Southern Weddings

This beautiful Costa Rica Wedding at the {Buena Vista Villa & Casas at Tulemar Beach} was the picturesque wedding that both Edna + Brett wanted. We couldn’t agree more with the lovely flowers by Alvaro Ramirez Monge of Floristeria Cristal.  Edna + Brett thank their wedding coordinator with much help for making their wedding day possible.  With 61 guests from all over the world flying in and getting married in an area they were not fimilar with, {Tropical Occasions} was their saving grace.  Wedding cake by Sweet Constructions in San Juan.  Thanks again to {Beall and Thomas Photography} that shared this stunning wedding to us!

The weather on our wedding day was: Tropical!! We were on a beach in the rainforest. The day started out beautiful, rained right before the wedding, and then cleared as I arrived on the beach.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? We wanted a Tropical, Romantic theme. We worked with a Coordinator to select the soft lighting and colorful flowers.
Favorite design element of your big day: The flowers!!! I love orchids and they were everywhere! I loved the tall see-through arrangements. I wanted the height on the tables, but I didn’t want people to not be able to see across at one another. I thought the vibrant colors and soft lighting set off the night. We even had flowers and candles in the pool. I also loved that we used Antique Silver cake-cutters that matched my mothers’ silver pattern. Although the wedding was in Costa Rica, I still included some touches of home.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: It was a true hunt for the perfect dress! I wanted to shop in Chicago with my mother. Our bridal coordinator was a sweet lady who picked it and insisted I try it on.
My mom and I thought the dress was too intricate for a beach wedding. As soon as they clipped it to my body— my mom and I both knew it was “the one”. We knew it would work, as long as we could get it to Costa Rica!
Describe your wedding flowers: ORCHIDS! Pink, Dendrobium, Yellow, White. My bouquet was all white orchids with thick ivory silk ribbon and ivory silk organza.
Describe your wedding cake: The wedding cake had two layers covered in white chocolate fondant. The first layer was white chocolate velvet filled with a Pina-Colada Crème filling and the second layer was macadamia nut cake with Passion Fruit Crème filling.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? It was in COSTA RICA! We tried to take care of as many variables as possible—like bringing our own photographers—but we couldn’t have done it without them!!! We could not have done it without the talented duo!! They were there to capture everything from the zipline tour to the catamaran trip to the rehearsal dinner and wedding day!
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? We had so many little special traditions my mom and Brett’s mom snuck in there. Our families are both truly wonderful. We chose Costa Rica over Thanksgiving because we are so blessed to have them. Brett’s family put on a true variety show at the rehearsal dinner. Brett’s mother, Janis, an Opera singer, sang the French love-song she used to
sing to Brett’s father, Jerry while he was in Vietnam, and also learned a beautiful Spanish love song. Brett’s brother Kirk sang our favorite cute love-song and added a few special “home-made” verses!
Also, Brett’s sister Julie and her husband Jason wrote us a very special poem. But, I must say my favorite tradition would be when my mom and dad gave Brett the original Gold Coin. My mom is from Honduras and my grandparents told my father that although my mother (Antonieta) was not a wealthy girl, and came with no dowry, they would be honored if he would accept an old Gold Coin that had been in the family. Since my father died when I was a little girl, it was very touching for my dad (step-dad) Bob to present the gift to Brett. I am very fortunate to have not only had an amazing father, but also the most loving step-father a girl could ask for!! (also lucky because their first names are the same!)
Funniest moment? The Exit…We left as our guests held a veil of sparklers above us with me in my beautiful Ivory silk wedding gown and Brett left in an orange towel!
Hardest decision you made in planning? Deciding that we should forgo the Hometown Wedding. We both come from large families in a close community and we have many dear friends. If we were to have the wedding in Maryville, it would easily be larger than either of us really wanted (or could afford!) All of my friends that had big hometown weddings spent so much time and money stressing and planning. Brett and I just wanted to enjoy our day—not spend time stressing.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: Thank goodness you limited this question to just wedding DAY….we had a 7 day adventure so everyday brought something unexpected! On the actual day…I would say seeing my father-in-law and my father jump into the swimming pool with all their clothes on was totally unexpected.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Soft, Romantic, and Tropical.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? 1) Do NOT plan an overseas destination wedding without a Travel Coordinator, a Wedding Coordinator, and lots of flexible guests! I have a new appreciation for school teachers taking children on field-trips. When we started following the wedding agenda on the 3rd day— I was relieved because our Wedding Coordinator stepped in and took care of all the counting. 2)Take it all in! Even if the details get annoying (and they will)– it will all be worth it in the end. The day really is special, don’t rush it!
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. “May God Continue to Bless You” that was told to me in English, Spanish, and Portuguese! Since we planned our wedding over a Thanksgiving holiday, that really captured the theme.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding? Since we went to Costa Rica, everyone that attended was very special to Brett and I. I was very touched at the guests that came from London, Brazil, and everyone that braved the trip down to the tropics. But I was most honored when I got a surprise appearance from my Grandmother from Honduras (she is 86). She brought 11 of my Honduran family members with her and the fact that she came brought me to tears.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are both extremely busy—so our next step is to keep-on- keeping-on! Neither of us has ever been away from home or work for more than 3 days FOR ANYTHING, so leaving for 11 days do get married AND go on our honeymoon left us both playing catch-up. We are looking forward to our next vacation (this time WITHOUT 61 other guests!). We enjoy vacation time when we can get it— but this time we are going to travel alone!!
Favorite inspirational blogs or sites (if any): {Beall and Thomas}, {Wedding Window}, {The Knot} and {Southern Weddings}.

Congratulations to Edna + Brett. May God continue to bless you each day!

Ever thought about planning a wedding in Costa Rica?  Well, Edna and Brett did and it turned out just what they wanted tropical and romantic. The two married at {Buena Vista Villas & Casas at Tulemar Beach}. They had the ceremony on the beach that was complete with music by Los Tres Caciques.  The ceremony was just what Edna + Brett wanted however, it wasn’t completely legal.  Read on to hear how they handled it and why it pays to have a Tennessee Mayor at your wedding.  More to come with this beautiful photography by {Beall and Thomas Photography}.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: Both hailing from active Maryville, Tennessee families and being Maryville High School graduates, there was always a few degrees of separation between us. We never met until much later, but our paths seemed destined to cross. I went to MaryvilleHigh School with Julie (Brett’s sister) and Brett was the same age as my step-brother. We both graduated from Maryville
High School (he six years ahead of me) and went on to pursue higher education and start our careers. One night after Brett finished a hard day at work and was checking his email, a message from his manager arrived announcing that his team had just hired a specialty product representative. The email went on to highlight that this new hire (a female) had experience working overseas and now would be working with the East Tennessee team. Brett called the number on the email and scheduled to meet her the following morning. “When she got out of the car, I knew I was in trouble,” said Brett. He spent the rest of the day working with me and by the end of the afternoon, we discovered how close we had been to meeting each other at other times. My dad operated on both his parents, Brett and my step-brother knew each other in high-school, and I was his sister’s Spanish 3 partner. Over the following weeks, Brett and I reminisced about growing up in the same community. After Brett got the boss’s blessing, we started dating. When Fall came, Brett took me horse-back riding on his parents’ Belgian Draft Horse Farm. At one time, Cunningham Farms raised over 25 Belgian Draft Horses and specialized in Carriage Rides and old fashioned farming with horse-drawn machinery. When we were leaving the barn, we both suddenly noticed a newspaper clipping on the barn billboard. It was a faded yellow picture from The Daily Times back in 1985 (our local Newspaper). In the photograph, Brett is driving a team of Belgian Draft Horses pulling a cart and family. In the photo, I am standing on a bale of hay while Brett is driving. We got engaged a few weeks later over
Thanksgiving.
What attracted me to my husband was: He is one of the most playful people I know—but he is also the first to take the shirt off his back and give it to someone in need. He is generous to a fault and is not afraid to sacrifice for causes he cares about. He can also make you laugh so hard your tummy will hurt for weeks. Did I mention- he’s not bad looking either??
Why do you love your husband? Because there is no one else for me. He has a softer side he hides under his mischievous armor.
What attracted me to my wife was: My husband said he now has to turn in his “Man” card for doing more wedding crap after being married! Best answer he could give “Her fiery Latin side.”
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Our first trip to Costa Rica. Brett had never been in Latin America before! We found a long weekend to getaway. We both had a blast!
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: The design of the actual ceremony. We had to have a tent at the last minute due to weather, but each seat was decorated with a beautiful wedding program, a cone of beautiful small tropical orchids, and a champagne bubble blower! We also had a beautiful table with our special Unity Candle and orchids to represent the loved-ones in our lives that could not make it. Even just after the rain, it looked beautiful!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Getting our hair, nails, and make-up done! I loved spending time with my incredible wedding party and the other ladies on our trip. We turned the wedding day into a day of pampering! It was so much fun not only to be with all my ladies—but also to see the transformations! We had such a blast that day.

Scariest moment? I had two scares in one day! The first scariest moment was right before it miraculously stopped raining! I was so scared of walking over the bridge with my dad in the rain! I was so thankful when it finally stopped completely when I got out of the car. Then, I got even more scared after my dad announced that since the wedding in Costa Rica was just Ceremonial, he didn’t feel comfortable with me going on our honeymoon. At that point, my father-in-law jumped up and married us again! Twice in one day! The laws had just changed and the Costa Rican weddings were not considered legal anymore. Thankfully, Brett made me go with him to the courthouse before we left the country to get a marriage license. Since his father Jerry is a Mayor, he could marry us all over again!

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/ verse/or line? We did not write our own vows per-se- but we worked with Friar Jorge (our Celebrant) to create a blend of vows that focused on our unique wedding and love for each other. When Brett’s dad married us again that night, we used traditional vows.

More to come from Edna + Brett!