Glen Venue Wedding

Wedding portraits in an abandoned greenhouse – be still, my beating heart. After their portraits, Becky and Jose made their way to their ceremony site under the trees, where they exchanged vows before dancing the night away with friends and family. Flora + Fauna was on hand to document every moment, each detail prettier than the next!

From the bride, Becky: Our vision was for our wedding to be a reflection of who we are. We wanted our wedding to be a comfortable and welcoming experience for all our guest. We envisioned a romantic wedding outside in the fresh air on a beautiful piece of property surrounded by our family and close friends. We were married on the property of The Glen Venue at the Linwood House. It was a beautiful house that dates back to the late 1800s, sitting on a huge piece of property with blooming camellias and an orange grove full of fruit. We were married under a row of gorgeous magnolia trees with white fabric swaying in the trees, while standing on a hand woven rug that Jose’s parents had purchased many years ago while in Turkey. We asked one of our closest friends to officiate our nuptials which made the ceremony feel very intimate and special for us.

The flowers were one of the most important décor elements for me. I wanted free flowing and natural arrangements with dark burgundy, purples of all shades with accents of white and pink. The day before the wedding my dear friend and I went to a local farm (Down to Earth) to pick up the Zinnias that were used. The loropetalum came from my yard and the rest were from a wholesale florist in town. I splurged on flowers like garden and spray roses and saved money by using the loropetalum and other greenery like Silver Dollar Eucalyptus and Plumosa Fern.

We wanted to be involved in every little detail, hand crafted by us, our family and our friends. Everything at our wedding was DIY which made it so special and heartfelt. The six months leading to the wedding I hunted for containers for the flower arrangements and flatware to be used for our guest. The place settings at our sweetheart table were all things I had collected over the years. I refinished furniture that was used as our cake table and beverage bar. Jose and his brother built the bar out of pallets and reclaimed wood. Jose and I designed our invitations and paper goods. My mom crocheted all the hanging jars throughout the venue and made the shawl I wore. My close friends played a huge role in the setup of the day and making sure everything was beautiful. From the flowers to the day of coordinating, without them our wedding would not have been what we had envisioned. Our cakes and catering were even done by our friend’s parents. It was definitely a family affair! I worked closely with friends and family setting up the venue to the very moment I had to stop and get ready for the big day. I turned over the rest of my décor duties and trusted everything would turn out as beautiful as I imagined which it did. When Jose and I walked out of the house as they pronounced us husband and wife it was so much to take in, we are very grateful to everyone that helped and made our wedding dream come true.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? My biggest piece of advice I would give any couple planning their wedding would be to enjoy the process. We were engaged for only 6 short months but those months leading to our big day were magical and so much fun. Our family and friends put together some really fun gatherings for us. There was so much excitement it the air and although there were some big decision still to be made, we tried our best to take full advantage of it. So as hard as it may be at times try to go with the flow and soak in every little moment.

See Also

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Wedding Music:
Bridal Party Processional: “Instrumental,” Jose Gonzalez
Bride’s Processional: “Heartbeats,” Jose Gonzalez
First Dance: “For You,” Angus & Julia Stone

Wedding Location: Glen St. Mary, FL / Photographer: Flora + Fauna / Furniture, Invitations, Paper Goods, Décor, Flowers: Bride, b-real happy / Venue: The Glen Venue / Wedding Dress: Bride’s grandmother’s, redesigned with the help of Martha Shump Designs / Veil: Martha Shump Designs / Wedding Shoes: Anthropologie / Necklace: Bride’s sister’s that her husband gave her on their wedding day / Bride’s Wedding Rings: Catbird / Purse: Anthropologie / Bridesmaids’ Dress: Dillards / Hair and Makeup: Sara Jane at Modern Classic Beauty / Groom’s Jacket: Express / Groom’s Pants: Banana Republic / Bow Tie: vintage / Caterer: Larry Balch / Wedding Cakes: Lee Harris / DJ: Kevin Snow / Musician: Goliath Flores