Amy & Gary {May Wedding at Carillon Beach}

I must say that I have really been looking forward to posting this wedding.  I’m fairly certain that Amy is one of THE sweetest people I have ever met.  She was literally the opposite of a “bride-zilla”, which was one of the first phrases out of her mouth while planning her wedding.  “I really am not picky, I trust you guys and I do not want to be a bridezilla!”  Now, if this isn’t a wedding planner’s dream bride, I don’t know what is?!  As a trained dancer from FSU, her elegance and grace was apparent throughout her big day.  Amy’s appreciation for classical music, as well as great dance music, really gave her guests something to enjoy!  She knew immediately that she wanted to go from a full quartet for her ceremony and cocktail hour, to a great DJ who really knew how to keep the guests dancing!  I know I learned a few steps as she taught us all how to “Dougie!”  I hope you enjoy Amy & Gary’s wedding as much as we loved being there for it.  Don’t forget to catch the fantastic trailer at the end.  But first, I love starting out with a few of her adorable engagement session shots in Apalachicola, FL!…

Lady Love…

We like boots with a ‘tude on this sweet, Southern gal! You’d better hold on to this one, Gary!

Wedding Time.

Ooh La La! What gal doesn’t love dressing up in Louboutins & Vera Wang on her wedding day?!  This classically beautiful bride made an easy transition from quiet & sweet, to sassy & glamorous!

Perfect little details surrounded Amy’s big day. We just loved how her Tiffany blue and soft pinks complimented each other. Amy chose to have her paper products custom designed by the incredibly talented, Dauphine Press.

What a wonderful Etsy.com find! Amy had a personalized tag made for her amazing bouquet of orchids. We love those kinds of personal touches!

Southern belles love their peonies and Amy was no exception! They are just beautiful at this time of year. Our ballerina showed off her perfectly pointed toes as she waited to walk through the Promenade. I could not stop laughing because she kept pointing out her non-existent “kankles” from getting a bit of a sunburn earlier in the week. *Don’t kill me, Amy!* Needless to say, we had lots of laughs from her silly comments before the ceremony. To compliment her bouquet, we chose to go with simple, orchid blooms for the boutonnieres.

We just love the simplicity of the Meeting House in Carillon Beach. Keep an eye out for those same, cherub arrangements as they are transferred to the reception!

So in love! 🙂 You can almost hear her giggle through the picture.

This is one of my favorite ‘new’ ways for guests to sign a guestbook! One of their precious engagement photos was turned into a custom-designed puzzle where their guests would piece together and sign a special note to the bride and groom. A clear, double-sided frame was also included so Amy and Gary could choose to have either side showing in their home – all their signatures or their photo! I know this is a cute idea that will definitely be seen again!  ((I particularly liked the nod to the Dawgs!  As a surprise to Gary, she even had the string quartet play “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as they recessed after their ceremony.  To those fellow Georgia Fans, we all know this song as “Glory, Glory to Old Georgia”! GO DAWGS!))

Ahh, a classic first dance to Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road”.

We all got such a kick out of Amy’s dance with her father. As a nod to their family, and her last name being the oh-so-Italian, Mutarelli… Amy chose to dance to “The Godfather Waltz” straight from the movie!

Amy’s tablescape was beautifully accented with the cherub arrangements from the Meeting House. Her look was very whimsical, but romantic. Her wedding cake was also a piece of artwork in itself.

After the ceremony, we swept them away for their sunset pictures at about 7:30. Although it was a little windy, Amy looked just gorgeous!

In the springtime, we tend to keep a look out for our lucky frog who always seems to make his appearance at our events. I’m glad he made it so close to the dance floor  because these guests were definitely dancers! A handful of the girls were part of the FSU dance team and they surely showed off their moves! After their seated buffet was over, the guests moved outside, under cafe lights to dance the night away. After a quick dress change so Amy could boogie down, everyone ooo’d and ahh’d at her perfect, short BCBG dress! She was a knockout!

It was another flawless night in Carillon Beach…  We’re so happy for this happy couple and wish them both the absolute best!

{CREDITS}
Venues & Coordination:  Carillon Weddings
Makeup: Robin Klag (site)
Photography: Genya Garrett & Wesleyann Knetzer of VUE Photography; blogged wedding
Cinematography: Diva Productions
Floral/Event Design:  Christina Springfield of Events by Nouveau Flowers
Catering: Townsend Catering
Cake: Confections on the Coast
Ceremony Music: Bay Arts Quartet (WMP)
Reception Music: DJ Paul (GTS)
Invites: Dauphine Press

Ashley & Mike {November Wedding at Carillon Beach}

We will always remember Ashley and Mike for their whirlwind year!  Not only did they get to end the year with the excitement of marriage, but Mike also celebrated being traded from the Cubs to the WORLD SERIES-winning Giants team!  I remember Rose Marie (Ashley’s mother) emailing us every week with: “Well, we thought they’d be finished with the season by now. We hope he can make the next bridal shower!”  Every week got pushed back from October 22nd, to the final WIN on November 1st!  Victoria and I, who ((guiltily)) don’t pay much attention to baseball, were GLUED to the TV!  We couldn’t have been more excited for them and their big win!  We knew it was a stressful process from being traded and moving cross-country mid-way through the season, but Ashley handled it beautifully!  Once they were in town for the wedding, the handsome groom said, “This is all about Ashley.” (awwwww!)  He was very set on making this a week for them to share together and to push the celebrating from the World Series aside for a new celebration!  We couldn’t have agreed more!

First, I have to post a few of Ashley’s AMAZING bridal portraits in Alys Beach with Paul & Mecheal Johnson.  She was able to come to Florida a week before the wedding to finalize details and to get some breath-taking images to display at the wedding.  This was the first chance she was able to get away!  Enjoy 🙂

Ashley in her beautiful, Vera Wang wedding gown.

LOVE these in Alys Beach 🙂

Gorgeous smile!

Let the wedding pictures begin!

Perfect little details. There were handmade flowers tied to every welcome bag that was delivered to their guests. There was a nice little note to have every lady wear her flower for their welcome dinner on Friday night! Ashley also provided coordinating flip flops at the reception so everyone could kick off their shoes and dance!

The men looked dashing in their classic, black tuxedos.

While we were waiting for the mothers to be seated, Ashley had a little time to be silly with her adorable flower girls. You could just tell how much the little girls adored her!

It melts our hearts when we have adorable flower girls and ring bearers who act like mini-bride and groom!

It was a special touch to have Edwin Caraballo, the chaplain for the Chicago Cubs, perform their wedding ceremony here in Florida.

Mike & Ashley's time away for sunset pictures was perfect! You couldn't have asked for better weather.

Rhonda wow-ed us with another awesome cake. This was a clear compliment to the flowing layers of Ashley's beautiful wedding dress.

The martini bar was their signature drink station. Donna made it look phenomenal and this was THE ONLY mention or "nod" to Mike's career - "Love Potion #14"!

Not only is this a classic, Louisiana-wedding shot, but it's also a cool view of the tent. The lights and table-scapes were awesome!

I remember watching Paul (photographer) get down on the ground while Robert (videographer) was lighting and filming Ashley's feet! Paul was really able to capture Ashley and her boogie shoes. Who doesn't love a good, customized pair of converse?!

After a nice evening of fun, dancing AND SINGING (check out their wedding video trailer!), Mike and Ashley ended with a bang! What a wonderful way to wrap up not only their baseball season, but our wedding season! It was surely a night to remember. Congrats, Mr. & Mrs. Fontenot! We can't wait to watch the Giants in the upcoming season!

{CREDITS}

Venues:  Carillon Beach Meeting House & Village Green Reception (exclusive to Carillon Weddings)

Photography: Paul & Mecheal Johnson of Paul Johnson Photography;

Ashley’s bridal portrait blog & wedding blog

Cinematography: Joanna & Robert Banks-Morgan of Diva Productions

Floral/Event Design:  Christina Springfield of Events by Nouveau Flowers

Officiant: Edwin Caraballo

Catering:  Donna & David Townsend of Townsend Catering

Cake:  Rhonda Joodi of Confections on the Coast

Ceremony Music: String Quartet & Trumpet (Wedding Music Plus)

Reception Music: Meet the Press band (GTS)