This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a part of the wedding of Nicole and Austin, quite possible the most beautiful and obviously in love couple you’ve seen!  I always seem to luck out with the most amazing brides, gorgeous on the inside and out, and this time I really hit the jackpot because their families were equally amazing!!  (so much that I was tearing up during the father-daughter dance, and swapping hugs with the new ‘fam’ at the end of the evening!) 

Nicole is an aspiring wedding planner herself, so it was truly an honor to be entrusted with all the details of her stunning and uniquely personal wedding.  Nicole was inspired by her fiancé’s military uniform when designing her wedding, choosing a color palette of black, red, and gold.  The result was both elegant and dramatic. 

The bride and groom exchanged vows during a morning catholic ceremony at the historic Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa.  The bride wore a gorgeous fitted lace gown and the bridesmaids donned champagne silk tea-length dresses (with pockets!)  The groom and groomsmen all sported their military garb and looked absolutely amazing!  And the bride carried a bouquet of red calla lilies and white Peruvian lilies. 

Later at the reception at the Davis Islands Garden Club, the veranda was ready to welcome guests to the cocktail hour.  The walls were lined with miniature pictures of the bride and groom with each of their bridesmaids and groomsmen.  Hightop tables were crowned with bud vases of fresh-picked red garden roses.  And the photo booth was a huge hit with the guests. 

Inside, the guest tables were draped with black linens and adorned with a red stripe of rose petals (resembling the red stripe on the groom’s uniform pants), and centerpieces of clusters of floating candles and tea lights (the bride always envisioned a candlelit dinner at her wedding).  Each place setting featured gold charger plates and black napkins cradling guest favors of gold frames containing a special thank you message. 

One of the highlights of the evening was when the bride and groom cut their wedding cake using the groom’s saber.  Truly amazing!  And the cake was equally beautiful, decorated with white and red buttercream roses and topped with an onyx monogram and fresh rose petals. 

At the end of the night the bride and groom boarded the water taxi to take back to their waterfront hotel suite, before later flying to California.  Nicole and Austin, it was truly a pleasure meeting you, working with you, and sharing in your special day.  Thank you for welcoming me into your family during our time together.  I wish you the best of luck in your marriage together.  Love you!