Selecting the right vendors was essential, and they pulled together a great team.  Jenn Hopkins photography, www.jennhopkinsphotography.com, was a delight to work with, capturing such beautiful images of their gorgeous day.  Liz Stewart provided wonderful high and low centerpieces for the reception at The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra.

From their ceremony - one of the last to be held in the beautiful, historic chapel at Beaches Chapel in Neptune Beach – to their perfect toasts given by the maid of honor and co-best men, you could completely feel the love shared with their friends and family.

It was truly a pleasure to share this special day with them.  And I must thank my wonderful assistant, Tanya, and incredible intern, Lauren.  Without them it would not have been possible…especially since it was only two weeks before I delivered my second baby boy!

 Thanks to all the vendors who made their day special.

Ceremony location:  Beaches Chapel

Reception location:  The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra

Photography:  Jenn Hopkins Photography, www.jennhopkinsphotography.com

Floral:  Liz Stewart Floral Design

Band:  AFX Music, Paul Vesco Band

Cake:  Classic Cakes

Ceremony musicians:  First Coast Wedding Studios

Videographer:  Turner Classic

Congratulations Sarah and Brent!  We wish you and your families all the best!!!

Joyce and Craig celebrated their wedding on a gorgeous (although a bit windy) day at Jacksonville Beach.  The bride wanted to incorporate her favorite English garden colors through her floral selections while paying respect to the beach location with hints of shells throughout the decor.

Her simple clustered centerpieces added the splash of color she was looking for, with seashell embellishments wrapped around the mason jars.  In addition, guests were welcomed to their seats with Florida White Finger Starfish.

  And we couldn’t forget the popular sand dollar, which was displayed in the form of cookies on their colorful, playful candy buffet.  They quickly became a favorite among children and adults alike.

LanierStar photography, www.lanierstar.com, did an excellent job showcasing the whimsical display in the image below. 

It was a pleasure working with Joyce and Craig and all of their talented (and delightful) vendors.  Thanks so much to Y? Entertainment, www.youreventanswer.com, for keeping the party going with their wonderful DJ; the Cake Shop of San Jose, www.jaxcakeshop.com, for yet again another beautiful and delicious cake; The Floral Emporium II, www.floraemporium.com, for creating just what the bride was looking for in all her floral designs; and of course LanierStar Photography, www.lanierstar.com, for all the photography seen here and so much more.  It truly was a pleasure.

First, Jake decided to make all of their wedding-day signage which was placed throughout the site, informing guests how to get to the ceremony, cocktails, smore’s pit (more about that soon) and more.

 And after showing them a whimsical way to display escort cards, together we hand-crafted pinwheels with guests names and table numbers and tucked them down into a St. Augustine grass and moss decorated table displayed during the cocktail hour.

But that was just the start…we turned to Etsy to find specific vendors for custom barnwood photo frames for the table numbers, “Leaf a thumb print” tree guest book, handmade flower necklaces for the bridesmaids, and even the flower girl dresses.

We worked with each vendor to get just the look Tanya wanted and she knew it paid off when all her guests kept talking about the little touches.

Instead of handing out gift favors, Tanya and Jake decided to take advantage of one of the unique offerings that Palm Valley Gardens has to offer…a fire pit.  As the sun set, the fire grew off to the side and guests were invited to indulge their sweet tooth with all the makings of smores!!!  I have to say, they were a huge hit.

In addition, the fire added another romantic element to the night as guests cuddled up around the fire to watch others dance the night away with DJ David Hanscom of Y? Entertainment, www.youreventanswer.com.

 Photographer, Gene Bednarek of Silver Image Weddings, www.silverimageweddings.com, took so many amazing photos…I wish I could share them all.  Tanya and Jake were so excited with how everything came together.  They had such a beautiful wedding, and once again I just felt so blessed to be able to be part of their special day as I do with so many wonderful couples.  Congratulations Tanya and Jake!

We wish you so much happiness and joy!!! 

And a special thank you to all of their wonderful vendors and my amazing intern, Lauren Banks.  As always, I enjoyed working with each and every one of you!!! 

The next step was picking a natural color pallete of green and soft blue to compliment the beautiful landscaping and comfortable backyard feel.  But rather than picking one of the colors for their attendants, they dressed them in both.  The girl’s dresses were designed through Bella Bridesmaid.

Most importantly for them, they selected a photographer who would take their love of nature and showcase it throughout the wedding photography.  As you can see, Gene Bednarek of Silver Image Weddings, www.silverimageweddings.com, did an amazing job with that!

It was a day of perfect weather, great friends, amazing family and a whole lot of fun with DJ David Hanscom of Y? Entertainment, www.youreventanswer.com!  Tanya and Jake had so many special little touches that I just can’t wait to share…so look for part 2 of their story for those images and details.  Until then, I’ll leave you with two more sweet photos.  The cake shop of San Jose, www.jaxcakeshop.com, created their raspberry inlay and key lime flavored cake…yum!  And their beautiful get-away car, what can I say…gorgeous!

One of Forever Sacred’s very own brides is being featured as the SILVER IMAGE® iBride on the company’s Facebook page, providing tips on planning and working with vendors, etc.  Recently, we met with Tanya, her wonderful fiance Jake and her photographer Gene Bednarek, http://silverimageweddings.genebednarek.com,  for a pre-wedding walk-through at their wedding venue.  Her photographer really wanted to get an idea of what the couple was looking for regarding day-of photography, especially since they have many special details planned. 

While there, Gene took a few photos that really captured the couple and their love of nature, a huge component of their wedding-day details.  We hope you enjoy the sneak peak.  Make sure to look back after their March wedding for what’s sure to be even more beautiful photography.

Thanks, Carla!

 http://www.examiner.com/budget-weddings-in-gainesville/budgetyourwedding-q-a-with-wedding-planner-cheryl-abbott

The award recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and services within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 newlyweds.

Thank you so much to all of our past bridal couples who have given us such wonderful reviews.  We’re very grateful to have been part of your beautiful weddings and send just as much appreciation your way as you have to us by making us an award recipient.  We’re looking forward to servicing our 2011 couples with just as much enthusiasm, expertise and pure joy.  Thanks!!!

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s North Florida Affiliate is set to host its Miracles, Magic & Moonlight Gala on Saturday, October 23.  This is one of our favorite charities and we’re very excited to have one of our packages (valued at $200) available in the silent auction. 

The E-mail Advice package is perfect for anyone planning a wedding, special occasion, personal or corporate event, who’s pretty sure they have everything under control, but just want the comfort of knowing they have experienced help to rely on.  The package includes unlimited e-mail advice throughout the entire planning process, all the way up to the special event date.

As an added benefit, the valued price can be deducted from a larger, more-inclusive package if the winner chooses to purchase one at a later date. 

This year’s gala is in honor of Ronnie Van Zant and the Lynyrd Skynyrd family.  Please visit www.jdrfnorthflorida.org for more information regarding the foundation and its gala.

Hope to see you there!

So make sure to check out the silent auction Monday night at A Taste of Golf and thanks for your support.