I’m excited to share this charming bed and breakfast wedding from Tara Tomlinson Photography and NK Productions. Filled with casual and classic details, this west coast Florida wedding is the epitome of a lovely springtime wedding. How perfect to get married under a moss covered tree?
It was the perfect weekend. A wedding that surpassed my fairytale visions. We wanted a casually elegant wedding that celebrated our journey and the memories that we will make together in the future. My amazing mother and wedding planner, Nicole Kaney (NK Productions) made our wish for an intimate, fun, joyful wedding come to life. We absolutely loved our venue, the Palmetto Riverside Bed and Breakfast, and loved the sweet Belgian family who owns it even more. We did not even look at any other venues as Wim and Mieke did an unbelievable job making sure everything was perfect from the setting to breakfast the following morning.
Our families mean the world to us and we wanted to incorporate them in our day as much as possible. My grandmother made me a beautiful veil to walk down the aisle in. My bouquet was wrapped in lace from my mother’s dress and we tucked my great aunt Colleen’s brooches in my bouquet in memory of her and my great uncle Charlie. Cody and I lit a memory candle during the ceremony in memory of our closest family members who were unable to share this special day with us, and his nieces and nephew were the cutest flower girls and ring bearer.
The weather turned out to be perfect. We had our rehearsal dinner on the beach the night before with a beautiful sunset and there was a nice breeze coming up from the Manatee River during the ceremony. We were married under a beautiful mossy oak tree surrounded by one hundred and twenty of our closest friends and family. Cody and I wrote our own vows as promises to one another and my godmother, Judy Ranney, played the harp for our ceremony.
The reception was everything we wanted- dancing, laughing, and celebrating. We made our own photo booth with personalized props, pieces that reflected Cody and I and the fun times we have had- his Tulane football helmet, my Mardi Gras Krewe of Nyx pink wig, various costumes from New Orleans events, etc. We also incorporated some New Orleans wedding traditions, such as a “cake pull” ceremony before we cut the cake and a New Orleans traditional second line after the reception.
After the reception, the party continued as we took a crazy trolley ride across the Manatee River to Bradenton to continue the celebration. It was the perfect day and our photographer, Tara Tomlinson, captured the day perfectly! After the wedding we had an amazing two week honeymoon in Greece and Italy, then went back to New Orleans for only two weeks to pack before moving to Zurich, Switzerland as a happily married couple.
Photography | Tara Tomlinson Photography | Planning | NK Productions | Venue | Palmetto Riverside Bed and Breakfast | Flowers | Jayne Giro | Catering | Fete Catering | Invitations | Stationery Studio | Transportation | SRQ Trolley | Dessert | Der Dutchman | Music | Jay Goodley Entertainment | Ceremony Officiant | Jim Nelson | Hair & Makeup | Salon Central
