Blair and David wanted to bring their families together for a wedding on New Year's Eve. Now this wasn't just a wedding that they wanted to plan, they had family and friends coming from as far away as Dubai, so they wanted it to be a full weekend celebration! They wanted to ensure that there was an abundance of food, drink, music, and time for everyone to relax in between each event. It was also important to them that no celebration was held in the same space, therefore utilizing every area of this beautiful sprawling venue, known as the World Equestrian Center. Everyone here at Blessed Magnolia understood the task and just how important the celebration was to Blair and David.
We set off on the planning journey working our way through the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and welcome cocktail reception. The pool deck set the stage for this opening night event.
Wedding day had arrived and rain crept up in the forecast. We had to move the morning brunch from the Rose Garden to the Paris Room. The guests enjoyed mimosas, scrumptious breakfast bites, and award-winning macaroons from Chef Johan.
While the guests were enjoying this lovely brunch; Blair, David, and their wedding party were getting ready for the big moment. Brittany with Eighteenth Hour Photography captured beautiful shots of the detail items and some great getting-ready photos of both Blaird and David.
At the end of the brunch, all the guests were taken to the Chapel for the noon ceremony. The sound of the ringing bells from the Chapels Bell Tower filled the air as Blair and her father were driven by horse and carriage from Orlando Horse and Carriage. There was a light mist but oh my the pictures were so gorgeous. Take a peek at a few of those shots here.
The Chapel was adorned with roses along the aisle to enhance its beauty. Guests were treated to Classern Quartet playing the prelude and processional music. Bibbi Bobbidi Boo was the special song for the lovely flower girl and her bubble wand. The elegance of Blair's dress and the beauty of the chapel were just perfect.
David and Blair were whisked away by horse and carriage to the Paris Room, where they desired to hold a formal receiving line and greet each guest as they arrived for cocktail hour. It was a grand time for every guest to get this one-on-one moment with the bride and groom. Every guest also got to take a photo with David and Blair as they spent this moment with them. Once the cocktail hour was done, each guest was invited to join the bride and groom on the Stirrups Terrace for the formal lunch. Classern Quartet was serenading the guests during this time. At the end of lunch, the final song played Auld Lang Syne while guests joined in with song. After the cake-cutting, Blair and David made their way to couple portraits while their guests had a few hours of rest before the evening festivities.
Black and white, clean and crisp during the day; black and gold, and party mode at night. Every bit of the decor handled by Graceful Gardener was so flawlessly executed. Outfit changes all around for everyone, including myself, from daytime to nighttime. Champagne greeted everyone as they entered the elevator to head up to the party. Once off the elevator large 2023 numbers and a grand gold and black balloon garland created quite the entrance. There was food, drinks, and entertainment provided by Felix and Fingers. Dueling Pianos is such a fun and entertaining way to get your guests involved in the party and there was no shortage of guests willing to get up and sing with the entertainers. The closer and closer we got to midnight, the pianos switched over to a DJ to keep everyone going until the clock struck 12.
This wedding will always be one for the books for us here at Blessed Magnolia. 12 months of planning, weekly and monthly check-ins, and details for each and every moment that were meticulously planned. Working with Blair and David to make their wedding day dreams come true was a true delight. We are so grateful that they asked us to play such an important role in their big day.
Do you have a big dream for your wedding day? Let's talk today about how Blessed Magnolia can bring it all to life for you.