Southern Weddings

Amy + Joe’s St. Augustine wedding included incredible black and pink details.  As we usually do, we investigated to find out who created them.  Well, we found out it was a family and friend affair.  Amy’s mom and cousins sewed the linens.  Amy’s dad was the “handy man” and created much of the furniture.  Joe’s mom and friends created the favors and some of the paper goods.  Lifelong friends of Amy + Joe’s worked on the flowers and a good friend made the cake.  If that wasn’t enough, many of the guests helped get the ceremony and reception sites together the day before.  Amy + Joe must have very amazing and talented family and friends.  The reception took place at {Llambia’s House}.  Amy + Joe hired videographer {Bob Zander} to film the joyous day.  Still want to know more about the sweetest song that Joe sang to Amy during the ceremony, well you can hear it on Scarlett Lillian’s blog {post} in the sideshow portion.  Check it out!

The weather on our wedding day was: Amazing! It drizzled a little while we were taking pictures, but that small amount of rain helped to cool off the temperature and give way to a gorgeous Florida fall afternoon.
Describe your wedding cake: A family friend makes delicious cakes, of which our absolute favorite is her chocolate cake. We knew from the beginning that we wanted her to make our cakes. The chocolate groom’s cake was actually the bigger of the two, but the wedding cake was amazing, as well! She only does wedding cakes as a hobby, but I just gave her the design concept, and she made the magic happen. They looked beautiful but tasted even better.
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Relationships are at the core of who we are as a couple – our family and friends are truly the most important things in our lives. One of the things we loved most about our wedding was looking around and seeing how all of the “details” were made more beautiful because of the family and friends who helped make them come to life. For instance, our close friend performed our wedding ceremony. Even though it was his first wedding, he did an amazing job. My dad is a master craftsman, and he was my “go-to” man for helping my wedding vision become reality. He handmade the centerpiece boxes, the pillars for our altar arrangements, frames for our monogram, in addition to many other “behind the scenes” items. My mom and cousin sewed the custom table toppers and runners out of the black and white fabric I purchased. Joe’s mom and friends helped in assembling the programs and favor bags. Many of our friends came to the reception venue Friday and helped us string lights, organize tables, assemble candles, drape fabric, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Lifelong family friends helped to assemble the reception flowers & bridesmaids bouquets. While “doing-it-yourself” had moments of stress, I could not imagine doing it any other way. As I looked around at our vision brought to life, I saw glimpses of the people we love most in this world, because their efforts were in the details. And that is quite possibly what made the “details” of the day so exquisite. Not the color coordination or creativity, but the love that was poured into them.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Planning a wedding from nine hours away presented it’s own set of challenges. Thankfully, my parents still live in Florida and helped with any details I couldn’t conquer from Nashville. I also planned pretty much everything by myself. The venue we chose had a fabulous wedding coordinator who helped tremendously with finalizing vendor schedules, rentals, and day of coordination, but all of the details were designed and implemented by me. With help from our friends and family, of course!
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? There were two, actually. Joe wrote and performed a song during the ceremony that he wrote for me, entitled “Soul Mate.” I don’t think there was a dry eye to be found, and I had to fight back what Oprah calls the “ugly cry.” I felt like we were the only two people around during those moments, and it is such a precious memory. The greatest thing is that we still have that song to remind us of all the happiness and love we felt that day. I will cherish it always. The second memorable moment was having my niece Allison as one of our flower girls. She was diagnosed with liver failure the previous fall, when she was just 3 months old and underwent a subsequent transplant operation in January 2008. Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous, and to have her in our wedding was an example of God’s faithfulness & blessings in our lives. Another reminder that no matter what comes our way as a married couple – our love for one another, our faith, and the support of our family and friends will help us weather any storm.
Scariest moment? We had our first dance upon our introduction to the reception. As our band, Sugar Bear, started to play the first chord of the song, the breaker was thrown, knocking out power to the kitchen and courtyard. The only downside to having a reception is such a historical venue. But true to form as the professionals they are, the band didn’t miss a beat and proceeded with an acoustic version of “Crazy Love.” We actually feel it was better that way – in one word, incredible. (And the power was restored within minutes.)
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Joyful, intimate, beautiful.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? I know it’s hard not to become wrapped up in all of the details, but remember to ENJOY your day. Especially if you are taking the DIY route. Give yourself a cut-off point that weekend as well. Mine was Thursday afternoon. After that point, I just focused on enjoying the festivities. Secondly, DELEGATE. If you don’t have an official wedding coordinator, find someone that you trust to be your “go-to” person. Be very clear and concise regarding your vision, and then allow them to carry it out. Utilize your friends and family that undoubtedly want to help you, and give them projects to work on – even if they are just small ones. It will save you a lot of time & sanity!
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration: “Enjoy every moment, and don’t sweat the small stuff – and by the way, it is all small stuff.” I have been in over twenty weddings as a bridesmaid through the years – I was bidding for the title of “always a bridesmaid.” After so many friends telling me they did not remember much from their wedding day, I made a conscious effort to drink in every moment, every laugh, every smile. There is honestly not much that I don’t remember from our wedding day. There were several things that didn’t go according to plan, but in the end, it didn’t matter. We both decided to celebrate the day for what it really meant – the beginning of a beautiful life together. We’re off to a great start.
Other details you want us to know about your wedding: Joe’s paternal grandmother is battling pancreatic cancer, and due to set backs with her chemotherapy, was unable to make the long trip for our wedding. Anticipating that she may not be able to travel, I asked her several months before the wedding to make some of her famous fudge as our favors. It was a great way to keep her a part of the happiest day of our lives. Everyone loved the delicious fudge!  (I’m happy to report that she is doing very well now.)

Congratulations to Amy + Joe.  We wish you a life full of love and happiness!

For all of us that were told “don’t marry a musician”, we have a reason as to why you should.  Not only, is Joe a handsome groom, but he just so happens to be in a band.  The band was playing a show in Jacksonville, Florida, and it was there that he met Amy. The two exchanged email addresses and from there bloomed a relationship that would eventually lead Amy to leave her native Florida to be with Joe in Nashville, Tennessee.  However, it was Jacksonville that will hold the title of where the two became engaged as Joe asked Amy on the spot where the two first met and exchanged those email addresses. For more of this couples sweet story we bring you to the ceremony. Joe, still passionate about music, surprised Amy with a sweet song written just for her during the ceremony.  Hello!  How romantic! This all took place at the {Oldest House} in St. Augustine with fab photographer {Scarlett Lillian} capturing it all.  More to come…

How did the two of you meet? Everyone always told me that I would meet “Mr. Right” in the moment and way I least expected. And that was exactly how it happened for Joe and I. I was attending a concert in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, and Joe was traveling with the band that was performing. We met, exchanged email addresses, and before we knew it, were diving head first in to a long-distance relationship. We dated for a year and a half before I relocated to Nashville. It was never how either of us thought we would meet our soulmate, but I suppose love really does find you in the places you least expect.
Describe the proposal: Joe completely surprised me by proposing at the exact spot where we met, surrounded by friends. It was absolutely perfect.
What attracted me to my husband was: His heart. The first thing I ever noticed about Joe was his genuine kindness towards others and his concern for other people. The first night we met, he treated complete strangers (not just this cute girl) with the same respect and kindness. In the years since then, that quality about him has not changed. He is the most giving, loyal, kind-hearted, genuine person I know.
Why do you love your husband? He balances me out and helps me to be a better version of myself. Not only does he challenge me in the serious areas of life, but he also helps me to not take life too seriously. He makes me laugh harder than anyone else can, and he is my best friend.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: There were a lot of great times, but I think we will always remember the 6-hour drives/plane rides we would make during the first year and a half of our relationship. Having a long distance relationship was challenging to say the least, but those roads we traveled, literally and figuratively, remind us every time we drive them of how far we’ve come. It’s a sweet memory that although it was difficult not living in the same town, when you believe in love, anything is possible.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: I flew to Florida for my first “wedding planning” trip, and squeezed in appointments at a few bridal shops in town. I really wanted my mom to go with me when I tried on dresses for the first time, although not really expecting to find a dress that weekend. Needless to say, the moment I put the dress on, I didn’t want to take it off. My mom & I looked at one another and said – “this is the one.” It was quite possibly the easiest part of the planning process!
How did you choose your wedding location/venue? Growing up just an hour away, St. Augustine has always been one of my favorite places. It only took one visit for Joe to love it as well. So when it came time to plan our wedding, we knew St. Augustine was the perfect town. We wanted our guests to fall in love with the city just as we had. It is, after all, the “Oldest City in America.” We would argue it is also one of the most enchanting. I had always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding & reception, and was beginning to think that having both in downtown St. Augustine would be impossible. We stumbled across the St. Augustine Historical Society and two of their venues fit our vision perfectly. The moment we walked in, we knew it was the spot we had been looking for. Our ceremony took place among the gardens of the Oldest House, along the cobblestone streets and just off of the Matanzas Bay. A few hundred feet away was the Llambias House, which was built in 1763. We had an outdoor reception under a canopy of trees, dancing the night away in the courtyard with lights twinkling above us. We shared the night with the people we cherish most, and it was as if we had our own private party in history’s back yard. Absolute perfection.

More to come from Amy + Joe!