Romantic Winter Wedding at The Cooper Estate

This romantic wedding captured by Miranda Hattie Photography was heavily influenced by the bride and groom’s Cuban backgrounds. An intimate setting was essential to Yanin and Alex’s big day. The gorgeous florals by Ever After Floral Design were the perfect touch with pops of marsala scattered throughout the day. Surrounded by Palm Trees and loved ones, these photos make you want to hop on a plane Florida-bound!

From the bride, Yanin: I had always envisioned our wedding to be in a place very intimate where everyone can feel the love that Alex and I feel for each other. Alex’s oldest brother is a minister and we both knew we wanted him to marry us. I think that was very special and made the wedding even more intimate and personal. I wanted a wedding that was elegant, organic and vintage. I knew I wanted a fall wedding because we met during the same time we had the wedding 4 years ago and because it is our favorite season. I knew I wanted something outdoors. I also love antiques. My mom and stepdad collect antiques and have started a small antique company. I share the same love for beautiful antique pieces and I knew I wanted that at our wedding. I also wanted to show Alex’s personality in our wedding and our Cuban heritage so I knew I wanted a Cuban cigar roller. Lastly, I knew I wanted one heck of a party and I wanted the dance floor to never be empty. I love to have fun and dance and I wanted people to feel that energy all night long. I think our wedding really encompassed both of our personalities.

My mom and stepdad are huge antique collectors and I knew I wanted to use some of their items for our wedding. It was also a great way to showcase the items they have for rent in their company. I used a French door as the seating chart. I did the writing for the seating chart, which took me longer than I expected. I am a perfectionist and kept erasing and then doing it all over again. The mirror is also an antique that my mom has and I used it as the menu, which I also wrote on. Our florist added beautiful berries to our seating chart and menu. It was a really nice touch. My jewelry for the day of the wedding my mom and I bought from an antique store in Miami. The earrings and the bracelet are one of a kind pieces.

I also wanted to show our Cuban background as both of our parents are from Cuba, so we had a cigar roller, a coffee bar and a percussionist. The cigar roller and coffee bar were a surprise for Alex from his parents. He loves smoking cigars and I thought this would be a great treat for him. He also loves espressos hence the coffee bar, which the servers did pass around Cuban coffee to guests. I loved our DJ from the moment we met him but I knew I wanted a little more when the music was playing. When looking for someone to play drums our DJ let us know he had a percussionist to play the drums, which brought the music and party to another level. I have a lot of favorite moments. Getting ready for the wedding with my mother and my bridesmaids was amazing. Walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Alex standing there waiting for me next to my favorite girls and his groomsmen. I loved the fact that my brother, who is autistic, was able to be there too. He never goes to weddings but I knew my wedding would be incomplete without him. Seeing him there made my heart full. I loved our first dance and dancing with my father. I loved seeing my mom dancing to “Dancing Queen”. I loved seeing Alex so happy and full of life. I loved seeing everyone I love there and having a good time. Our wedding day was basically my favorite moment.

Italian Castle Fairytale at Castello Di Piovera

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? One piece of advice to give all brides is enjoy it to the fullest! Do not stress about a magical day. I enjoyed it from getting ready with my mom and bridesmaids to the end of the wedding. Dance even if you sweat so much you look like a mess. I enjoyed it and danced so much, I ripped my dress. That’s how all weddings should end!