Madison & Joey- 3.9.19

Madison & Joey

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Earthscapes Garden Room
Palm Harbor, FL

Their Story

The phrase “when ya know, ya know” is kind of overused, but I feel like it’s literally the only way to describe Madison & Joey’s relationship.

They first met through mutual friends at a party and wound up sitting out in the driveway and talking until the sun came up. And guess what? They’ve been together ever since. Joey proposed to Madison a few years later at their annual Christmas Eve Eve party with a giant sign that lit up to say “Will You Marry Me?”

Madison & Joey have a beautiful little girl named Harlow and ya’ll, watching the three of interact together is absolutely precious. I mean, just look at this picture from the wedding!

During the 6 weeks that Madison and I planned together, I looked forward to every call. She was always on top of the to-do list and planned every aspect of the wedding in hopes that her guests had a blast. And she definitely accomplished that!

Just like the two of them, their wedding day was bursting at the seams with fun and laughter.

Getting Ready

Madison wore a gorgeous, boho gown with soft curls pulled back into a braided half-up hair style. The bridesmaids wore a variety of long, floral print dresses. Madison hand-made all of their bouquets and she absolutely nailed it! The bunches of brightly-colored wildflowers completed the fun, boho-themed look.

The groomsmen wore dark navy pants, white shirts, suspenders and navy/floral bow ties, while Joey stood out perfectly in his dark navy suit.

After a morning of getting ready and relaxation, the entire bridal party piled into a Jolley Trolley and rode around Palm Harbor taking pictures and having a blast along the way to the venue.

The Ceremony & Cocktail Hour

The ceremony was in the tropical gardens of Earthscapes Garden Room in Palm Harbor, Florida under a gorgeous tree with a deck built around it. The guests gathered around the tree and were surrounded by tropical greenery at every angle. The ceremony was brief and intimate and ended with cheers that filled the entire garden.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour throughout the garden while family and formal photos were taken on the other side.

During cocktail hour, our team cleared the ceremony area and set up dinner tables with loads of greenery, lanterns, candles, and wildflowers atop. After the centerpieces were set, the beautiful gold chargers were placed. The tablescape was completed by hand-rolled napkins with nature-inspired napkin rings on each.

Dinner

The dinner layout included guest tables that stretched across the entire garden with a large farm table in the middle for the bridal party and a sweetheart table until a mini “tiki hut” that overlooked everyone. The head table had a simple lace runner with a greenery garland that was placed across the length of the table. The sweetheart table had the cutest “Mr. & Mrs.” sign with greenery, candles, and a dream catcher made by Joey’s sister to hang behind them.

After cocktail hour and formal pictures came to an end, the guests made their way to the guest tables to find their seats. The wedding party was introduced and Madison & Joey enjoyed their first dance to “Gravity” by John Mayer. The father-daughter and mother-son dances flowed nicely after, then the buffet was opened.

The Reception & Party

While guests were finishing dinner, toasts by Best Man, Shawn, Maid of Honor Emily, and Madison’s dad, Steven were made. Post-toasts was the perfect time to cut into their gorgeous, two tier semi-naked cake. Oh, and don’t forget about their cookie bar – it’s a Chicago tradition (where Madison’s family is from)!

After the wedding cake, a smaller cake was brought out and the entire crowd sang Happy Birthday to Madison’s cousin, Isabelle- it was so sweet. After the birthday celebration, the dance floor officially opened and rugs were seriously cut.

After dancing for a little while it was time for the bouquet and garter toss- and let me tell ya, it was FUN. It actually ended with Madison “icing” Joey when he went in for the garter!