Florida Autumn Wedding

When I say that today’s bride is a hands-on kind of girl, I mean it. Katie owns a vegan bakery, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she opted to make her own wedding cake; however, she didn’t stop there – she also took on the decor, styling, flowers, wedding dress, jewelry, accessories, flower girl dresses, catering, invitations and printed items. Now THAT’S dedication. Thanks to Darling Juliet for sharing these images with us!

From the bride, Katie: The style of the wedding was designed around the concept of both the Autumnal season, and the comfortable quality of being at home in our back yard. We wanted a wedding that was both beautiful, and fun; filled with sentimental moments, and little touches all around that let our guests know just how special they are to us. The feel of the wedding was inspired by the color palette that fall brings, but also about the coziness of being with people that you love, and in turn love you. Our DIY wedding was not just about our union as a couple, but about giving back to the same people that helped us grown into the people we are, and were willing to show us love and respect in the process. Our color scheme was based on the full autumnal color palette: we chose reds, sage green, oranges, yellows and golds, burgundy and brown, creams and pinks

Most of the wedding was DIY. I wanted to incorporate a lot of special touches and details to make our guests feel well taken care of. I made the invitations, save the dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, thank you cards; I wrote the programs and hand stitched each bound booklet; I wrote the entire non-traditional ceremony and found beautiful readings to incorporate into it; I made all the floral decor, the flower crowns, the bouquets, and the boutonnieres; I made all the bunting, the table decor and did all the hand lettering for the signs throughout the wedding; I hand made the favor baskets filled with delicious items to make at home (bread, jams, soups, honey from our apiary in Sandford, FL and selected teas that would compliment each of our guests personal tastes); finally I made all the flower girl dresses and my 1950’s inspired dress as well. Raphsodic Bakery is a vegan bakery in downtown Orlando, FL that Jonathan and I own (which we used to make all of the wedding desserts, wedding cakes, and groom’s cake), we also used the same space with a small team of friends to do all the catering for the wedding, which was 100% vegan and gluten free (because I am a celiac, and we had food-sensitive guests as well).

The groom’s favorite memory: Katie mentioned that she wanted to have something fun and unusual for the wedding, and I instantly thought of singing together and having karaoke at the wedding. Because of our mutual stubborn nature, Jon Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves” stood out as the best song to sing together. She took singing lessons for a year and when the time came to perform did so beautifully. Singing with her made everything that much more amazing.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Take your time planning. This is supposed to be one of the most special and most memorable days of your life. Don’t attempt to fit a mold, because you both, as individuals and as a couple, are uniquely wonderful and should share that with the world. Enjoy the journey, because that is where the true marriage happens.

See Also

A Tuscan Inspired Wedding with Pastel Hues at California’s Filoli Gardens

Wedding Music:
Groom’s Processional: “Oh Sherri,” Steve Perry
Flower Girl Processional: “Mahna Mahna,” Cake
Bridal Processional: “The Cascades,” Fleet Foxes
For the recessional, we walked down the aisle to “You are my Sunshine” because, Jonathan sang it to me, the first time he said “I love you” and that was such a special moment that we wanted to share it with everyone. There were so many songs played. Lauren, one of my dearest friends, and I spent hours upon hours creating a wonderful playlist, which she played at the wedding, as an honorary DJ for the night. We both love jazz music, mixed with lots of Louis Armstrong, Etta James, and Billie Holiday; while Jonathan loves 80s rock. Jonathan and I both love bluegrass, and thought that the combination of musical styles would make for a fun and eventful wedding. Lauren deftly played musical all night long, even incorporating some 90s Hip-Hop to make people dance!

Wedding Location: Orlando, FL / Photographer: Darling Juliet / Decor, Styling, Flowers, Wedding Dress, Jewelry, Accessories, Flower Girl Dresses, Catering, Invitations and Printed Items: Bride / Wedding Venue: Couple’s home / Hair and Makeup: Pure Inspirations by Lauren Markow / Groom’s and Groomsmen’s Suits: Men’s Wearhouse / Wedding Cake and Dessert Bar: Raphsodic Bakery / Sound System: Sound Katz and Lauren Galant (DJish) / Tent, Linen, and Chair Rentals: Kirby Rentals