I had the pleasure of meeting Christina and Brandon a few months ago.  They had their venue, San Marco Preservation Hall, booked – and knew they HAD to have MoJo BBQ for the reception!  Christina also had some ideas on decorations, but needed help pulling everything together.

Having both ceremony and reception at San Marco Preservation Hall meant that we needed to bring in everything we needed for the reception – tent, tables, chairs, linens, service staff, and everything in between.

We called Kirby Rental to handle most everything we needed, and booked service staff from Hospitality Staff.  Since February weather is so unpredictable (especially this year!), we rented outdoor heaters from Rollin’ Ritas, and we certainly were glad we did when the wedding day high was 52 degrees!

Christina wanted an upscale-barbecue feel for the reception, so we chose brown pin-tuck linens with celedon green napkins.  Her centerpieces were adorable – Mason jars filled with succulents created by the bride, and fresh, loosely arranged flowers by Anything With Plants.

Christina and Brandon didn’t want the traditional DJ and dancing that we see at most receptions, so they opted to have their favorite trivia host provide entertainment.

The cake fit their lemon theme perfectly – Classic Cakes created a lemon cake with fresh raspberry filling that was to die for!

Photographer Kristen Barger captured all the wonderful images – we can’t wait to share more.  Congrats to Christina and Brandon…

We are so thrilled that Lauren and Jeff’s wedding was featured in the latest issue of Jacksonville Magazine Bride.  Click the image below to see the digital version of the magazine.

It’s been an amazing year here at First Coast Weddings and Events.  As we say farewell to 2009, here is a look back at a few of our amazing brides and grooms that were married this year.

Photography credits, clockwise from top left: Agnes Lopez Photography, Photography by Nikki, La Dolce Vita Studio, Photography By Nikki, Kris Graham Photography

We just saw the adorable video highlights from Jennifer and Karl’s wedding at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Spa!  Thanks so much to Together Studios! Click the photo below to view the video:

I love getting mail, especially when it is a comment card from a wedding!  I received this lovely feedback from the mother of the bride following Lindsay and Erik’s October 10th wedding:

Coordinating plans between Chicago and Jacksonville really required anticipatory guidance, etiquette guidelines, advice and recommendations to keep us on course. Heather did a FANTASTIC job! The best help was the wedding day – we could leave everything to her and her assistant Emma.  I didn’t relax until then.  I will highly recommend her.

Heather responded promptly and professionally to all our phone calls and emails.  She was pleasant, calm, and helpful, and very accommodating  My daughter and I are very detail oriented and Heather was knowledgeable about all the specifics during our discussions.  That was very reassuring!

I have to preface this post by saying I did not coordinate this wedding.  I was instructed to be a guest, and I tried my hardest!  Celeste is my oldest cousin, and couldn’t have been happier that she chose our hometown of Orlando for her wedding.  But when she announced it would be at Walt Disney World, it was even better!

Mike and Celeste both have a long history with the mouse, and since they were engaged at Disneyland it was only fitting that they say “I Do” at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion.  After a perfect ceremony with the Florida sun gleaming off Cinderella’s Castle, we boarded buses to the reception at EPCOT.

Cocktail hour was hosted at Italy’s Isola, a small island overlooking the World Showcase Lagoon.  The view at sunset was beautiful!  And what entertainment – pop sensation Taylor Dane was performing next door.

We were escorted in to the American Adventure Rotunda for a scrumptious Southern-inspired dinner of pork medallions, mashed sweet potatoes, and green beans.  Celeste and Michael had chosen an orange theme (the fruit, not the color) – each table was named with an orange-crate label, and the centerpieces were stunning glass vases filled with sliced oranges.  Each lady received an orange pashmina on the back of her chair – which would come in handy shortly.  Mickey, the “Mouse of Honor,” even made an appearance and posed for photos with the guests.

After dinner, we went back outside to Isola for dessert – and to watch the Illuminations fireworks/laser show!  What an amazing ending to the evening.

But the highlight for me was the incredible “first dance.”  You see, Michael has a broken foot.  So since he wasn’t able to “dance,” the newlyweds came up with a great alternative:

(I’ll probably get in trouble for posting this, but hey, that’s what family is for)

Be sure to visit our Spotlight photo gallery on our website!  We have just uploaded some gorgeous photos from Jennifer and Karl’s September 26th wedding, courtesy of Oeil Photography.