Sweet Gold and Blue Florida Summer Wedding: Louise + Willie

After meeting at a friend’s house on the fourth of July, Louise and Willie felt an immediate connection. Willie still had to work to get her phone number though and even after that, there was still a bit of distance between them.

Finally, taking a chance on love, Louise went out with Willie. Sparks flew, the two began to date and years later, Louise and Willie had a beautiful, intimate wedding on the very same day that they made their relationship official all those years ago.

Wedding Date: July 18, 2015
Wedding Location: Jensen Beach, Florida
First Dance Song: “You and I” by John Legend
Favorite Item on the Menu: Argentinian skirt steak with chimichurri sauce
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Gifts: The bridesmaids received personalized bags and hangers, lip gloss, accessories, and shoes while the groomsmen received bottles of wine and food platters.

Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal!

We met at a friend’s get together that she was having on July Fourth. Funny thing is, I didn’t even really want to go out that night. I’m glad I did because if not, I wouldn’t have met my wonderful husband. From the moment I saw him I immediately was attracted. I just had to know who this tall, dark, & handsome man was. I pulled my friend aside and asked who he was. She said that she knew I would like him. He walked up and introduced himself. I was so nervous, it was the most awkward handshake that I’d ever had. I didn’t even look into his eyes because I was so nervous. I stared at the floor and replied, “Hi, I’m Louise” and then proceeded to walk away. The whole night we continued to stare at each other from afar but neither of us said anything. A few days later while at school, I got a phone call from my friend saying Willie wanted my number. I begged her not to give him my number because I’m very shy, but of course she gave it to him anyway. He called me and we would talk everyday, all night long. Every time he attempted to try to take me out, I always made excuses because I was really nervous. One day, I finally told myself to give him a try. We went out and had a blast. We decided to make it official July 18, 2009.

He proposed to me on my birthday at one of my favorite restaurants, Brio Tuscan Grille. Both of our immediate families were present. “Marry You” by Bruno Mars played over the intercom. We were all teary eyed. I couldn’t believe it, words can’t describe the joy I felt that night. It was such an awesome ordeal to have both families present to witness the proposal. That night I told him we have to set a date, and that’s when he replied, “I already told your mom I want to get married on July 18th because that’s the day we made it official many years ago.” I couldn’t believe he still remembered. It was the best night of my life and the best birthday ever.

Wedding Style

We chose the colors navy blue, gold, and white. We chose the color blue because that’s our favorite color, and the gold & white because I always wanted a gold wedding. We were debating between the two colors, and finally just decided to go with all three.

Dress shopping was a lot of fun, but also stressful. I went shopping with my mom, mother in law, and my two maids of honor. When choosing my dress, I was going for a princess look; I wanted it be classy and elegant. I didn’t want to show too much skin. Funny thing is, the dress I chose was actually the first dress I tried on. I fell in love with it from the moment I saw myself in the mirror. I tried on a bunch of dresses after that but I couldn’t stop thinking about that first dress. That’s how I knew it was the one.

Culture

We jumped the broom which is a big African American tradition. I also added a little bit of history about jumping the broom to our wedding programs so that people could get a feel of our culture and knowledge about how jumping the broom started.

Memories

My favorite memories of our wedding were the look on my hubby’s face as I came down the aisle, my father daughter dance with my dad, my first look of the reception, and partying all night with all of our friends and family.

Help a bride-to-be out!

My advice to any bride to be is make sure you do whatever you want to do because it’s your big day. Don’t let other opinions get in the way of what you really want to do. Have no regrets, set a budget, and stick to it!

Vendors:

Wedding Planner, Wedding Decor, Floral Design: Gerilyn Gianna Events & Floral Design
Photography: Art, Photo, Soul
Cinematography: Verola Studios
Venue: The Mansion at Tuckahoe
Bride’s Wedding Dress: Stella York via Wonderland Bridal Couture
Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade
Bridal Party Dresses: Alfred Angelo
Bridal Party Shoes: Macy’s
Bridal Party Accessories: Charming Charlie
Catering: Cafe Chardonnay
Wedding Cake: Earth and Sugar Bakery
Groom’s Cake: Sandra’s Cake
DJ: UME Entertainment
Invitations: Mixbook.com
Wedding Programs: Magnetstreet.com
Cake Stand, Cake Toppers, Hangers, Bride’s Jewelry, Various Items: Etsy