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I’m obsessed with period pieces, especially about the early sixties, and I currently cannot get enough of the The Astronaut Wives Club. There is something about the style that is so timeless and unfussy, yet modern and chic. I could say the same thing about Jordan and David’s beautiful black and white wedding! Their relationship started at a honky-tonk in Nashville, but when they first discussed moving to David’s hometown of Tampa, Jordan began incorporating flamingos into her classic style. The fun bird played a role in their engagement, so they also subtly weaved it into their wedding design! The Oxford Exchange served as the perfect location for a sophisticated celebration complete with meaningful details, like brass candlesticks collected from yard sales and thrift stores by family and friends.

Big hugs to Kristin Sweeting for sharing Jordan and David’s beautiful day with us!

We found my dress at the first boutique we visited, and I only tried on four! My two sisters, my mother, and my future mother-in-law were there to help with the decision. I knew I wanted something very classic, with simple curves and a clean neckline. I found a dress on the sample rack that needed just a few alterations for size, and we removed the embellished belt that came with the dress for a very polished, modern, sophisticated look. The dress embodied everything that I wanted my wedding to be, and more importantly, it was comfortable and a perfect extension of my everyday style.

What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? Our readings were Mark 10:6-9 and Isaiah 62:5. Since I only had my sisters (and my brother) as bridesmaids, it was nice to have my best friends read at my wedding. I love the passage from Mark because it speaks to the very beginning of the institution of marriage, and that there is a beauty in leaving what is known in one way for something that is known in a completely different way. The scripture from Isaiah was important to us because it speaks to the essence of our being and the foundation of our faith as a couple. Marriage is just a small glimpse of what it is like to have a relationship with our creator.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The start and end of the ceremony. I don’t like to be the center of attention, so as the ceremony grew closer, I became anxious. A quick summer storm started as we walked from the bride’s room to the narthex. It was the kind of light rain that has a soft thunder, and smooth rays of light filter through the clouds. The world was so serene and quiet in that moment. By the time the ceremony ended, the storm has passed, but I’ll never forget God giving me that moment of calming assurance, beauty, and peace. As we walked back up the aisle, our guests cheered and clapped so loudly, as if they were just as excited for us to be married as we were. It was such a reminder of the support we have behind us.

We chose not to do a first look. I was willing to sacrifice the time for photos in order to have that special moment of seeing Dave at the end of the aisle in front of our friends and family. The tradition and history of that moment was something I didn’t want to sacrifice and it was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? My younger sister got married in October 2014 in our hometown, so given the close timing, I wanted to do something different. Getting married in Tampa was a great way to celebrate the life I would start sharing there with Dave. We chose to get married in the church that Dave grew up in. At the time of booking the wedding, I was also interviewing for a position with the interior design firm at the Oxford Exchange, Oxford Design (I got the job!). I fell in love with the space and knew I could trust the team at Oxford to bring my vision for the night to fruition. The building fit the classic, yet modern, look I was going for, and almost everything could be handled in-house.

We didn’t want assigned seating, with the exception of the grandparents, but we did want the tables to look inviting and personal. We also wanted the evening to flow organically and naturally, and encourage eating and drinking at one’s leisure, wherever they were. At each seat, we had a card tied with a black velvet ribbon that read: “Eat. Drink. Dance. Your seat is here but your place is on the dance floor. Thank you for celebrating with us!” This politely let people know that they were encouraged to sit, but not to hold onto their seat.

Describe your wedding flowers. We were married in a beautiful sanctuary, and I wanted to make sure we didn’t do anything to hide the architectural appeal of the church. I wanted the service to be very reverent. My older sister created a simple arrangement of palm fronds, cut from my future in-laws’ backyard, and white tulips for the narthex. For the reception, I again wanted to let the space stand out, only using florals as embellishments for the tables. A large, glass arrangement of French white tulips greeted guests at the entrance, while the tables were decorated with a center garland of loose greenery foliage and white roses that were placed in brass candlesticks.

We served a two-tiered raspberry champagne cake from Chocolate Pi, and my uncle hand-made over 20 different flamingo toppers for us to choose from! My sister placed the extra flamingos in a flock formation on a sheet cake iced green in honor of my “yard flock” engagement at the bridal brunch. I also wanted to incorporate our dog, Tux, into the wedding somehow, so Savages Bakery hand-painted “Tux” cookies that were served along with the cake.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I loved all the “extras” at the reception. We had a caricature artist on-site for the first few hours of the reception, which everyone loved–it was a great party favor! I also loved having rock candy sticks in the champagne! The dance floor props of guitars, black and white feather masks, pink boas, and glow in the dark necklaces were crowd favorites, and the band especially loved the pink glitter flamingo glasses!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Dave and I randomly met at a local honky-tonk, Paradise Park, in Nashville. He asked me to dance and somehow, between the loud music and the large crowd, we were able to talk long enough to realize that we shared mutual friends, including my younger sister, Abigail, and her husband, Adam. A few months after we met, Dave asked me to be his date to a wedding, and we’ve been together ever since. I still have a screen shot of our first text message exchange from that night, which is framed above his bedside table.
Tell us all about the proposal! In discussing the future, Dave and I often discussed moving to his hometown of Tampa, Florida. Realizing that Florida may be my new home in the near future, I decided that, as a mountain girl, my aesthetic needed to change a bit, and I started to fully embrace flamingos. I came home one night in December to find my entire yard flocked with pink flamingos and Dave waiting on the porch for me, ring in hand. After a celebratory dinner, Dave had one more surprise. We went to the place where we first met, Paradise Park, and all of our Nashville friends were assembled for a congratulatory cheers! We carried the flamingo theme throughout the entire wedding.
When did y’all get married? May 23, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 200
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We chose to say traditional vows. I don’t know about my favorite phrase, but I do remember suddenly panicking over whether or not I should say “I do” or “I will” during the first response part of ceremony. I quickly looked over at my older sister (my maid of honor), who mouthed the correct words to me. During her toast the night before, she had teasingly spoke about always having to speak for me when we were small, and here she was, telling me what to say on my wedding day!
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? We served true Southern staples: shrimp and grits with collard greens, pecan-crusted chicken and waffles, and butternut squash ravioli. A vintage RV, recently renovated by my father, served popcorn and Coca-Colas as people left, and we drove off in my father-in-law’s restored 1951 red Chevrolet truck. The most Southern thing about my wedding, though? So many family members pitched in to help. Whether it was collecting brass candlesticks from yard sales and thrift stores for the tablescapes, mixing gallons of a special margarita mix, or painting stationery for our guests, our families pitched in and helped make the wedding feel unique and meaningful.
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? We started to renovate a condo together as our first home right after we got engaged–that will teach you A LOT about the person you are getting ready to marry! Working together on the condo was a great way for us to learn how we worked and lived as individuals, and what that would need to look like as a couple, both socially and financially.
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What was one way you saved money or cut costs at your wedding? My sister is a stylist and I work in interior design, so we were able to forgo a wedding planner, other than the day-of coordinators, who were amazing! We created our own photo booth using props and a backdrop I found for $5 at a closing sale. We used a personal collection of brass candlesticks for the tablescapes and kept the floral arrangements minimal.
What advice do you have for folks currently planning a wedding? A day-of coordinator is essential–more than anything, guests appreciate a well-executed weekend. It’s a very emotional weekend, but also a highly logistical one! Make sure the weekend plans are clear and easy for your guests.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are continuing to settle into our new condo and look forward to working on some more renovations together. Mostly, we are just happy to be in the same city, which means that no one has to go home on Sunday nights!

Photographer: Kristin Sweeting / Videographer: Baxter Miller / Planner: Sarah Fairbairn of One Fine Day, Inc. / Ceremony Venue: Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church / Reception Venue, Catering, and Lighting: The Oxford Exchange / Florist: Botanica International Design and Decor Studio / Cake Baker: Chocolate Pi / Rentals: Wish Vintage Rentals / Band: The Voltage Brothers / Special Details: Brittney Forrister / Bride’s Gown: Martina Liana / Bridal Salon: La Raine’s / Hair and Makeup: Jess Waldroup / Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Style D589” by Alfred Sung and “Feathered Hem Dress” by Ann Taylor / Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse / Calligrapher: Jenny Elmore / Invitations: Reaves Engraving / Caricature Artist: Tony Hernandez of Carrot Catchers / Cookies: Savages Bakery & Deli / Brass Candlestick Rentals: Wish Vintage Rentals and 12th Table / Red Carpet: Rent-All-City

marissa Written with love by Marissa
11 Comments
  1. avatar Nina reply

    What a gorgeous wedding! I especially love the black and white shots and the ones showing movement. So real!

  2. avatar Michael reply

    they are so Young and beautiful. Hope that you will have the life that you wish for.

  3. avatar Dana reply

    Absolutely gorgeous… Every.single.detail!!

  4. avatar Robert & Sue Pickelsimer reply

    An Awesomely Beautiful Wedding Event of our niece Jordan & “new” nephew, Dave! SOUTHERN WEDDING did a wonderful job telling their beautiful LOVE STORY! Thank You! Uncle Robert & Aunt Sue

  5. avatar Kel Ward reply

    Oh, I love everything about this wedding! That dress is to die for!

  6. avatar Friday Fresh Squeeze #200 – Floridian Social reply

    […] many things to crush on from this Oxford Exchange wedding in Tampa: black and white mod style, beautifully moody tablescapes, a flamingo cake topper and palm […]

  7. avatar charleston wedding photographer reply

    awesome pictures!Looks like old pics from 60’s

  8. avatar Sara and Ken Winston reply

    Ken and I could not be happier having Jordan join our family. She did a fabulous job putting their wedding together. She and her entire family are so wonderful. They came for a long weekend just to help us prepare for the rehearsal dinner that we had in our backyard. Thanks to the entire Forruster Family! Great day a joyous memory forever!

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    […] Chic Romance The Lakelander – Boho on Belmar The Lakelander – All Summer Long Southern Weddings – Black and White Wedding at the Oxford Exchange The Every Last Detail – Chic Modern Pink and Orange Wedding Ideas The Knot – […]

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Ellie and Nick met in a fraternity house in college, and while their love story might not have started in the most romantic way, their wedding is another story! Ellie and Nick worked with their florist, Botanica, to take the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts from a monochromatic museum into a romantic reception full of lush blooms, and of course, lots of Southern details! During their wedding planning, they not only focused on planning for their marriage, but on being hospitable and throwing a party guests would enjoy just as much as they did. I can’t help but love that they included a generational blessing given by their fathers and grandfathers. Such a sweet way to not only honor their family, but also to include them in their celebration.

So wonderful of Kristen Weaver to share this lovely day with us!

Tell us all about the proposal! During September 2013, I was in my last year of law school at the University of Chicago and Nick had just started his first year of medical school at the University of Florida. I made a trip to Gainesville for the weekend to see Nick and attend the UF-UT football game. On Friday, Nick suggested that we visit Paynes Prairie, a state park just south of Gainesville. We had the prairie all to ourselves and enjoyed seeing the wildlife and hiking the trails. Toward the end of our trip, we climbed to the top of a three-story watch tower and relaxed on the porch swing. Before heading back down, he got down on one knee to propose. After his very sweet speech, he reached into his pocket to pull out the ring, but accidentally pulled out the car keys instead! He had taken the ring out of the ring box so he could stealthily fit it into his athletic shorts pocket, but it had gotten caught up in the keychain. After a good laugh, I said yes!

I’ll admit, finding my wedding dress was harder than I anticipated. I bought a dress at the first boutique I went to–my mom, grandmother, and my three best friends were all there, and I foolishly let the excitement get to my head. Afterwards, I had some regrets, but assured myself that I would be happy when the dress arrived and I could try it on again. Well, it turned out that the boutique ordered it two sizes too small and then told me I must have gained weight (in fact, I had lost weight). I left in tears and tried to avoid talking about wedding dresses for as long as I could. Thankfully, my mom sensed my anguish and booked a trip to visit me in Chicago so we could go shopping for THE dress. We went to a few places, but we knew the search was over when I tried on the Esther dress at Vera Wang. We all cried (even our sweet bridal consultant!) and then celebrated with champagne and mini cupcakes. It was total redemption from our first experience and one of my favorite memories from wedding planning.

Describe your wedding flowers. We worked with Ian and Zoe at Botanica and they totally nailed it. I brought in pictures of loose, cascading bouquets and arrangements, but only had a vague idea of what colors I wanted. It was Ian’s idea to use more neutral tones for the ceremony and then pump up the color for the floral arrangements at the reception, which was in a rather monochromatic room.

We chose to have a first look. Those few minutes when it was just the two of us were the most peaceful moments of the whole day and a feeling I’ll remember forever. Even though we saw each other beforehand, nothing could have taken away the thrill of seeing him at the end of the aisle. It was the best of both worlds! Plus, we were much more relaxed in our pictures before the ceremony–after the ceremony, we were itching to get in there and celebrate with our friends and family!

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? We found out a few months before the wedding that there would be a huge evening festival in the same park where we were going to hold our ceremony. Thankfully, the music wouldn’t start until an hour after the ceremony, and the wonderful people at Botanica assured us that they could create a wall of greenery to stand between us and the event. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the wall created so much privacy that the ceremony felt much more intimate than it would have otherwise, festival or not!

To begin the ceremony, my cousin sang the praise and worship song “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman. Nick and I love the song and thought that it would set the ceremony off on the right foot. I chose “Dawn” from Pride and Prejudice to walk down the aisle to. I’ve always loved the book and the movie, and I thought it was a beautiful arrangement. Nick and I walked back up to aisle to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” We wanted something fun to let everyone know that the party had started!

We chose the Museum of Fine Arts with our guests in mind. Most of our guests were coming from out of town, so we wanted them to be able to enjoy their weekend without worrying about the logistics of driving, parking, and all that good stuff. The museum fit the bill of being close to a major airport, within walking distance of a ton of great restaurant and hotel options, and large enough to hold 180 people.

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? To me, being Southern is all about family and hospitality. To honor our families, we featured pictures of our parents and grandparents at the ceremony and cocktail hour, we chose my uncle to officiate our ceremony, he read out of a Bible that has been passed down from my great-grandmother, and we had our fathers and my grandfather come up during the ceremony to give a generational blessing. We got to keep the handwritten notes from my grandfather’s blessing, and they are among our greatest treasures. In all of the wedding plans, we tried to focus on being hospitable and throwing a party our guests would enjoy just as much as we did. We had custom corn hole boards set up during the cocktail hour and on the patio during the reception. We made sure all of the children felt welcome and entertained by including a box at their seats with a coloring book, an I Spy game, and some other fun goodies. And of course, the food was Southern! Our cocktail hour appetizers included blackened alligator, fried green tomatoes, and game sausage. Dinner began with a basket of cornbread at every table and included a shrimp and grits station. Our late-night snack was BBQ pulled pork sliders on sweet potato biscuits. We made sure our guests went home with full bellies!

We had a wedding cake (lemon cream cake with raspberry filing and simple buttercream frosting) and a late-night dessert bar of fried Oreos, Twinkies, and Snickers with raspberry sauce!

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Our love story didn’t start in a very romantic way–we met at his fraternity house during our sophomore year at the University of Florida. My friend had just finished an exam and was planning a low-key night in with her friend, Michael, and she invited me to tag along. Turns out, Michael was Nick’s best friend and fraternity brother (he even ended up being the best man at our wedding). Nick wandered into Michael’s room at some point during the night, we started talking, and we hit it off right away. We exchanged numbers and kept talking, even when I moved to Italy for a summer abroad. He asked me to be “official” from 5,117 miles away over Skype.
When did y’all get married? November 22, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 180
How did you plan for your marriage while planning your wedding? Nick and I tried to keep in mind that the real event was committing ourselves to each other in front of God, our friends, and our family. All of the other stuff was just icing on the cake. With that in mind, we tried to be conscious of how we dealt with each other during the process, because we knew we were setting the foundation for our marriage.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? We got really lucky with an incredible team of vendors, but I will say that we just adored Bryan and Tracey from Lucky Lemon Films. They really took the time before the wedding to get to know us as people, not just as a generic bride and groom, and to let us get to know them. Nick and I are both camera shy, but they made us feel so at ease. Their work is incredible and we really felt like they captured who we are in the wedding film they created. We can’t stop watching it!
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We are enjoying settling into our first home together in Gainesville with our dogs. 2014 was a hugely busy year for us, so we are taking it easy and cherishing our first year of marriage!

Photographer: Kristen Weaver / Videographer: Lucky Lemon Films / Planner: Nancy Cotto / Venue: St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts / Florist: Botanica / Cake Baker and Caterer: Olympia Catering / Rentals: Botanica / Lighting: Encore Lighting / Band: Brett Foreman Band / Paper Products: Invitation Consultants / Bride’s Gown: “Esther” by Vera Wang / Bride’s Accessories: BHLDN / Hair and Makeup: Rachel Reumann / Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Nordstrom / Groom’s Attire: J. Crew / Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Dog Sketch: DM Creative Studios

marissa Written with love by Marissa
6 Comments
  1. avatar Bridget reply

    What a delightful wedding. Her wedding ring is one of the prettiest I’ve seen.

  2. avatar Kristen Weaver reply

    I can’t say enough about how much I adored Ellie and Nick, and photographing their wedding was definitely an honor for us! They are a beautifully wonderful couple and I’m so happy to see her wedding published on Ellie’s favorite blog!

  3. avatar Michelle reply

    Wow, this place looks so amazing !

  4. avatar Kristin reply

    Where are the flower girl dresses from?

  5. avatar ashley reply

    Hi i was just wondering who the designer was for the bridesmaods dreses

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