Romance and Southern Charm Blend Perfectly at this Plantation Wedding

By Janecia Britt

Bailey and Kevin’s wedding was nothing short of a fairytale.

“Kevin and I met at the Florida State College of Music. One of my earliest memories was seeing him in the halls Freshman year as we staggered to our 8 am classes and thinking he was just my type: gorgeous, confident, quiet. We both went our separate ways in undergrad, dated other people, and ran in different circles of friends, but I always kept my eye on him. Kevin was very successful, and so was I, and I always had this feeling that we would end up together. I don’t believe in fate or soulmates but I’ll never forget the subconscious feeling that he was right for me.”

“Fast forward to several years later when we both ended up back at FSU for our Masters in the same program, Arts Administration. We were single and the timing was right. We went on a few dates, things moved pretty quickly, and a year later we were living together and would soon be engaged.”

“We got engaged with Kevin’s family in Las Vegas. I was lucky enough to help pick out my ring at one of Las Vegas’s most famous jewelers. Kevin proposed after a day of hiking at a wonderful Italian restaurant over hand tossed pasta and red wine. The booth we were in was huge and secluded so he turned to me and in his quiet, subdued way asked me to spend the rest of my life with him “making compromises.” I loved that question because we are both so different but understand compromise is the key to a long lasting relationship!”

“Our favorite moments included 2 dog wedding crashers (we are both huge animal lovers and it turned out these dogs lived on the property), reading our vows (which I bawled throughout), and cutting the cake with a gaggle of little girls crowding around us waiting for a slice!”

“Our wedding day, March 24, 2018, was absolutely magical. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful (one of the reasons we picked March for our Florida wedding). There were clear skies and a cool breeze, just perfect. We chose navy, wine, and blush as our wedding colors. The palette of reds and pinks was incredibly romantic and mixed beautifully with the greenery and white blossoms on the trees.”

“The moment we walked the grounds of Loblolly I said, “This is it!” I loved the large outdoor space and could see our large families mingling and spread across the gorgeous landscape.”

“The photos and food were our big decisions. I had been eyeing Black & Hue for years. Their photos were so intimate and they seemed to capture the most precious moments, and I was thrilled they were available to photograph our big day. As for the food, we wanted a very southern spread centering around our two favorites: chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits. Of course, there were collards and cornbread as well. There’s nothing better than soul food and no one better to do it than Liberty Bar and Catering!”

“It was so fun dancing the night away to our fantastic DJ, Nate Long from Amplify Entertainment. A personal favorite moment was watching my dad perform a song he wrote and performed about my number one rule as a child: “First you put on a pretty dress” and how on that day I was wearing the prettiest dress of all. It was extremely emotional because I’m very close to my dad and we’re both musicians, growing up playing violin and piano together.”

“My advice for soon-to-be brides is to be calm and focus on the “feeling” you want to create for the day. The small details will fall away, but the feeling will remain.”

“Overall the day was filled with laughter, support, loving family, and we were smiling ear to ear from start to finish!”

Photos courtesy of Black and Hue Photography.

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