar is “book smart” and Steve is “street smart”. Our wedding planning pretty much followed that same pattern. I researched everything and make spreadsheets to track our wedding plans, while Steve made quick decisions about what he liked or didn’t like. Overall, our wedding planning was a lot of fun and we enjoyed working with all of our amazing vendors. Our wedding day was everything we hoped it would be and more!
Thank you to these amazing wedding pros:
Wedding Coordinators : The Soiree Co. Sarah Sarhan and Emily Halverson
