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A Sensational Winter Waterfall Wedding at Lewiswood Barn in Florida
As you’ll see from the pictures – this was a stunning Winter Waterfall Wedding in Florida. Joe and Alexis both live and work in Florida. They met through an online dating app and have been inseparable since their first date.
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Joe was adamant about wanting an outdoor venue. With the unpredictability of Florida weather, they wanted to be sure there was an indoor portion in case of rain or unbearable heat. Funny enough, it was in the 40s on their wedding day (NOT typical Florida weather) and they actually needed the indoor venue to keep everyone warm! The woodsy outdoors and stunning waterfall backdrop of Lewiswood Barn was the perfect setting to say “I do”.
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
The Winter Wedding Theme
For the big day, a classic black and white theme made everything feel classy and timeless, but with some bold elements of fun added. The couple wanted to do something classic that they would still like when they looked back on pictures 20 years from now.
Choosing a team to execute a wedding in Florida is a big deal. All the suppliers were essentially based on recommendations from other vendors. They started looking online first for main suppliers – venue, photographer, catering – and then from there, used recommendations from those vendors. They wanted all the vendors to work well together, so they tried to pick people they enjoyed working with and felt could make their vision come together.
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Wedding DIY?
The only thing they DIY’d at the wedding was the seating chart. They actually were forced to because they waited too long to order something to come in time for the wedding. They scoured all of Pinterest and found the perfect mirror seating chart. They were able to put the whole thing together in one day!
Wedding Planning: Who Was In Charge?
Alexis and Joe planned most of the wedding themselves. They started with the bigger vendors that they knew would cost more and then worked our way through the rest of the “essential vendor list.”
The internet had countless schedules, lists, and wedding guides to go off of, but they really just used those as a rough guideline. About 4 months before the wedding, they enlisted the help of a planner – a true angel – for assistance during the month of the wedding.
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
They had almost everything planned up until a month or two before when she really helped pull the small details together. Their planner not only helped pull things together but was a critical part of the day of our wedding, coordinating anything and everything that happened that day.
Were There Any Fears or Worries About The BIG Day?
Prior to the big day, there were a few worries and fears. They were worried about the small things going wrong; weather, forgetting the marriage license, people not enjoying themselves, etc. But during the actual day, it was as if none of that mattered because things were moving so quickly. All of the vendors did an exceptional job and made their vision come to life.
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Any Things They Wish They Did Or Didn’t Do?
There is only one thing they wished they’d done differently. Shortly after the wedding was a Wedding Expo in town where all of the local vendors came together and marketed their skills.
They wished they had gone to something like that after getting engaged to see everything at once and knock out all the planning in a single day. They could also see that as being somewhat overwhelming too, but it would have been one day of anxiety in return for a year of relief.
Any Wedding Advice for Future Couples?
The love birds have one piece of advice for other couples – pick one or two moments for the day of the wedding and focus on remembering those moments. Things go by so quickly.
You always think that it will be fine, but it truly is hard to remember the details you worked so hard to plan for. Taking time to specifically focus on a particular moment makes it that much more special.
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
Elizabeth Birdwell Photography
A Few Words From The Photographer: How Was It To Shoot a Winter Waterfall Wedding in Florida?
What a dream wedding and couple! Even though there were challenges that we Floridians weren’t used to like 20mph winds and frigid cold temps (the high was 39 degrees that day!), everything literally turned out PERFECT. When Alexis first hired me she had her dream wedding day planned out completely in her mind. . .from the littlest of details to the most important.
She had me completely sold though when she told me her furry kids would be a part of their day and that a fabulous champagne pop was going to end their night with a bang! The best part of the day was seeing HUGE smiles on Alex and Joe’s faces literally ALL DAY LONG.
They enjoyed and savored every second of it. Surrounded by their closest friends and family, it was evident that these two were so very loved. I was so very honored to be a part of their big day.
Photographer: Elizabeth Birdwell, equipment used: Canon 5D Mark III and IV, Canon Speedlite 600 EXii
And here are all the other vendors who made this wedding possible:
Planning: Sweet Tea Events
Catering: Catering Capers
Rentals; Terri Smith
DJ: Amplify
Florals: South of Stem
Hair: Macy Shattles
Makeup: Jamie Boyd
Photo bus: Gypsy Belle Photo Bus
Video: Eternal Image Films
Groom clothes: Al Dixons Menswear
Dress: Vocelles
If you’re in Florida already – check out these amazing beaches in Miami.
