K I R S T E N + M I C K E Y

{Part One}

The story of two best friends who fell in love, a charming country estate and an intimate outdoor wedding ceremony.

F R O M T H E B R I D E

We first met...

We met overseas in Greece in April of 2011. Miguel was working with Celebration Church, and I, Kirsten, was attending the Greek Bible College in Pikermi, Greece. He was renting a room in the dorms where I was also staying.We became best friends immediately. Even spending an "all-nighter" talking and laughing the night away. We soon began spending every spare moment together, and became inseparable.

We knew it was love...

It was different for both of us. I, Kirsten, found it to be love at first sight in Greece. The minute I met him I knew he was the one for me. Miguel on the other hand knew it was love November 10 ^th 2011 while I was visiting him at his home in Jacksonville, FL.

The proposal...

We got engaged on January 21 ^st 2015, which was also our third dating anniversary. Miguel wanted to make this day a day to remember for both of us. After bike riding for most of the day in Amelia Island, FL, he asked me to get into our car for a surprise.

We drove for about 15 minutes before he pulled up at the Ritz Carlton. I was blown away. He had made reservations at Salt, the fine dining restaurant in the hotel.

He surprised me that he had called ahead of time and coordinated with the hotel to give me a room in their spa to get ready for dinner in. I had an entire suite to myself, literally feeling like a princess while getting dolled up. Once I was finished getting ready, he met me right outside of the spa looking handsome in a fitted black suit.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were the only ones in the room. Completely intimate, they seated us facing the ocean at the best table. We enjoyed a 5-course dinner and as we headed home I thought our celebration was over. Little did I know what he had up his sleeve.

While driving in the dark headed back to Jacksonville we crossed a bridge over the intercoastal. I looked out over the water to my right and saw candles lining the length of the beach. My heart started beating wildly! After I commented on the candlelights I saw, he said, "Oo let's go take a closer look at them!" We pulled into a parking lot and started walking towards the lights.

He had created rock steps down to the waters edge, and the entire length of the walk had candles and lanterns at every step. Half way down the beach, he stopped to pick up a bottle of wine and 2 glasses and grabbed my hand to continue walking. Stars above, waves crashing beside us, and candles lighting my way, my heart was bursting with love.

The candlelit walk brought us to a circular clearing with drift wood all around us. Each tree of drift wood was laden with sparkling lanterns, there was Norah Jones playing from a speaker he had placed nearby, the ground covered by a blanket sprinkled with red rose petals.... It was a scene from a movie.

He then knelt on one knee. It is a night I will never forget.

Our photographer...

Our wedding photographer was Viktoriya Chuprov. I heard about her through one of my co-workers. Our first meeting with Viktoriya was sitting down at a cafe/book store drinking some coffee together. Instantly we all were on the same page. Her vision, creativity, joy, and artistic ability is extraordinary.

She was willing to go anywhere to experiment with new backgrounds and settings. She even travelled 3 ½ hours to Savannah, Georgia with us to take our engagement photos. Later, when we received our engagement pictures we were blown away. The photos captured our personalities and were exactly what we wanted! My husband and I knew that our wedding photos were going to be even better and she completely blew us away once we received them.

For me, the most important thing for the wedding was to have the perfect photographer and for all the little things of the day to be captured on film. She is an absolute joy to have around on your special day. She is beyond talented and I couldn't be happier with all that Viktoriya did for our wedding day.

T H E W E D D I N G

Our dream wedding...

At first we wanted a low-key vineyard like wedding but it evolved into a classy vintage wedding. The clubhouse had a vintage feel from the beautiful glass arched doorways and building details. The reception area almost felt garden-like because of the tables laden with floral accents.

It was in the evening so we had a lot of candles and lanterns (reminding us of the engagement night). The ceremony was under a beautiful tree with lanterns and fabric hanging from it; and the dance floor was under the stars with twinkle lights all around.

We stuck to mostly earth tones, with colours like champagne, rose gold, and midnight blue. We wanted everything to depict us as a couple, and to be a beautiful night for those who joined us in celebrating.

The ceremony and reception venue...

The Ribault Club - 11241 Fort George Rd Jacksonville, FL 32226

Pre-wedding celebrations...

We each had of course a bachelorette party and a bachelor party along with a couple of bridal showers as well.

The bridal party...

There were 5 of each. 4 of the bridesmaids were my closest friends, and one was a sister. The 5 groomsmen were Miguel's 5 closest friends as well.

The bridesmaids wore...

Each of them wore a different dress in the same Midnight Blue color. All the dresses were by The Dessy Group so that matching the color wasn't a problem. Each gown was floor length to stay with the formal theme. They wore rose gold shoes, and I gave them rose gold accent jewelry. The dress, shoe, and jewelry was different for each girl. I didn't want them to feel like they looked the same, and I wanted my bridesmaids to feel confident and beautiful!

The groomsmen wore...

From Men's Warehouse (St. Johns Towncenter Jacksonville) - Joseph Abboud Light Gray Satin Edged Notch Lapel, Ivory dress shirt, with a midnight blue tie and pocket square. Shoes were by Cole Haan Grand (light brown).

The groom wore...

From Men's Warehouse (St. Johns Towncenter Jacksonville) - Pronto Uomo Gray Notch Lapel Suit, Ivory dress shirt, and ivory tie/pocket square

The dress...

It was extremely unique. I've never seen anything like it. It was glamorous with a high neckline, chapel train, illusion low back, and beautiful bead detailing on the front and back. I bought it surprisingly at David's Bridal (I was beyond shocked I found something for my unique boutique taste at the bridal mega-shop). The dress inspiration was the exotic ethnic feel; I've always been drawn to things that don't fit the "conventional" bridal look.

Wedding flowers...

The bouquet had multiple hues of blue, along with touches of ivory. Some of the flowers were blue dendrobium orchids, blue tipped hydrangea blossoms, ivory and light pink roses, along with a few others.

To be continued...

Take a look at the second half of Kirsten and Mickey's special day here.

Photographer: Viktoriya Chuprov / Musician: Chris Thomas / DJ: White Tie Events / Caterer: Chef Chason Spencer / Cake Baker: Chef Michael Bump / Dance Floor: Luxe Party Rentals / Florist and Decorations: Elsie Morales / Videographer: Dale Vanleer / Officiate: David Charles / Venue: The Ribault Club