“Diamonds Are Forever” Themed Wedding in Florida

For Lishawn and Miguel Brown, it was love at first sight on the football field. The pee-wee football field to be exact.  It all started when Lishawn took her nephew to peewee football practice. Unbeknownst to her, a parent saw her and sent his cousin, Miguel,  a text to inform him that he just spotted Miguel’s future wife on the football field. Miguel took his cousin’s word for it and rushed over to the practice. He approached Lishawn and politely introduced himself.  They exchange numbers and soon realized that they were going to be winning in the game of love.

After years of dating, Miguel decided to propose on Christmas day at the restaurant in which they spent their first Christmas together. Lishawn shares, “We were in the middle of a heart felt conversation describing our love and what all we were grateful for that X-mas. Then all of a sudden, he gets down on one knee and the waitress walks up to me with my dessert plate with an engagement ring on it.  The plate had written on it ‘Will You Marry Me?’ I immediately began to cry and of course said, “YES!!!’”

When planning their wedding, this gorgeous couple wanted to ensure that their fun loving personalities were front and center.  Miguel is 6’6” and Lishawn is almost 5 feet tall, so when it was for them to kiss, they had Lishawn’s brother interrupt the ceremony and bring her a custom kissing stool, so she could reach Miguel. During their reception, the couple performed a skit in which Lishawn literally placed a ball and chain on Miguel’s leg, truly showcasing their humorous personalities.  They opted for all white decor and lots of crystal accents to achieve their “Diamonds are Forever” themed wedding. AJ Shorter Photography beautifully captured the Brown’s stylish and witty nuptials.

Quick Facts

• Wedding Date:  11/17/2013
•  Wedding Location: Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six
• Wedding Theme: Diamonds Are Forever
• Wedding Flowers: White Calla Lilys, white roses, and red roses
• First Dance Song:  Through The Fire, Song by Renee Olstead. Its a revised version of Chaka Khans’ original. Very classy and tasteful, more of a jazzy version of the original.
• Wedding Cake Flavors: Vanilla
• Wedding Menu Favorite: The Corvina fish with orange hoisin glaze
• Bridesmaids Gifts: Hair Broches and and earrings to to complete their gowns

Wedding Style

My dress was from the designer Enzoani. It was a strapless beaded ruched bodice wedding dress, sweetheart neckline with a mermaid tulle skirt. The dress was so fabulous that it didn’t require much as far as accessories, I simply wore earrings, a headband I had custom made which was my favorite and a waist length veil.

Incorporation of  Culture

I would consider our wedding a mixture of traditional and modern, we made our special day more about us then really following any cultural backgrounds. We are both of Caribbean descent.

Most Memorable Moment

Well my husband is 6’6ft tall and I’m just shy of 5ft, and we decided we wanted to show our personalities in our wedding. We had a comical moment to seal the deal. I had a custom designed stool made just for our kissing scene. Just ask the Pastor was about to tell my husband he could kiss his bride, we had my brother interrupt the ceremony by yelling “Hold On, hold on, wait!!! He pulls out the stool from a hidden spot and then proceeds to say ” Ya’ll know she can’t reach!”. It was hilarious, the entire crowd laughed as I stepped up onto the stool to kiss my now husband. Classic moment! Also our introduction as Mr & Mrs. Brown was funny. We did a skit acting out to the song “Man Eater.” It pretty much signified the whole ball and chain sayings. At the end of the skit, I handcuffed myself to my husband, and with the help of one of his friends, he sat my husband down and removed his shoe as I then chained his foot to a ball and chain. It was an unforgettable moment. Again showing our humorous personalities.

Wedding Advice

My budget advice is to first come up with a budget and stick to it. I considered myself a bride on a budget. I have very lavish taste and knew exactly what I envisioned for my wedding day. Shop around as you have so many options with everything. Don’t be afraid to negotiate, you’ll be surprised how many times you get what you ask for. Use the internet to your advantage. My favorite website and app was Etsy. I found almost everything I needed there, Amazon and Pinterest are great too, but again most importantly, ask and you shall receive.

Vendors

• Photographer: AJ Shorter Photography
• Wedding Dress Designer: Enzoani
• Tuxedos: Patricia South’s
• Maids and flowergirl dresses were handmade by my Grandmother and GrandAunt
• Hair & Makeup: Mia
• Shoes: Vera Wang White Collection from Davids Bridal
• Ceremony and Reception Location: Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six 
• Wedding Planner: Myself and coordinator from hotel Jena Policastro
• Florist: Flower Of The World Inc.
•  Cake: Susie’s Scrumptious Sweets
•  Stationery: The Paper Girl Inc
•  DJ: Vison DJs 
  

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AJ Shorter Photography is a member of The Coterie, Munaluchi’s exclusive wedding collective. Click here to view his portfolio.  To learn more about The Coterie, click here.