Elegant Florida backyard wedding in shades of blue

You could say it was a case of ‘love at first swipe’ when Jeannette and Tyler met on a popular dating app! This sweet pair met up in real life and discovered they had mutual friends – and the rest, as they say, is history! It was almost as if they were destined to cross paths and share their lives with one another. As modern as their meeting was, the proposal was pure, old-fashioned romance. After a fun filled day of boating on the Intracoastal, Jeannette noticed an airplane flying over their house, pulling a banner that said: “Jeannette, I love you. Will you marry me?” She said ‘yes’! When choosing a wedding location, they knew they wanted to share their home of Winter Park, Florida with their guests while creating a laid back yet elegant day of celebration. The couple exchanged vows at the Rollins Chapel where Tyler attended undergrad. Their son, Jack, eight months, was a big part of the wedding and served as ring bearer alongside his cousin, Emerson, also eight months, who served as "flower girl" and "best man” and even participated in the couple’s first dance. It was truly a family affair! The wedding was, in the words of the bride: “Open air, under the stars, romantic, and timeless.”

Captured by KATI ROSADO, the wedding took place in the couple’s home of Winter Park, Florida. “We wanted to have the wedding in our place of residence so we could invite our friends and family to see the beauty of where we chose to start our life together,” says the bride. “We had boats usher our guests from the ceremony to the reception through the beautiful canals of Winter Park. It was so much fun sharing our home with our guests!” The boats turned out to be a great idea in more ways than one: “We focused on making it easy for our guests to get from one event to the next, and so many expressed appreciation for that. The focus was on the celebration instead of getting from Point A to Point B.”

The flowers were, in the bride’s words: “abundant, natural, lush and garden inspired”, perfectly offsetting the crisp whites and soft blues of the wedding palette. Another inspired detail was the escort cards: “Per the suggestion of our planner, we used subway tiles as our seating cards. Being an outside wedding, this eliminated the concern of paper cards blowing away and was a little keepsake for guests!”

Jeannette told her planner (and also sister-in-law), Kristin Doggett of BELLAFARE, her favourite colour was dusty blue, so Kristin ran with this design direction. She incorporated touches of gold, white and green florals, and cut crystal glassware throughout the tablescapes to create a timeless aesthetic that perfectly complemented the sun-kissed reception. Guests were transported from the ceremony to the reception via small boats that weaved throughout the lake canals while sipping champagne and rose. They were greeted by calypso music as they arrived at the club pier and enjoyed cocktails by the water before they moved to dinner. Thankfully, the weather was idyllic that day and guests could dine under a canopy of bistro lights and stars while the sun set over the Winter Park Racquet Club. The groom’s brother and best friend, Drew, made a touching speech before guests hit the dance floor. "When looking back at the reception photos, it was pretty clear guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves!"