SURPRISE RETRO ROCKABILLY WEDDING

After already being together for so long with kids and a pandemic to deal with, Danna and Anthony didn’t really know if they’d ever have a proper wedding but friend and owner and of The Foxtail Estate in Daytona Beach, had a suprise up her sleeve…

“I told Danna I wanted to style a fun Rockabilly/Retro styled shoot and I wanted her to model” began owner of the estate, Amira.

“From her everyday jet-black hair, cherry-red lip, and cat-eye shaped frames, her Betty Paige aesthetic made her the perfect Pin-Up Bride. All that was missing was the perfect Groom… and it seemed like a no-brainer to use Danna’s boyfriend of 10 years and father of their 2 boys, Anthony.”

“Being a hopeless romantic, I kept dropping hints that they should just actually get married the day of the shoot! They’ve been together for so long, they always planned to get married someday, but life kept getting in the way. But on this perfect September day, everything was already planned for the wedding from the venue, hair and makeup, the dress, the Officiant, Bouquet, Cake, Photographer, Videographer…. All they would have to do was say ‘I Do!’”.

“After some convincing, Danna and Anthony agreed to the grand gesture just two days before the shoot. So, close to their 10-year dating anniversary and nearly 20 years as friends, they committed their lives to each other with their family and a few of their closest friends they literally invited one day prior. She walked out to “Hands Down” by Dashboard Confessional, a song they used to listen to in his car as teenagers. So many tears were shed, and in my book, it was a wedding to remember and a story that could warm anyone’s heart. Their love shined so brightly on that day, she looked totally rad, and it was the perfect untraditional wedding in this unconventional time and truly shows that love conquers all.” Amira told us.

“It all happened so fast it felt like we didn’t have time to worry, but Amira and all her wedding pros make magic, so I knew it would be perfect and stress free.” Danna continued.

“We know we were so lucky to be able to have all of this planned for us to just show up to this styled shoot and get married, we just had a blast all day with absolutely no concerns! Amira knows my personal retro vibe style so well and I loved everything about the color scheme and the details, it seemed like every aspect was truly made for me! She is a complete pro and got all the details perfect for what became my dream wedding!”

“I wish we could have had more loved ones present but with the pandemic and being so very last minute, that was not possible. So being able to have the photos and videos to share and look back on is priceless to us. We are so happy to have had such an amazing crew of event pros create this for us and to make sure it was absolutely a perfect day we will never forget.”

“The Foxtail Estate is in the historic district of Daytona Beach, across the street from the Halifax Yacht Club on the intracoastal, and right across the bridge from our beautiful beaches, making it a dream destination wedding venue. To rebound from our COVID-19 losses, we also started doing micro-weddings where we provide everything for a small wedding for 20 guests from photographer to officiant, cake and bouquet, and 1 night’s stay in our bridal suite and I am so thankful that we were able to keep busy with those through what is normally our slow season in the summer.” Amira explained.

“Being a garden venue, most of our brides tend to lean toward a lush, green, spring-like theme which we LOVE, but were looking for something a bit more alternative and fun to show the potential for all kinds of couples. I’m originally from TN and LOVE fall, but in Florida it’s not really a thing with temperature still hanging in the 80’s till December but wanted to do something a bit moodier and dark. I LOVE Halloween and am super into a Retro/Rock Roll look, so it morphed into this dark and moody but super unique shoot which, as you know, turned into a real wedding after all!”

“I contacted a few vendors that I have worked with before who I trusted as pros and that I knew would love this aesthetic for photography, cake, and HMU. We also wanted to have an officiant there to make the photos more realistic, so I asked the officiant included in my micro-wedding packages to participate.”

“We had a vintage car provided by Jesse James Garage in the past and I spoke to him about our vision and he instantly replied that he had the absolute perfect car for the shoot! He was literally just finishing the details on the emerald green Aston Marten and it could not have been more perfect to complete their look.”

“The Little Flower Company had done a floral photo shoot here that got completely rained out, so she was the first on my list to get to make up for it and she has a serious passion for going all-out with a moody and unique perspective. I only asked her for a bouquet and boutonniere, but she brought a massive piece with candles for the ceremony and car, TWO bouquets, floral pocket squares for the guys AND 2 flower crowns! She was just as excited as I was for the vision! Danna and Anthony ended up purchasing a real wedding cake from the baker in addition to the one for the shoot and she even had extra flowers for that!!”

“The dress was by far the hardest item to come by… Apparently vintage tea length dresses aren’t really in a lot of bridal shops right now! I looked EVERYWHERE and contacted as many boutiques as I could with no avail… Funny side story, Danna and I had met for lunch one day and we decided to try David’s Bridal as a last resort for a loaner and, although we didn’t find a dress, we met a super sweet girl who worked there named Shauna who had apparently been in contact with me in the past about booking her wedding. After our conversation that day, she ended up booking a small ceremony with us a few days later and got married on a weekday just ONE week after that!! Shauna, having a retro-rocker vibe herself, was the one who recommended we contact a vintage/pin-up store in Deland (about 40 min away) to see if they had anything like what I was looking for. The owner Janelle was thrilled to be involved in the shoot and scoured her sources to find the perfect dress!”

“Surround yourself with pros!!” Danna added. “Having Amira work out the details made all the difference and completely stress free!! It couldn’t have been more perfect, and we are so thankful!”

Venue: The Foxtail Estate I Photographer: Ohlson Photography I Videography: Drone Production Services I Officiant: Melissa Frantz, Daytona Beach Drive in Church I Florist: The Little Flower Company I Baker: Delectable Delights I Hair & Makeup: Gloss Bridal I Vintage Car: Jesse James Classic Garage I Dress: Pinup Parlour Boutique I Models: DJ Dukebox Bully I