Epping Forest Yacht Club Wedding

When you’ve got a bride who works in the fashion industry as a designer, you can bet your bottom dollar you’re about to see one stylish wedding. Bride Dana did not disappoint in a custom Inbal Dror gown, surrounded by wildflowers and dried arrangements from Foxy Posh Events, and captured by Christina Block Photography. Let’s learn more about this beautiful couple, shall we?

From the bride, Dana: We actually met 10 years ago when I was in college. I was 20 and he was 29. He grew up with my sister’s husband; they’ve actually been best friends since high school. We tried dating then but the age gap was a little too much. Fast-forward 10 years, my mom started asking my sister and brother-in-law, “Whatever happened to your friend Jason?” This went on for almost 9 months until my brother-in-law finally agreed to try and set us up one more time! We spoke for the first time that November and were married 8 months later. To us, marriage was a choice, a conscious choice that we were making to give each other our lives and no longer be one, but two. Neither of us needed each other; we wanted each other. To us, that meant sacrifice, commitment, a whole lot of love and friends forever. Our wedding took place at the duPont Mansion in Jacksonville, Florida at Epping Forest Yacht Club. The home was built in 1926 and has been preserved with all of its original architecture and furnishings inside and gardens kept behind the house. We were married in the gardens and held the reception inside the duPont’s original dining room space.

Our theme for the wedding was simplicity at its best. We wanted all of the flowers, table decorations, even bridesmaid and grooms attire to be original and something that felt unique and effortless. Most of the flowers were picked from a garden or found in open fields, the tables were filled with old glass bottles that me and my mother and florist gathered. We used my great grandmothers journals to make paper cones that held the petals to throw as we were leaving. All of my bridesmaid dresses were original pieces I had collected over the years during my travels to London, Italy, Hong Kong and various parts of Asia. Each part of the wedding was simple but held special memories to both of us. Living in NYC, every day you are inspired by the city, the people, the energy, etc. I also work in the industry as a designer so there was almost too much inspiration! At some point, I had to stop myself and just go with the first decision I had made. Each of my bridesmaids received handbags I designed. Depending on the girl, I gave either totes or minaudieres. All of the groomsmen were gifted their ties for the wedding. We wanted to be sure the gifts were practical and would actually be used again. Wedding favors for guests were a pair of old school Ray-Ban shades. We figured since the wedding was outside, in Florida, in the month of July, the least we could do to help them keep cool was provide shades! We used a variety of raw materials including wooden chairs, overgrown vines to line the aisle and the gardens natural elements to create the space for the ceremony. The reception took place inside the duPont mansion where most of the original pieces of furniture were kept. These, combined with clusters of vintage glass bottles holding various wildflowers and candles, set the mood for the reception. We used my grandmother’s china from the 60’s with a vintage floral pattern as our flatware.

See Also

Magical Wedding in the Redwoods with Muted Florals

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Be present…. the day, the week of goes by so fast and all those small details you are worried about will not matter when its all over. Take each moment in and enjoy. It should one of the best days of your life.

Wedding Music:
Bride’s Processional: “Close To You,” The Carpenters
Recessional: “You Wish,” Nightmares on Wax
First Dance: “Beautiful,” Musiq Soulchild

Wedding Location: Jacksonville, FL / Photographer: Christina Block Photography / Florist: Heidi Higginbotham at Foxy Posh Events / Venue: Epping Forest Yacht Club / Wedding Dress: Inbal Dror / Wedding Shoes: Pour la Victoire / Jewelry and Acessories: Vintage / Hair: Kimberly Wyma / Makeup: Sara Jane at Modern Clasic Beauty / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Vintage / Bridesmaids’ Shoes: Zara / Flower Girl and Pageboy Attire: Zara / Groom’s Suit: Theory / Groom’s Shoes: Gucci / Groom’s Tie: Jill Sander / Bride’s Ring: John Manaejian of Ohanndes Jewlery / Groom’s Ring: Kristi Smith of GoldenSparrowDesign / Caterer and Wedding Cake: Epping Forest Yacht Club / Entertainment: DJ Kevin Snow, Black Kids / Celebrant: Brides Father, Danny Baggett / Wedding Invitations: Katie Nelms