Heidi and Shawn

Engagement Location:

Beach

Ceremony Location:

All Saints Protestant Chapel at NAS Jacksonville, FL.

If you have access to the base (you have to be marrying

an active duty member or have a sponsor), this is a great place.  The outside of the building is a little run down, but the chapel is really pretty inside.  Coordinating guests’ vehicles to come onto the base was a pain but everything else was great!   

Ceremony Music:

We used Kathy Lynch, who was recommended by the chapel.  She plays for services at the chapel.  She can play either the organ or the piano.  I met with her and I told her some selections that I liked and she played them throughout the service.  She did a beautiful job.

 Reception Location:

Plantation Oaks Athletic Center Clubroom,

Oakleaf Plantation

The location was beautiful and perfect – both inside and out.  This was actually the only place I looked at.  It was breathtaking.  There is a gorgeous lawn behind the building if you want an outdoor ceremony and there is a little lake behind the lawn and a water fountain at the entrance to the lawn.  You have to be a resident of Oakleaf Plantation or have someone sponsor you.  Our caterer sponsored us.  Toni is the contact person at Oakleaf – she can be a little rude, so I was glad I didn’t have to have a lot of contact with her.

Transportation:

My husband rented a car for us to take to the reception.  I have no idea who he coordinated this through. 

Flowers:

Sally’s Roses and More II, Jacksonville, FL www.sallys2.com

I used this florist based on the recommendation of my coordinator.  I was apprehensive because of their location (a really small shop in a gas station strip mall) but I was so happy with the way the flowers came out.  I had a few ideas regarding color and what kind of flowers I wanted but really left the design aspect up to Bonnie Huggins, the floral designer.  My flowers in the bouquets and at the reception were absolutely beautiful.  My only complaint was that I wanted my bouquet to be hand-tied and it wasn’t, but it wasn’t a big deal – they were still gorgeous.

Gown:

Angela’s of Palatka, Palatka, FL, www.angelainc.com

My mom saw some dresses at this shop and wanted me to come look at them.  I found my dress the first trip – it is the only shop I went to.  My dress was about the eighth I tried on and I was only trying it on to see what size I would wear in a Maggie Sottero dress.  I loved the dress and that was it!  Everyone at the shop was awesome.  I highly recommend them.

  Bridesmaids Dresses:

I picked out a few different style dresses I liked and colors and told my sister she could pick what she liked.  She got her dress at a shop in New Hampshire.

Tuxes:

Tommy Hilfiger – After Hours, Orange Park Mall

I saw the tux in a magazine and loved it.  I didn’t go to the tux shop with my fiancée, which was a mistake because the girl there talked him into stuff for the attendants that I specifically didn’t want.  However, it wasn’t a big deal to get them to change it the next time they went in.  Coordination of the tuxes was pretty easy – a couple of our attendants don’t live here and we just called in their measurements or they went to their local store and had their measurements input into the system.

Hair:

Dani Mooney, William Taber Salon, Orange Park, FL

Dani is my hairdresser and she did an awesome job with my hair.

Makeup:

Dani did my makeup, too.  It felt weird wearing what I felt was a lot of makeup but it came out beautifully and looked great in the photographs!

Caterer:

Anthony’s Gourmet Catering, Orange Park, FL, www.anthonysgourmetcatering.com

The caterer was actually my first decision and then I picked the reception location based on their recommendation.  I have been at several events where Anthony’s catered, including my best friend’s wedding a couple of years ago, and the food is always awesome.  We had hot hors d’ouevres, a carving station, assorted pastries and chocolate covered strawberries.  Everything was yummy!  We got lots of compliments about how good the food was.

Cake:

Kakes by Katie, www.kakesbykatie.com

I loved my cake!  I wanted something very simple but beautiful.  I met with Katie and looked through some of her designs and chose the cake, and then she accented it with flowers that matched my bouquet.  The cake had a buttercream frosting with two layers of chocolate and a layer of red velvet.  Scrumptious!

Officiator:

Steve Williams, Head

Officiator:

Steve Williams, Head Chaplain, Baptist Medical Center

Steve officiated the wedding of one of my friends and I used him based on her recommendation.  He was awesome!  He is so down to earth and really made us feel at ease.  Our ceremony was beautiful and touching.

Wedding Coordinator:

Kim Flowers, Unique Events, www.uniqueevents4u.com

I had already done most of the planning for my wedding but hired Kim to handle the events of the day.  It was a huge help to have someone else handling the miscellaneous details so that everyone could enjoy the day worry-free.  My only complaint was that we played phone tag sometimes but everything went smoothly for the most part.  If you can afford the added expense, I would definitely recommend using them to help make your day less stressful!

 Band:

Big Al & The Kaholics, www.kaholics.com

I know the band and have gone to see them play for the last several years at local bars.  They are so much fun to watch and they really get people dancing.  We were really happy they were available for our wedding as they are really busy and popular.  Would recommend them to make your reception lots of fun!  We wished the reception could have been longer to dance a little more!

 Photography: 

Mark Floyd Photography

Tonya took our pictures and did an awesome job.  I loved the fact that when I saw the pictures, I was like, “I didn’t even know she was standing there!”  They are awesome to work with!!!

(This picture is courtesy of Heidi's Dad.  It shows Brian, the videographer, and I chit chatting about how lovely the cake was.  And it was SO good!!)

Videography:

Brian Buss, Timeless Video         www.yourtimelessvideo.com

Brian and Kristi did a wonderful job with our video.  Just like Tonya, I never even noticed where they were during the day.  I would highly recommend getting a video done, in addition to the photography.  Being able to watch the ceremony and hear the words again is going to really be a wonderful thing to have many years from now.  It also allowed us to see people having a good time that we didn’t necessarily get to see on the day because we were doing something else.

What were your gifts for guests?

We had matchbooks for everyone and little Chinese take-out boxes with chocolates inside.  I got the matchbooks from www.jeanm.com, which is also where I ordered my invitations.  I got the Chinese take-out boxes from www.papermart.com.  We got married in February so it was pretty easy to find candies with wrappers that coordinated with our colors – I used clear boxes so that you could see the candies inside.  My nieces and sister-in-law helped me make the favor boxes. 

Honeymoon:

London, baby!  We stayed at the Waldorf Hilton in London, which is on the West End in the theatre district.  The hotel was really cool – very modern and hip.  We were there for a week, which was not enough time to do everything we wanted to.  We saw a couple of plays, hit the museums, went to a pub, and took a tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath, England.  Awesome trip and we want to go back again. 

What was your high point of the day?

After the ceremony, my husband and I walked down the aisle and were walking outside the church, it was like, “We did it!  We’re married!”  Also, my sister gave the most touching toast ever!  A lot of people told me that it was the best toast they’d ever heard.  Not a dry eye in the house!

What if anything would you change about the day?

I wish I could have spent more time with the guests – there just wasn’t enough time to spend a little time with each person. 

  What advice could you give to future brides?

Relax and enjoy your day.  No matter what happens behind the scenes, it’s not worth getting stressed over because NO ONE else will know about the little details that didn’t go quite the way you wanted them to.

 Note from Photographer - Tonya:

Heidi and Shawn were such a blast to get to work with!  They are both so funny and kept us laughing from the very first time we met them.  I try to get my couples to  cuddle and just be with each other while I'm taking their photos.  Even though I'm posing them, I would rather it have the emotion and feel of the wedding day rather than a bunch of  "looking at the camera posed pictures".  As you can see, they hit the nail on the head b/c you can look at their photos and see how how happy they make each other. 

We do a lot of weddings with their videographer, Brian and Kristi.  They do an awesome job and are very easy to work with.  Heidi came over and brought her video, and it is amazing! 

Oakleaf is a gorgeous place for a wedding day. There are endless options for beautiful photographs. 

Their cake and food was great.  Overall, it was a gorgeous day and I don't think they could have wished for anything better.  Thank you, Heidi and Shawn for letting us be apart of your special day.  And thanks for sharing all  of this info.

Tonya