Southern Weddings

Happy Monday y’all!  We all just returned from nearly a week away from the office, so we’re busy bees today!  We will have a full re-cap of our week shortly.  For now, here is a gorgeous FL wedding for you…

A beach proposal led to a beach wedding, complete with fireworks, a pool party and a full moon! After falling in love with Islamorada, Florida, while vacationing there for Maxine’s 24th birthday, the couple decided to wed at the {Southern Diversion House}.  Maxine planned the wedding from her home in New Jersey.  Those that helped make it a success: Photography by {Dinofa Photography}.  Catering and Planning by {Debbie Pierog}.  Flowers by {Floral Fantasy}.  Bridesmaids’ dresses, Bride’s dress and accessories from {Bridal Garden Marlton}.

How did the two of you meet?  Joe and I attented Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey and we had the same group of friends.  We spent some time together there, but were never a couple.  I was home from college for winter break and we ran into each other at a local Irish pub.  We spent the entire night talking and listening to music. From that point on we were inseperable. I transferred home from WVU to attend college locally. We dated for four years before he popped the question in Cape May, New Jersey.
Describe the proposal:  Joe planned a weekend in Cape May, New Jersey in late August. We spent the day relaxing on the beach and bike riding.  Later in the evening we had a great dinner and listened to a live band at an outdoor pavilion in the center of town.  Because it was such a warm night, we decided to take a walk on the beach.  Joe got down on one knee, in the sand, and asked me to be his wife. 
What attracted me to my husband was:  His sincere kindness and loyalty. He is an old fashioned kind of guy.
Why do you love your husband?  I love that we enjoy doing similar things.  We both love being active and traveling. He definitely inspires me to be a better person.
What attracted me to my wife was: Definitely her personality. Maxine is such a happy person and she has a huge heart.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember:  Our very first dinner date. We ate at an Italian restaurant and then spent hours drinking wine and talking about life.
The weather on our wedding day was:  Better than perfect.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Nautical. A lot of navy and white. There were anchors placed on our napkins and on the front of the invitations.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I knew as soon as I put on my wedding dress it was perfect for our day. It has the simplicity that I was looking for, while still having some modern design to it.  I wanted a gown that wouldn’t make me look overdone for a day wedding on the beach.
Describe your wedding flowers: Beautifully simple. White and blue hydrangeas for all of the girls to hold and tall white center pieces in clear vases.  At the bottom there was a white piece of coral sitting on a few stones to hold them down.  There were thin branches that were reaching up from the bottom.
Describe your wedding cake:  It was a key lime flavored cake and it was delicious. It had blue flowers with white beaded icing along the edges and there were very discrete sand dollars on the sides. 
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:  We had fireworks set off on the dock over the water.  It was a last minute plan that worked out really well.  Fireworks can really help get people in the mood to celebrate.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?  Planning it from home in New Jersey.  I couldn’t see any of the details.  I had to try to describe what it was specifically that I was looking for constantly to vendors.  I was so scared that someone that I had hired over the phone wouldn’t show up that day. 
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding?  Just dancing and having a good time. Our families have been good at that for a long time.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My maid of honor gave a wonderful, heartfelt speech and each guest was holding a tall sparkler around a bonfire.  When she was finished she closed with, “everyone raise their glasses and a sparkler to Maxine and Joe Daniels”.  Right then everyone lit there sparklers and the entire area lit up.  In the background Bob Marleys “Could you be Loved?” was playing.  I have never felt happier or more loved.
Scariest moment? Watching all of the guests arrive from upstairs in the house.  I just kept hoping that I didn’t forget anything and that everything would go well.
Funniest moment?  A bridesmaid and the best man “cannon balled” into the pool together. It was not really that funny at the time, but we laugh a lot about it now.
Hardest decision you made in planning?  Location. I could not decide which warm destination would be best for us and our families. Then we found ourselves in Islamorada for my 24th birthday and we loved it.  It is just so relaxed and serene.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was:  There was a full moon and it just happened to be the brightest full moon of the entire year!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Happy, exciting, and fun.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding?  Hire help! It’s a lot of work, but if you don’t work hard to make it great, you will regret it after.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration: I was mingling and someone turned to me and said, “There are people swimming in the pool!” I wanted to run over there full speed, but my gown slowed me down a lot.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding?  We were so grateful that so many of our loved ones were able to travel so far to share the day with us.  All 65 guests were cherished that day. Grandparents are always great to have around.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? Finish school, travel, and start a family.
Any DIY items? I created sand dollar Christmas ornaments with satin ribbon and detailed each one with the wedding date and our names and I used shells as seating cards.

Congratulations Maxine and Joe!