A Florida wedding with a sunset view…sounds exactly like the type of wedding we’d love to have been invited too! Grab a mojito ladies and gents while you read all about real Stella York bride Ashley’s deeply romantic wedding to groom Sean. You can almost hear the ocean calling…
From the bride:Â It was Christmas Eve of 2016 and we were on our way to a traditional family dinner. We were early so he casually suggested that we stop at our favorite beach and watch the sunset. I honestly thought nothing of it, because living 10 minutes from the beach in Naples we try to go whenever we can. We were walking along a sidewalk and he asked if I wanted to sit down on a bench. As I sat down he got down on his knee and told he remembered a Thanksgiving two years ago sitting on this bench with me, and realizing that there was no one else he’d ever want to sit on a bench and watch sunsets with other than me. Poor guy was so nervous that he switched around his words and said, “You are the most amazing wife, and I’d be honored to be you be my mom”. Before he could even ask I screamed “YESSSSS!” What made the engagement even extra special was that afterward, we got to celebrate with his immediate and extended family over dinner, and then the next day with our daughter and family.
Ever since I was a little girl, I never pictured myself in a traditional bright white wedding dress. I had a few Pinterest ideas in mind when I went dress shopping with my mom, sister and very close family friend. We went to One & Only Bridal Boutique in downtown Orlando – little did I expect that it would be my one & only dress shopping day! We were warmly welcomed by the boutique’s amazing staff and then met by Lacie.
We were so lucky that coincidentally the day we made an appointment was also during their Stella York Trunk Show. Lacie introduced us to a dress designer for Stella York. The designer asked if she could pick out a few of her dresses for me to try on for fun, which was super exciting! I was immediately in love the moment I saw my dress in the fitting room. I was immediately attracted to it because it wasn’t white, just as I wanted! Instead, it was a unique blush color. As I slipped it on, my mom started crying hysterically as she zipped and buttoned me up. Lacie told me not to look in the fitting room mirror and to wait until I stood in front of their main mirror. As I stood up on the pedestal, Lacie put a veil on me and as I looked at myself in the mirror I started to cry just like my mom! I tried on 31 other dresses that day, and no other dress gave me the same feeling as the very first – it was the winner!
Sean is a Food & Beverage Director, and I majored in hospitality with a concentration on Event Management so the wedding planning process was a lot of fun, and not as stressful as it might usually be for others. With Sean’s position, he runs large events daily and has overseen dozens of weddings so we knew exactly which vendors we wanted! We decided early on that we didn’t want to do the typical beach wedding but wanted to still have a view of water and sunset. The ceremony site and clubhouse overlook Naples Bay, so the sunset views are breathtaking. Their long dock and beautiful landscaping make for endless options for pictures, plus Sean’s relationship with the management and staff made the entire experience so much more personal.
Sean and I share a passion for wine. We’ve traveled internationally on wine trips, and have a long bucket list! Our first trip as an engaged couple was to France in Spring 2017, where we spent half of the time in Loire Valley and Burgundy. As we were walking around the charming city of Beaune, we couldn’t get over the lush greenery and rich hues of pink flowers blooming. We decided there that was going to be our wedding inspiration. The colors of the bridal party were rose gold, burgundy, and blush. The groomsmen party wore charcoal grey suits with blush ties.
I had two very memorable moments of the day. 1. The look on my two-year-old daughter’s face when she saw me in my dress for the very first time! Weeks later, she is still asking me where my princess dress is.
2. Sean and I decided not to have a first look, but what he doesn’t know (yet at least while I’m writing this) is that I sneakily saw him before the ceremony. My dad and I were separated in a room next door to where Sean, the groom, and bridal party was prior to the ceremony. The rooms had tinted windows that overlooked the ceremony. It was so surreal watching him laugh down the aisle with my mom and then witness the look on his face as our bridal and groom party walked down the aisle, including our daughter as the flower girl! I will never ever forget how excited and full my heartfelt in those anticipatory moments before walking down the aisle.
