Southern Weddings

Lindsay + Brantley wanted to wow their family and friends as they went from cocktail hour at the {Carlouel Yacht Club} to the reception on a beach. I have to say they succeed. Can you say amazing to the tent? I can. The fabric and draping of the tent was so well done and was quite a transformation from the traditional church ceremony. With the colors of raspberry, coral and mango, I think Lindsay really brought a joyous twist to this Florida wedding. Got to love the raspberry bridesmaid dresses from {The Droom}. This terrific event was planned by Shannon Wilson over at {Table 6 Productions} and the tent was from {U.S. Tent Rental}. The marvelous event deign and decor was produced by the team at {ConceptBAIT}. Paper goods were made by Amy Willoughby at {Not From A Box}. Wedding cake by {Chocolate Pi}. Thanks to Shannon from Table 6 Productions and Rebecca from {Limelight Photography} for sharing this fantastic wedding with us. Check out more shots on the Limelight Photography {Blog}.

*Editor’s note: Lindsay is the talented mind behind {Switchflops}. Check out the photo of the flip flops below that have straps that can be switched out to create multiple flip flop options.

How did the two of you meet? Tell us your story: Brantley and I met through a mutual friend. It didn’t take us many dates to know we wanted to be together forever.
Describe the proposal: On Saturday January 26th, 2008 Brantley had planned on a surprise dinner date. Knowing that we typically don’t decide on our dinner plans until last minute, I knew right away something was up. We arrived at Dominic’s Capri, which happened to be one of my favorite restaurants. After a fantastic meal and great vintage wine, out came two champagne glasses. I started drinking my champagne and I quickly realized there was a beautiful diamond ring in the bottom of my glass. All of the sudden, Brantley got down on his knees and asked me to marry him. At that point the entire restaurant was looking at us, which made us very nervous! Of course, I said yes, and the rest was history.
What attracted me to my husband was: I was attracted to Brantley the moment I met him. He had a sparkle in his eye that I could not resist. The more I got to know him; I realized he was my perfect match. He is extremely giving, motivated, and very supportive of me. He can handle any social situation and is my perfect complement.
What attracted me to my wife was: I was attracted to Lindsay as soon as my good friend introduced me to her. She was the most beautiful girl, inside and out that I had ever seen and met and from the moment I started talking to her. She also reminded me of my mother!
The weather on our wedding day was: The morning of our wedding day was gorgeous. In the afternoon a cold front came through, which brought a little bit of rain during our ceremony. However, this is thought of as good luck. Immediately following the ceremony, the weather cleared up and it was a beautiful night.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Designing my wedding was a lot of fun because I had never thought about my wedding day before I was engaged so I went in with an open mind. After we found our location we realized that we wanted to use the inside room of the yacht club for cocktails and have the main party on the beach under a spectacular tent. We wanted to create a wow effect walking from the cocktail hour to the lit up tent on the beach. I chose Raspberry, Mango and Coral as my color scheme, which really helped us crate a magical look. I would categorize my wedding as being elegant with a fun twist!
Favorite design element of your big day: I would have to say the ceiling draping of the tent with lighting and the flowers! These two elements made my wedding very magical.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress: Believe it or not, I purchased the third wedding dress I tried on. On a Saturday afternoon about 7 months before the wedding my mom, my mother-in –law and my grandmother were on a mission to find the dress. Our first stop was Malindy Elaine’s couture boutique in St. Pete, Florida. I started trying on dresses and on my third try I walked out in beautiful Melissa Sweet dress. All the sudden my grandmother my mom and my mother-in-law started to cry. They told me that I looked like a princess. At that point I realized that I had found the dress! It was a priceless moment.
Describe your wedding flowers: We had three different types of arrangements all within my color scheme. One was a tall glass cylinder overflowing with flowers. The second was a rose topiary and the third was a variety of mixed size vases filled with flowers. The combination of all three really created a beautiful effect.
Describe your wedding cake: Thinking about my wedding cake makes me hungry! It tasted so good but was also esthetically pleasing. We chose a raspberry framboise, which went, along with our colors. It was a 6-tiered cake with a custom design that matched my wedding dress. It also included an M monogram, which we just loved.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? The biggest challenge we had to overcome with so many people at the wedding was making sure there were no lines for food or drinks.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? When we arrived to the yacht club from the church they had a golf cart waiting to take us down to the beach for pictures. Brantley and I jumped on the cart and drove on the boardwalk down to the beach. The first thing we saw was the tent! Seeing the tent all done with no one in it was a moment I will never forget. We were both in awe.
Scariest moment? I would have to say walking down the aisle in front of 450 people!
Funniest moment? Having to call a family friend to come help my dad put his bowtie on right. Getting the bowtie on right was more of a challenge then putting on my wedding dress.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: We planned our wedding date around all the Florida college football teams but we never expected that the Tampa Bay Rays would be in the playoffs the same night.
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase/verse/or line? No, we did not write our own vows. However, our favorite moment was the enthusiasm when I said, “I will!” Everyone started laughing. It was the perfect icebreaker.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Be proactive. Do as much as you can upfront so that tasks don’t lurk up and overwhelm you at the last minute. Enjoy every moment because it will all be worth it!
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration. When Reverend Father John Hiers told us at the reception that he had never heard two people recite their vows with so much enthusiasm in all of the thirty years he had been marrying couples.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future? As of right now, both of us a focusing on our careers. We are looking forward to traveling more and just enjoying being with each other.

Congratulations to Lindsay + Brantley. We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Happy Monday y’all!  We all just returned from nearly a week away from the office, so we’re busy bees today!  We will have a full re-cap of our week shortly.  For now, here is a gorgeous FL wedding for you…

A beach proposal led to a beach wedding, complete with fireworks, a pool party and a full moon! After falling in love with Islamorada, Florida, while vacationing there for Maxine’s 24th birthday, the couple decided to wed at the {Southern Diversion House}.  Maxine planned the wedding from her home in New Jersey.  Those that helped make it a success: Photography by {Dinofa Photography}.  Catering and Planning by {Debbie Pierog}.  Flowers by {Floral Fantasy}.  Bridesmaids’ dresses, Bride’s dress and accessories from {Bridal Garden Marlton}.

How did the two of you meet?  Joe and I attented Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey and we had the same group of friends.  We spent some time together there, but were never a couple.  I was home from college for winter break and we ran into each other at a local Irish pub.  We spent the entire night talking and listening to music. From that point on we were inseperable. I transferred home from WVU to attend college locally. We dated for four years before he popped the question in Cape May, New Jersey.
Describe the proposal:  Joe planned a weekend in Cape May, New Jersey in late August. We spent the day relaxing on the beach and bike riding.  Later in the evening we had a great dinner and listened to a live band at an outdoor pavilion in the center of town.  Because it was such a warm night, we decided to take a walk on the beach.  Joe got down on one knee, in the sand, and asked me to be his wife. 
What attracted me to my husband was:  His sincere kindness and loyalty. He is an old fashioned kind of guy.
Why do you love your husband?  I love that we enjoy doing similar things.  We both love being active and traveling. He definitely inspires me to be a better person.
What attracted me to my wife was: Definitely her personality. Maxine is such a happy person and she has a huge heart.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember:  Our very first dinner date. We ate at an Italian restaurant and then spent hours drinking wine and talking about life.
The weather on our wedding day was:  Better than perfect.
What was the design inspiration for your wedding? Nautical. A lot of navy and white. There were anchors placed on our napkins and on the front of the invitations.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress:  I knew as soon as I put on my wedding dress it was perfect for our day. It has the simplicity that I was looking for, while still having some modern design to it.  I wanted a gown that wouldn’t make me look overdone for a day wedding on the beach.
Describe your wedding flowers: Beautifully simple. White and blue hydrangeas for all of the girls to hold and tall white center pieces in clear vases.  At the bottom there was a white piece of coral sitting on a few stones to hold them down.  There were thin branches that were reaching up from the bottom.
Describe your wedding cake:  It was a key lime flavored cake and it was delicious. It had blue flowers with white beaded icing along the edges and there were very discrete sand dollars on the sides. 
Our favorite detail of the wedding was:  We had fireworks set off on the dock over the water.  It was a last minute plan that worked out really well.  Fireworks can really help get people in the mood to celebrate.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding?  Planning it from home in New Jersey.  I couldn’t see any of the details.  I had to try to describe what it was specifically that I was looking for constantly to vendors.  I was so scared that someone that I had hired over the phone wouldn’t show up that day. 
Were there any special family traditions you included in the wedding?  Just dancing and having a good time. Our families have been good at that for a long time.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My maid of honor gave a wonderful, heartfelt speech and each guest was holding a tall sparkler around a bonfire.  When she was finished she closed with, “everyone raise their glasses and a sparkler to Maxine and Joe Daniels”.  Right then everyone lit there sparklers and the entire area lit up.  In the background Bob Marleys “Could you be Loved?” was playing.  I have never felt happier or more loved.
Scariest moment? Watching all of the guests arrive from upstairs in the house.  I just kept hoping that I didn’t forget anything and that everything would go well.
Funniest moment?  A bridesmaid and the best man “cannon balled” into the pool together. It was not really that funny at the time, but we laugh a lot about it now.
Hardest decision you made in planning?  Location. I could not decide which warm destination would be best for us and our families. Then we found ourselves in Islamorada for my 24th birthday and we loved it.  It is just so relaxed and serene.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was:  There was a full moon and it just happened to be the brightest full moon of the entire year!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: Happy, exciting, and fun.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding?  Hire help! It’s a lot of work, but if you don’t work hard to make it great, you will regret it after.
Best advice or most memorable comment someone made to you during the wedding celebration: I was mingling and someone turned to me and said, “There are people swimming in the pool!” I wanted to run over there full speed, but my gown slowed me down a lot.
Who was your most honored guest at the wedding?  We were so grateful that so many of our loved ones were able to travel so far to share the day with us.  All 65 guests were cherished that day. Grandparents are always great to have around.
What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future? Finish school, travel, and start a family.
Any DIY items? I created sand dollar Christmas ornaments with satin ribbon and detailed each one with the wedding date and our names and I used shells as seating cards.

Congratulations Maxine and Joe!