Jaeda and John's glamorous Siesta Key wedding brought modern elegance to the beaches through a combination of saturated floral arrangements, contemporary glass, acrylic elements, and luxurious gold finishes.
The Sarasota couple originally envisioned a Key West wedding, but ultimately decided to translate that vision to a local venue in their hometown. They chose a color palette of muted sand tones accented by shades of seasonal reds and natural greenery.
“For our wedding colors, we wanted to stick with a classic, neutral look with a couple color pops to get that December feel,” the bride explained. “We loved the inspiration boards our wedding planner showed us. We wanted to incorporate acrylic, blush, red, and berry, and we wanted the greens to mainly stay in our florals and the glitz and gold to stay in the decor and cake.”
MORE: BEACH WEDDING INSPIRATION
Jaeda sought a show-stopping gown for her special day and credits her stylist at Truly Forever Bridal for helping her find her dream dress.
“When I started to look for a wedding dress, I wanted to make sure I was comfortable and wearing something that would knock my husband off his feet!” the bride beamed. “I went to two stores in Sarasota. The first store had so many options and there were so many that looked great on me but they just didn't feel like the one. When I went to Truly Forever Bridal Sarasota, I tried on about three before I found the one. Honestly, my family's opinion did not matter at that moment. I literally knew I found the dress right when I looked in the mirror! My consultant, Laura, was so great; she knew what dress to pick that would fit my body type as well as my personality.”
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A centerpiece of their celebration was the couple's impressive acrylic arbor which served as the backdrop for their ceremony, allowing their 120 guests to enjoy unimpeded views of the beach beyond.
“What made our wedding unique was our wedding arbor. Our venue had a large section of grass that led to the beach. We kept all of our guests on the grass so that way they didn't get too sandy but still had a great view” Jaeda recalled. “Our acrylic wedding arbor didn't take away from the view at all. The flowers were such a great fit for the arbor!”
Because John and Jaeda weren't exchanging vows in a traditional church with an on-site priest or pastor, they searched for an experienced officiant who could offer a faith-based service while also guiding them through the process of planning their ceremony.
“We decided to hire A Wedding With Grace to officiate our wedding because she went above and beyond our expectations. She had the experience we were looking for, and she was willing to make the ceremony personable,” the bride raved. “Grace built a solid relationship with both John and me during the planning process which made her scripture of the ceremony so unique. The service she gave us from beginning to end was outstanding. Grace followed up and followed through from the day we met her up until the wedding. She spoke to the guests in a tone where you could understand every word she was saying, and she did not rush it.”
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The newlyweds have three dogs that are a huge part of their lives, so they elected to include them in their wedding day, sharing in the first look and even the ceremony.
“FairyTail Pet Care took such great care of our three labs. They are a handful, but Taylor and her team handled them so well. They were able to care for our dogs while we were getting ready up until the evening. They are necessary if you are going to have your pets with you on your wedding day. I thought I would have been able to care for our dogs up until ceremony time, but let me tell you, heck no!” the bride shared. “FairyTail walked them all individually, cared for them, and loved them. They even brought all three dogs to the first look so we could get pictures with them. They sent us so many updates and pictures. I truly felt my dogs were in great hands, and I did not worry about them at all!”
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Despite the nervous anticipation, the instant when the Jaeda and John first saw each other, with their dogs by their sides, will forever live in the bride's memory.
“Our most memorable moment was the first look. This gave us the opportunity to shake off all the nerves we were feeling before the ceremony. We both remember how happy we looked when we first saw each other and all those nerves went away,” Jaeda reminisced. “It was also a great experience incorporating our dogs into our first look. It made walking down the aisle so much more relaxing because we already had that one on one moment with each other.”
What did you look for in a wedding dress?
When I started to look for a wedding dress, I wanted to make sure I was comfortable and wearing something that would knock my husband off his feet! I went to two stores in Sarasota. The first store had so many options and there were so many that looked great on me but they just didn't feel like the one. When I went to Truly Forever Bridal Sarasota, I tried on about three before I found the one. Honestly, my family's opinion did not matter at that moment. I literally knew I found the dress right when I looked in the mirror! My consultant, Laura, was so great; she knew what dress to pick that would fit my body type as well as my personality.
I chose Truly Forever Bridal because I wanted to stick to a local wedding dress shop that was close to me. This shop was also on our wedding planner's preferred vendor list so I knew I couldn't go wrong here. I also learned it is super convenient to have your dress shop nearby because I did have to do about three fittings until I got to take my dress home.
The Proposal:
John asked me to marry him on Turtle Beach! We had a boat day with our dogs, and he pulled off to a secluded part of Turtle Beach and asked me to marry him!
What did you look for in a wedding officiant?
What we looked for in a wedding officiant was someone who knew and understood their role. Since we weren't getting married in a church we wanted someone who was still able to incorporate our religious beliefs and someone to give us advice on readings we should pick from. We also wanted someone who was comfortable being themselves and confident in talking in front of a large crowd.
We decided to hire A Wedding With Grace to officiate our wedding because she went above and beyond our expectations. She had the experience we were looking for and she was willing to make the ceremony personable. Grace built a solid relationship with both John and me during the planning process which made her scripture of the ceremony so unique. The service she gave us from beginning to end was outstanding. Grace followed up and followed through from the day we met her up until the wedding. She spoke to the guests in a tone where you could understand every word she was saying, and she did not rush it.
Why did you choose to incorporate your pets into your wedding day?
Our pets are a big part of our family. We had all three dogs since they were puppies and couldn't imagine our special day without them! Brownie, our newest dog, was gifted to me by John a couple of months before the wedding, so I was super excited to show her off. We decided to hire FairyTale Pet Care because their specialty is pet sitting on a wedding day. We also heard great things about them from our officiant, and they had a lot of great reviews.
We liked how they were able to exercise the dogs before seeing us for the first look so they weren't as hyper. Each crew member had a dog so that way each dog was focused on a human individually. The crew dressed up all three dogs with special collars, which made for super cute photos. Bo, our male lab had a tux on his harness, and Bella and Brownie had floral collars. We like that Illana was able to stay until the dogs' feeding time and made sure they were comfortable before she left them for the evening. We also liked that she was willing to come the day before the wedding to entertain the dogs while we hosted over fifty guests for our welcome party. It was important to us that someone was watching our dogs while people were around because our yellow lab gets a little anxious and hyper around people he doesn't know. It was also a big plus that they were bonded and insured because handling three big dogs can be a lot of work!
FairyTail Pet Care took such great care of our three labs. My labs are a handful, but Taylor and her team handled them so well. They were able to care for our dogs while we were getting ready up until the evening. In my opinion, they are necessary if you are going to have your pets with you on your wedding day. I thought I would have been able to care for our dogs up until ceremony time, but let me tell you, heck no! Taylor literally keeps them out of your hair. They walked them all individually, cared for them, and loved them. John's and my attention were needed on so many other things that we honestly did not have time for our dogs that day. They sent us so many updates and pictures. I truly felt my dogs were in great hands and I did not worry about them at all! They even brought all three dogs to the first look so we could get pictures with them. I 100% would recommend them.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We spent our honeymoon in Costa Rica. We chose this location for a few reasons; we wanted to travel somewhere out of the country, something not too beachy because we already live 20 mins from Siesta Key, and somewhere where we could be active. We aren't a couple who just like to sit by the pool all day. We love to sightsee, hike, and experience new cultures. Costa Rica was so beautiful. We saw so many monkeys, sloths, and birds during our stay, not to mention active volcanoes as well. We decided to do a private tour with Costa Rica Driver & Adventure. We honestly would not have seen half of the things we did if it wasn't for our tour guide, Leo. The natural hot springs were a huge hit after a full day of hiking as well.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We initially started to plan our wedding by ourselves in Key West. A couple months into planning by ourselves we both became too overwhelmed with the planning process; we had no idea what we were doing and what we were missing. Our wedding planner helped steer our dream wedding in the right direction.
What were your colors?
We wanted to stick with a classic, neutral look with a couple of color pops to get that December feel. We loved the inspiration boards our wedding planner showed us. We wanted to incorporate acrylic, blush, red, and berry, and we wanted the greens to mainly stay in our florals and the glitz and gold to stay in the decor and cake.
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
Make sure you keep tabs on your budget and spending throughout the whole planning process. It can be stressful because you really can't pay for some of the big quotes until you have your final guest count in. I strongly recommend having a planner who is willing to help see future transactions. It became really stressful on both of us at the end because there were so many last-minute transactions due. My suggestion would be to get quotes from a couple of vendors to make sure they will be in your price range! We were a little shocked at some of the quotes given to us. Stay on top of your wedding website if you have out-of-town guests! A lot of them turn to that for information.
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Cottage on the Rocks
Photographer: Alisa Sue Photography
Videographer: Vibe Chaos
Planner: Jennifer Matteo Event Planning
Florist: So Staged Florals
Caterer: Modern Events
Rentals: So Staged, BBJ linens, US Tent Rentals
Cake: Cakes by Ron
DJ: Jam All Day Entertainment
Officiant: A Wedding with Grace *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Invitations: Write On Sarasota
Transportation: Frog Hopper Siesta Key
Dress Shop: Truly Forever Bridal Sarasota *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Bridesmaid Dress Shop: Shop Revelry
Hair & Makeup: Brides by Kelly Anne
Pet Planner: FairyTail Pet Care *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Woodwork: Matteo Woodwork
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
*Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pros are highly respected by our local wedding community and have been personally vetted by our editor.
