Southern Weddings

Our entire office ewwed and awwed at this amazing wedding in Naples, Florida captured by the incredible {Jenna Walker Photography}.  For me, I loved the gown Jennie wore by {Monique Lhuiller}.  The lace brought out the elegance while the backless feature was glamorous.  Of course the bridesmaids looked terrific too in their dresses from {Priscilla of Boston}.  Other aspects that we loved about this wedding was the bamboo structure the couple married under on the beach.  The white linen flapping in the breeze is straight out of a dream! After the picture perfect ceremony, the couple led guests to the {Port Royal Club} for dinner and dancing.  Port Royal took care of the meal while {Kakes by Karen} baked the beautiful wedding cake.  The beautiful flower arrangements and the planning was taken care of by {50-Fifty Creative Services}.  To see more from this wedding pop over to Jenna Walker Photography {Blog}. 

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: We work at the same hospital in Cincinnati. We would pass each other in the hallways and make eye contact, but quickly turn away. I was told he was in a serious relationship so I gave up hope of pursuing anything further. It was quickly brought to my attention by a coworker that he was actually single, and before I knew it, I had his phone number in my hand. After dinner and wine with girlfriends I decided to give him a call. He actually did not answer but I left a message and he called back the same evening. The rest is history!!
Describe the proposal: We were in Bodega Bay California in May 2008, touring wine country with our best friends. Chris had not asked my dad for permission yet and little did he know that our phones would not have service where we were staying. We went to dinner in town one evening and he ended up climbing down the fire escape to a payphone, in which he finally got in touch with my father at 11pm. The next morning we woke up extremely early and went for a walk on the beach. It had previously been windy and cold with rough water, but this day it was beautiful and calm. We were talking about what a perfect day it was when he got down on one knee and proposed. At first I did not believe him, I thought he was joking until I saw the beautiful ring. There is no better place to celebrate a proposal than in wine country surrounded by vineyards.
What attracted me to my husband was: I absolutely love his curly hair and amazing style. It makes it easy when your husband loves to shop as much as you do. On our first date he had on cowboy boots, and from then on he totally had me.
Why do you love your husband? I love Chris because he is probably the most kind and generous person I have ever met. You instantly feel comfortable with him. He is not afraid to express his feelings. After three weeks of dating, he told me he was falling in love.
What attracted me to my wife was: My first attraction to Jenni was obviously her stunning looks, however once I got to know her I realized there was much more. Her caring and loving personality always puts me at ease. She allows me to be me. I can’t imagine my life with out her.
The weather on our wedding day was: We were blessed with beautiful weather the entire wedding weekend. We were able to share an amazing sunset with our guests during cocktail hour.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? I wanted soft, and romantic with natural candlelight. Our amazing visual designer came up with a “creamy dreamy” theme for the wedding. The bridesmaids dresses were perfect for a beach wedding with the flowing fabric and empire waist.
Favorite design element of your big day: I loved the bamboo arch with the draped fabric for the ceremony. The way the wind carried the fabric was beautiful.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I knew that I wanted something vintage inspired with lace. From the moment I put this dress on, I knew it was the one. I loved the open back detailing.
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were gorgeous. We had tall and short centerpieces filled with varying tones of cream, white , and blush flowers, with a small amount of green. They were full, soft, and elegant, and included hydrangeas, orchids,
ranunculas, sahara roses, eskimo roses, and cala lilies.
Describe your wedding cake: We had a three tiered vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting. It had dendrobium orchids cascading down. Our guests raved it was the best wedding cake they had ever tasted.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: We enjoyed our after party. Our planner made a lounge with oversized ottomans and white draped fabric outside. Just when everyone thought the evening was over we surprised them with a continuation of the party under the stars until 2am. It allowed us to make the absolute most of the entire day.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Standing back and watching the guest pack the dance floor. It was at that point that I knew everyone was truly enjoying themselves. We had the most amazing band from Atlanta called Complete Desire. As soon as they started playing, guests were instantly on their feet.
Scariest moment? Not knowing if my dad would be in Naples to walk me down the aisle on our wedding day. My dad was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer four weeks before the wedding and began chemo and radiation treatment immediately. I was not sure if he would be healthy enough to travel. Luckily he is such a positive man, and he stayed strong the entire trip.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: They always say to prepare yourselves for something to go wrong, but honestly our day was flawless.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Beautiful, Relaxed, and Unforgetable.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Live in the moment because it all comes to an end entirely to quickly.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We look forward to traveling and spending time being newlyweds. Then we hope to start a family.

Congratulations to Jenni + Chris.  We wish you the joy and happiness!