Inside: A Dreamy Wedding In Florida

The Story

We met in high school at our local town gym. On our first date, he took me to a spot on the lake and we saw a shooting star that night. We’ve been inseparable ever since. We started dating April 15th, 2017 and Ryan proposed to me on April 15th, 2021. He told me we were doing something for our anniversary. We drove to Jupiter, Florida and he surprised me with going shark diving. Sharks and the ocean are my biggest fear but we did it and it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done but I had him by my side. He wanted to show me he was with me through all my fears. After we drove the boat back to the dock, he then proposed to me. There’s not a better feeling in the world than knowing you’re marrying your best friend. This was the start of our dreamy wedding in Florida.

My ring is a gorgeous cushion cut ring on a yellow gold setting with two hidden halos and a thin band. Ryan completely customised this ring with Sonu Company. We were their first engagement ring and now they have a Netflix show to showcase their engagement rings and how amazing they are to have a part of the proposal process.

Venue

We eloped and got married on April 15th, 2022 in Hawaii. We ended up canceling our first planned wedding because of some unfortunate family circumstances. Ryan and I wanted to have an intimate moment to ourselves. We were so happy to finally be married and spending it how we did was the most magical thing we could’ve done.

We had our dreamy wedding in Florida (Jupiter). When Ryan proposed to me on the dock after shark diving, there happened to be a venue a few docks over and that’s where we got married. Our venue felt special because of that reason. We thought it fit what we wanted perfectly. It was on the water, it was beautiful on the inside and everywhere had a lot of character. The five days prior to the wedding day, we had a joint bachelor party week with all of our bridal party and some of our other friends. We all got an AirBnb in Miami and partied until we couldn’t anymore. It was one of the best trips we’ve ever had and made so many memories with all our friends that feel like family.

The day before the wedding, we had a very non traditional rehearsal dinner. We had our bridal party and immediate family come over and we catered an Argentinian dinner from a restaurant called Peppo. We took photos and just spent time with friends and family.

Fashion

My wedding dress is from Lovella Bridal located in Glendale, California. The designer of my wedding dress is Berta. I had a few different designers in mind and when going to try on dresses, I really didn’t know what style I wanted. When I tried on A-line style dresses, I fell in love. I always knew I wanted some type of off the shoulder dress so when I tried on mine, I knew it was it was the one. I wanted to feel elegant and beautiful and that is exactly the way this dress made me feel.

I got my shoes from Bella Belle. I wanted something to match the exact design of my dress and a shorter heel. They were beautiful and matched my dress perfectly. Ryan got his suit customised with a company named Hive & Colony. He did an ivory suit with an ivory paisley vest and an ivory bow tie. His shoes and belt were Gucci.

Jewellery

I wore my engagement ring which was made by Sonu Company. My earrings were from Dareth Colburn. Ryan’s yellow gold diamond hoop earrings were from Ice Brothers.

Bridal Party

My maid of honor wore a dress from Birdy Grey in satin gold. I gifted her Dior Dway slides in gold to wear on wedding day. My husband’s Best Man and groomsman wore suits from a local shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ryan gifted his best man brown Gucci dress shoes to wear on wedding day.

Tablescape

Our florist was the best we could’ve asked for. He went above and beyond for us. Dalsimer Atlas did all of our flowers, candles, centrepieces, and sweetheart table. We had other companies help provide our linens, silverware, and other furniture. Our guest favours were homemade bridal cake pops by my sister in law.

Food & Drink

One thing we really wanted for this night was an amazing dinner for us and all of our friends and family. We upgraded our entree to surf and turf which was the best decision. It was amazing and everyone loved it. I had a Shirley temple with my dinner and Ryan had tequila.

Entertainment

At our ceremony we had a violinist and a cellist. For the groom and bridal party, the violin played Unthinkable by Alicia Keys. For the bride walking down the aisle, the violinist played Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez. Our first song we chose Before You by Benson Boone. For our reception, we had a lot of hip pop party songs. Our wedding was a younger crowd so we wanted music that was going to be fun for us and all of our friends. Our playlist for dinner was more R&B/Soul.

Beauty Regime & Wellness

I had an amazing glam team for my wedding day. My makeup artist name is Ferggie (bridebyferggie) and she made me feel so beautiful. It was the makeup I absolutely wished for, for the day of my wedding. When I had my bridal hair trail, I had no idea what I wanted. Amanda (amanda_tashelle) tried a few different hairstyles on me and my updo was everything I imagined with my dress. Everything complimented each other and I felt beyond beautiful. Jaimie (rich_in_beauty_) coloured my hair a week out from my wedding. She made it beautiful, healthy and shiny. She brought my dark hair dreams to life and gave me so much confidence that day.

Favourite Wedding Gifts

We didn’t make a registry or ask for any type of gifts from anyone but a lot of people left us cards with a cash gift in it which we appreciated so much. We did not expect to get anything like that at our wedding.

Honeymoon

Our dream destination is the Maldives. We’re taking a small break after the wedding since wedding planning was a lot but we’re planning to go soon in August.

Advice

Get a wedding planner!!! It helps a lot with stress especially if you don’t know a lot about what goes into planning a wedding.
Before getting too involved in the planning process, lay out what your top priorities are once it comes to where your budget goes.
If photo and video are your top priority, spend more of your budget on that rather than your food.