Don and Natalie
Don
and Natalie went to the same high school many years ago but never knew each other.
They met online and hit it off instantly. Don lived in Texas and Natalie in Florida
with her children. After many long flights and visits they
decided to blend their families.
Their wedding was held on a bright sunny afternoon on beautiful Cocoa Beach, Florida
where they had spent many happy teenage years. Friends and family came from all
over the United States including New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas and Mississippi
and all parts of Florida for these happy nuptials.
A meringue sun shone down on Don, Natalie and their six children as they exchanged
their personally written vows to one another. Ocean waves gently lapped the
shore in front of them and a gentle breeze touched the delicate white phalaenopsis
orchids of Natalie's bouquet. The bride wore a delicate Hawaiian designer moss
green print on white graduated hem dress and each maid wore specially designed
moss green tea length dresses to match. The maids wore white crystal sequin thong
sandals and carried an
Asian
phalaenopsis orchid wrap stems.
Don and his attendants wore Havana shirts, linen pants and leather thong sandals.
Tropical Puka shell necklaces topped off their beach attire.
Guests enjoyed the rhythmic sound of waves washing over the shore and the sight
of tall pampas grass adorning the dunes. Don and Natalie's traditional Christian
wedding was officiated by Natalie's pastor and long time family friend who had
been a mentor and spiritual leader to her almost all of her life.
During the communion portion of the ceremony one of Natalie's children presented
lovingly the antique teak serving tray we had decorated with white orchids carrying
the communion wafers and wine. This was a particularly nostalgic moment for Natalie
as her mother had left this family heirloom to her before she passed away when Natalie
was a young girl. Now, at this time...on this very special day...Don and Natalie
felt they were including her memory in their ceremony. This meant a great deal to
Natalie's entire family. We were most happy to find a way to incorporate the
orchid theme to make this dream come true for Don and Natalie.
Many happy moments and memories were had as guests Many happy moments and memories
were had as guests met up at the reception also held on the beach in a breezy pavilion.
Some guests had not seen each other for a long time and joyful tears were shed as
affectionate embraces took place. A light fare and refreshments were served as guests
mingled with one another
resting
on lawn chairs and padding comfortably through soft grass on bare feet.
The children played and danced together in anticipation of their new life to come
as the married couple toasted a new beginning together with their loved ones.
Natalie says:
"Robin was able to take our beach themed wedding and my desire for white orchids
and craft the perfect wedding flowers for us. She truly has a gift for seeing a
flower in it's natural setting and bringing out it's simple beauty.
I don't enjoy stuffy, uptight designs and every orchid bouquet I saw looked
like that. But I liked the flower and told her what I envisioned. She took it from
there and utilized a natural, loose, unstructured look that included using fresh
picked native sea grapes and grape leaves into the design. She really broke the
mold on orchid bouquets when she made mine.
My girls are young and we wanted them to carry orchids too, but orchids can easily
look too sophisticated for a young girl. We were so pleased when Robin designed
an Asian inspired long stemmed wrap with a simple raffia bow to tie off the ends.
Robin also coordinated our wedding as we didn't have anyone to keep the details
organized for us. Everything went off without a single hitch and the day left us
completely unstressed knowing she was handling all of our details. Any bride should
feel confident in leaving the design and details to this company. We never expected
such personalized attention and we are so happy we went with Simple Bouquets! "
Photographs by Autumn Lumpkin. Used with permission.