Sometimes, beach weddings are only classified into that category because of the venue and nothing else. So it’s nice to see a wedding like this that has embraced other elements, such as shells and starfishes, that is known to represent the beach. The decor, the entourage accessories (i.e ring bearer’s pillow) and specially, the cake are adorned with accents that matched the entire wedding. We also loved the pink and blue color theme and the groom’s cake shaped like a helicopter (in honor of his military background). Congratulations to our bride and groom!
Bride:
What do you think is the overall story for this album?
“Love is patient, love is kind.” I know everyone likes this verse, but I have a good story. We wanted a picture of our wedding rings in the spine of Groom’s deceased mother’s bible (her most prized possession) that with the right shadow, creates a heart. I wanted the rings to be in Songs of Solomon, but since it was in Spanish, we couldn’t find it. Heather flipped to this verse in 1 Corinthians and Groom’s mom had highlighted this verse. Furthermore, I am very impatient and it took me becoming patient before the Lord blessed me with Groom. He also had a nasty previous marriage and his patience and faith got him through it.
What inspired the wedding day outfits?
Groom is active military as are his groomsmen so we were able to save some money by them wearing their uniforms. I originally wanted sleeves, but my mom said try some strapless. So I decided I liked the sweetheart neckline. I always have liked lace and never wanted anything over the top–I didn’t want to be a robot on my wedding day. I found my dress on the first day after trying on about 10 dresses. My mom, sister, and best friend were with me and my mom’s expression sold me on my dress. It helped that it didn’t need much alterations! Since two of my bridesmaids were with me, they tried on dresses and agreed on the same dress. They all liked the idea of short dresses and loved the coral. It helps that it’s a dress they can hopefully wear again.
What was your favorite part of the day?
Having all our loved ones together and seeing their love, support, and joy
Was there any Do It Yourself (DIY) projects? If so, can you describe them in detail?
Oh yes, my sister and best friend helped quite a bit so when I say “I”, I meant “we”.
- I made a guestbook on Shutterfly with only a couple pages for guests to sign and the rest were pictures and stories of how our relationship evolved. I kept a journal since before I knew Jorge so I revisited what I wrote at the time.
- I made a 3 layer ribbon to go around the invitations and sealed it with a sand dollar
- I made a vase with sand and seashells for the sparklers and my sister made the bow. Also made a similar vase for Groom’s mom’s remembrance candle.
- I added matching ribbons and seashells to the baskets we used for programs, wish lanterns, and candle lighters as well as the “Sparkler Send-Off” chalkboard
- I made the flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows. After seeing many images on Etsy, I decided I could buy very basic stuff at Hobby Lobby and spice it up. Saved money and I was able to incorporate the same ribbon and seashells.
- We got custom labels for chapstick to use in our favors and glued mini starfishes to the back of the “Thank You” tags
- I am most proud of the Broquets we made after seeing this idea on Pinterest. We ordered personalized steins for the groomsmen (Groom served with all his groomsmen in Germany (except his brother-in-law) and stuffed a bunch of wooden dowels in them with mini liquor bottles, gum, advil, candy, beef jerky, cologne, and cigars taped/glued on. We put these in personalized backpacks with built in coolers with a flask and cans of coke.
What were the highlights from the ceremony and reception?
There was a rainbow for our ceremony and it had been raining the whole day prior plus the morning of our wedding
Was there a theme for the ceremony and reception?
We wanted a romantic beach theme
What part of the ceremony did you and your groom find the most memorable?
We both found the anticipation of me walking down the aisle most memorable as well as the end with the wish lanterns because things finally slowed down and we could take more in
Vendors
Photographer: Limelight Photography
Makeup Artist: Beautiful You Makeup & Hair Services
Event Planner: Confetti Events
Dress Store: David’s Bridal
Ceremony Location: Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort
Event Venue: Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort
Caterer: Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort
Floral Designer: Iza’s Flowers
Cake Designer: sweets by the bay
Paper Props: wedding paper divas
