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Author: Katharine

We loved the jewel-tone palette Ashely + Paul incorporated into their intimate ceremony, but have to say the pops of blue – from the groom’s blazer to the handmade straws – made us fall in love with this Florida wedding all over again. For assistant textile buyer Ashley, the blue fabric swatch-inspired escort cards could not have been a more perfect – or Southern! – touch to their Palm Valley Gardens celebration. Another detail we love? Lori Parker’s rustic blooms are a spot-on complement to the burlap table runners, designed by planner Jennifer Corrente. For a sweet ending to their Florida nuptials, the newlyweds treated guests to a do-it-yourself s’mores station. Umm, yes, please? Hugs to Jenn Hopkins Photography for brightening up our Monday!

Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I knew what style and fit I wanted, and fell in love with two beautiful gowns. I went back and forth to each boutique twice before making my decision. I ended up choosing a lace, fit-and-flare Legends by Romona Keveza gown because of the unique neckline, and I could not have been more thrilled with my decision!
Describe your wedding flowers: I had so much fun picking out the flowers. My florist was able to bring out the garnet and gold of the bow ties and add some cotton bolls from her own family farm! We also avoided using plain glass vases and opted for Mason jars wrapped in birch wood to keep with the rustic feel of the day. I wanted my bouquet, however, to be classic, white and beautiful, and it was.
Describe your wedding cake: It was Funfetti with garnet and gold sprinkles!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Only being able to invite a small group of friends. It was such a wonderful day for us, and we wished we could have invited everyone!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The father-daughter dance. My step-dad married my mother when I was just five-years-old, and he has been my father every since. We had a friend of ours play “He Didn’t Have to Be” by Brad Paisley. It was the most emotional moment of the night.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? We are spending our first years of marriage in New York City! We are loving this experience of trying new things and making new friends, and doing our best to bring the South to the big city!

Written with love by Katharine
5 Comments
  1. avatar Whitney Hall reply

    I love this wedding! I was wondering where the straws pictured above were found. I am looking for some of that nature for my June wedding! :) Thanks!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Whitney! I love those straws, too! I actually wrote a post about a few of my favorite sources to find them here: http://tinyurl.com/4438zev I hope that helps!

  2. avatar Anne Markey- Charlotte Wedding Planner reply

    Great details! Love the escort cards – I am a sucker for great fabrics!

  3. avatar Swatch Switch « Nick and Nora Getting Married reply

    […] swatch escort cards are such a cute idea! A really fun wedding overall; make sure to click through for […]

  4. avatar Floral Cotton reply

    Very pretty! Thanks for sharing this!

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Wed in sunny Florida’s Palm Valley Gardens, Seminole sweethearts Ashley and Paul made sure their beloved Florida State’s garnet and gold made a fashionable showing at their big day. The groom paired his spirited bow tie with the bride’s Badgley Mischka heels for a rich, jewel-tone palette. A+ for school spirit, y’all! Ashley donned a Romona Keveza gown and toted a monochromatic bouquet by Lori Parker to contrast her maids’ colorful blooms and Alfred Sung frocks. Photographer Jenn Hopkins was standing by to capture every detail of the outdoor ceremony, planned by Jennifer Corrente.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story. We attended the same small high school and both went to Florida State University, but at different times, so had never met. We even lived in the same neighborhood! Paul and I finally crossed paths when he and my step-dad were playing golf together. They played together a lot, but this time I was actually home from school to meet him. (My step-dad apparently had been trying to put this together for quite some time). We ended up spending an afternoon playing golf, which was followed by dinner, and we’ve been together ever since. Sometimes father does know best.
Describe the proposal. It was game day in Tallahassee. Paul and I drove in to watch our Florida State Seminoles take on the Boston College Eagles. The day went by and the Seminoles won, which was nothing out of the ordinary, but, later at dinner, Paul asked if I would like to walk around campus since he hadn’t seen it in a while. We went over to Wescott Fountain, where Paul informed me that his grandmother had a brick laying on the ground with her name on it. As we searched, I turned to look at him, and there he was on his knee with his grandmother’s ring in a box asking me to marry him. What was even more special was that his cousin was hiding in the bushes and made sure to catch this special moment on camera.
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Romantic, rustic and God-centered.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: I have three. We moved to NYC after the wedding, so my Grandfather performed “New York, New York” at the reception for us as a going-away song. Another detail that meant a lot to me was having a locket my grandparents had given me wrapped into my bouquet. They passed away when I was in high school, and I wanted to make sure they were still a part of this special day. And lastly, one of our friends from Bible study is a worship singer, and he sang “Here We Are to Worship” during the ceremony for our first communion as husband and wife, and it was wonderful for those in attendance to be able to take part in this act of worship.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Only in the South could you have an outdoor wedding in February. The weather could not have been more perfect. We also made sure to put cotton and Mason jars everywhere! And of course, we had to incorporate our college colors (garnet and gold) into our overall theme. Go ‘Noles!

Written with love by Katharine
14 Comments
  1. avatar Megan reply

    Her dress is one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen!!! It’s very romantic, and the bride looks absolutely gorgoeus. The wedding pictures are lovely, as well; I am a big fan of the sapphire blue dresses with nude heels!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Megan! I have to agree! Ashley’s dress was what first caught my eye in this wedding. I love that it has little sleeves, and the neckline and back are gorgeous!

  2. avatar Lisa reply

    Absolutely stunning! I love the punchy colors, the bride’s beautiful dress, and their cute program! Can’t wait to see part 2! :)
    Hope y’all are having a great Monday morning!
    Lisa

    • avatar Laura reply

      What is the style number for this gorgeous wedding dress??!! It’s just fabulous!

    • avatar Ashley reply

      Laura: My Dress is a Legends by Romona Keveza Style # L854 from their Fall 2009 Bridal Collection. I loved it! I hope you are able to find it.

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  4. avatar Jenny reply

    ABSOLUTELY PERFECT Ashely <3 I mean we expected nothing less!! LOVE the colors and LOVE the photography!

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If Lara hadn’t just replenished my office candy supply with Easter goodies galore, I’d be jonesing for a major sugar fix right about now. Sarah boasted the highlight of their festive reception at the Belle Meade Plantation had been the lavish dessert bar, and she wasn’t kidding! Dessert Designs provided the three-tiered confection that doubled as the couple’s wedding cake and the sweet spread’s main event – yum! Emily loves the fact that Sarah + Tyler wed in a real life horse barn and celebrated in the adjoining carriage home, complete with hay bales and mounted bridles. (I’ll spare you the obvious bridle/bridal pun, because I’m awesome like that.) Hats off to photographer Brion Hopkins for this rustic Tennessee wedding!

Describe your wedding flowers: My bouquet was filled with narcissus, white sweet peas, star of Bethlehem and blue privet berries, surrounded by magnolia leaves and tied with a striped burlap wrap with pearl buttons. I adored it! To me, it was an ideal mix of earthy/elegant, high/low elements.
Describe your wedding cake: Our wedding cake was just one item on our dessert table, which included cookies, carrot cake cupcakes (Ryan’s favorite), caramel and candy apples (my favorites), bags of caramel corn and horseshoe-shaped chocolates, so we chose a relatively small three-tiered cake. The cake was covered in ivory fondant icing and decorated with a simple sugar magnolia.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Finding time to do everything! Ryan and I both have busy careers, and, I admit, I’m a bit of a control freak, so I did not exactly delegate any wedding planning tasks. I do not, however, regret any of the countless hours I spent shopping for perfectly mismatched accessories for the bridesmaids, scouring antique stores for picture frames to turn into chalkboards, rubber stamping burlap sacks to hold dessert table treats, etc., because our wedding truly reflected our personalities and style. Plus, I actually enjoyed every moment of it!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Aside from saying our vows to one another, my favorite moment was walking down the aisle with my father. The stables looked almost magical, I was surrounded by my family and closest friends, and I was moments away from marrying the man of my dreams. I remember thinking, “This is the happiest day of my life.” Ryan says that his most memorable moment is when he first saw me in my wedding dress. Yeah, he’s a keeper.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? Yes, we wrote and memorized our own vows, and did not say or read them to one another until the ceremony. My favorite line from Ryan’s vows to me was his opening: “For years you were just a dream and a prayer. Now that I have you, I will never let you go.” Ryan’s favorite verse was when I said, “Where you go, I will go. Who you become, I will become the complement.” We’ve placed our vows at the very front of our wedding album and plan to repeat them to each other every year on our anniversary.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? Right now, Ryan is interviewing for his fellowship in hematology/oncology, so it is exciting to see what possibilities that will bring. Other than that, I’m hoping to start referring to myself by my married name on a more consistent basis. Some habits die hard, I suppose!

Written with love by Katharine
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