Venue? Black Diamond Ranch, Lecanto, FL

Guest count? 175

What inspired you in planning the wedding?
Our wedding was very traditional, but two things were an absolute must: things had to be pretty and fun.

Why did you pick your venue?
I took one step inside the venue and knew this is where the reception had to be. It’s about 40 minutes my home town, Ocala, but well worth the drive. The homey atmosphere is what I loved the most.

What were your favorite moments, traditions, surprises during the day?
It was important for me to incorporate filipino traditions into the ceremony. The cord represents Zach and I coming together as husband and wife; the veil represents building a home together, and the coins represents sharing of wealth. The ceremony was all about having fun, so the “Shoe Game” was my favorite part of the night.

Dress designer, shoes, accessories, bridesmaids’ dresses, groom’s attire, etc?
My dress designer is Paloma Blanca (purchased at The Collection Bridal in Winter Park, FL), accessories by Sara Gabriel. Shoes were Grace. The bridesmaids wore Bari Jay, and the groomsmen’s tuxedos were from Joseph A. Bank. We found the flower girl dress at the cutest children’s boutique in Windermere, FL called Tweenies.

Any DIY elements?
Anyone that knows me knows that I am the least crafty person on earth. I knew what I wanted, and hardly any of it was DIY. The only things that were hand made were the wedding ceremony programs, which my bridesmaids did for me. They came out beautifully, if I had made them, it would have been a disaster.

Music?
The ceremony music was very traditional, so the wedding party walked down the aisle to “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel, and I walked down to “Bridal Chorus” by Richard Wagner. Our first dance at the reception was “Thank God For You” by Sawyer Brown. This song was probably the most nontraditional part of the wedding. Zach and I had the hardest time finding a song to dance to. So one day we were driving around town and heard the song and both said out loud “We should dance to this song” at the same time, so it stuck. And of course, any party my mother attends HAS to play “Dancing Queen” by ABBA!

Wedding Planner, Stationer, Floral Designer, Rentals, Music, Videographer, Photographer lighting, etc.
We didn’t use a wedding planner, but the venue coordinator, Meredith Rossetti at Black Diamond did an amazing job, and gave me exactly what I dreamed. The flowers were by Heritage Flowers in Ocala. Our DJ was Chuck Johnson with Classic DJs in Orlando.

Menu, Drinks, Dessert, Caterer, Baker, etc.
Our cocktail hour was all about our favorite kid-foods like mini-pizzas and pigs in a blanket, among other things. Dinner was an Italian-themed buffet, with all things delicious. Our cake was made by Publix in Ocala and the favors were done by Schakolad Chocolate Factory in Winter Park.

Favorite Blogs or Magazines used in planning the wedding:
I was on the Knot almost every day looking for ideas and tips. When I learned of Pinterest, I jumped on that too. I bought all types of wedding magazines, and also tried to be a little creative myself.

What mood/ambiance did you want to convey to your guests at the wedding?
The wedding was all about having FUN! Zach and I are fairly young, and having close friends from college and high school there really helped set the tone. Our DJ, Chuck, had everyone dancing all night.

Advice that you’d give to other Brides? Advice for grooms?
Brides: Find one or two things that are REALLY REALLY important to you (mine was the dress and photographer) and SPLURGE on it. Grooms: Let your fiance do what she wants, it just makes everything easier.

Thanks goes out to…
EVERYONE, friends and family especially. Thank you to Shipra for taking gorgeous pictures of everyone and everything; Meredith at Black Diamond who reassured me and kept me calm through all the planning details; Chuck Johnson of Classic DJs for being the person who truly made the wedding amazing, fun, and so memorable. And of course my husband who kept me in line throughout the whole process.

From the Bride:
What inspired you in planning the wedding?
Growing up as a tomboy, I did not really have a dream wedding or a dream wedding dress I envisioned of having when I grew up. I did not know planning a wedding would be such a huge project and I’m so glad I had an awesome wedding planner to help me sort out all the crazy details. Wedding blogs, Pinterest, and Etsy were the main sources of my inspiration as I sampled out mainly rustic and natural elements I liked here and there and somehow tied them altogether.

What were your favorite moments, traditions, surprises during the day?
First look. When we had our first peek of each other right before the ceremony, I remember that was the moment to gather my thoughts on our wedding day. Everything was in slow motion. It really hit me then that it was all really happening. After that, everything else happened so fast!

Dancing. Our DJ really had a high energy and he got everyone to dance. He broke down all the famous dance moves like Thriller into easy steps and everyone enjoyed learning how to dance like a pro!

Wedding Dress Luna Novia’s Gardenia Wedding Dress in Organza with Custom-made Flower Embellishments
Reception Dress Jenny Yoo’s McKenzie Dress in Eastern Silk Shantung
Wedding Shoes Badgley Mischka
Petaled Veil http://www.etsy.com/shop/CorrineONeill?ref=seller_info
Bridal Swarovski Crystals & Silver Glass Beads Bridal Sash https://www.etsy.com/people/BCGirls
Vintage Romance Bridal Garter set http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheChicaBoutique
Wedding Dress Hanger http://www.etsy.com/shop/rockabuycreations
Ringbearer Pillow and Bridal Party Purses http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildPeaceOrganics
Bridesmaids’ & Groomswoman’s dresses J Crew
Groom & Groomsmen suiting J Crew
Flower Seed-Embedded Name Cards https://www.etsy.com/people/recycledideas
Personalized Wedding Cake Topper http://www.etsy.com/shop/knottingwood
Wedding Card Box http://www.etsy.com/shop/MinSvenskaLandgard?ref=seller_info
Custom Wedding Guest Scrapbook https://www.etsy.com/conversations/58288019#last
Custom Wedding Aisle Runner https://www.etsy.com/people/SteelGreyArt
Eco-friendly already preserved Bridal party bouquets and Grooms’ boutonnieres http://www.etsy.com/shop/FayeMarie
‘Growing Our Love’ Wedding Table Place Card Holder http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyCustomCakeTopper:
Thank You/Mr. & Mrs. signs https://www.etsy.com/people/ourhobbytoyourhome
Chalk/Cork Board: Pottery Barn
Antique Bronze Brass Vintage Skeleton Keys for Place Cards: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thejourneysend
Wedding Favors: Bubble blowers and Dove salt & pepper shakers -Beau-coup

Any DIY elements? Wedding ceremony programs. Place cards & Seating chart board.

Music you walked down the aisle to, first dance, special songs
Bride’s Entrance, “Meditation” by Massanet
Groom’s Entrance, Dark Knight’s “Introduce a Little Anarchy”
First Dance, “Marry Me” by Train

Favorite Blogs or Magazines used in planning the wedding:
Ruffled Wedding Blog, Pinterest, & Etsy.

What mood/ambiance did you want to convey to your guests at the wedding?
Rustic, Shabby, Chic, Eclectic & Eco-Friendly. We wanted a happy, relaxed atmosphere where our friends from all over can enjoy getting to know one another. We did not want to limit to a specific color blocks but incorporate as many fresh feminine floral colors as we could, such as bright coral, yellow, ivory, and mint green.

Advice that you’d give to other Brides? Advice for grooms?
Find out what is most important to you and budget accordingly. We wanted our guests to be stuffed and be merry and enjoy our cute wedding favors. We saved A LOT of money on the decor and floral arrangement by using talented Etsy vendors so that we can spend most of our budget on food, open bar, and cute wedding favors.

Thanks goes out to?
God, Family, Friends, & Everyone who helped our wedding day be so magical and memorable.

It sounds so inherently simple and sensible, but unfortunately, the human soul is anything but inherently simple and sensible. This snippet of wisdom really spoke to me today.

The full article, “My Advice For Aspiring Photographers”can be read here

Meet Milo the Bear and Pink the Bunny, they were knit up awhile back, with a few tweaks, for my little girl following Rachel Carrol’s free pattern for Henri the Knitted Bear.

and here’s an easy pattern I came up with when I was trying to learn how to knit cables. So easy, I call it
the Easy-Peasy Cable-Knit Bag (brilliant aren’t I?!)

Fer is a photographer unlike anyone else out there. His artistic vision is unsurpassed, the way he see and uses light in his compositions is mind-blowing. He has created a body of work that’s honestly just plain art. I often see an image he’s made and want it framed and up on my wall and for me, that’s as high a compliment as I can give. When I heard that he was coming to Florida with his workshop, it was pretty much a no-brainer that I attend. And it was amazing. And I would go again. And again. And again. It was that good. He is friendly and funny, and most importantly, humble and extremely open about how he runs his business, how he shoots, how he processes his images ..basically, we could ask him anything we wanted and he responded without holding back. I walked away from the Fershop inspired and motivated to take my photography to the next level.

Here are some images from the day. We all had a chance to shoot alongside Fer and it was a unique experience since he encouraged us to shoot with camera settings that are very different from what I usually do. Loved what came out of it.

Big thanks to Chelsea and Nate for modeling for us.