I know I sound like something of a broken record when it comes to finding the perfect venue for your wedding day, but I really can’t stress enough the importance of it – once you find the right space, everything else just falls into place. And for Mandi & Ed their venue had extra meaning, making it perfect in EVERY way.

Mandi explains “We choose the The Old Fish House in Jupiter, FL for a few reasons. One- we loved the feel of it.  The big, old trees, the Loxahatchee River and dock, the bungalow homes, the white porch railings, boardwalk, and enchanting greenery entryway.  It has this old Florida feel and I knew it would fit the theme we were going for without a lot of extra decorations. It was so beautiful on its own. Also, we love their mission.  The Old Fish House is owned by a Veteran nonprofit, called The Renewal Coalition. They offer overnight retreats for recently returned US veterans. The weddings held at the Old Fish House support the nonprofit, so in paying for the venue we were supporting a great cause. A cause that happens to be so close to my heart because my husband is a Marine Veteran.”

The couple chose a neutral color palette and kept florals and decor understated but chic. Throughout the planning process, they didn’t forget what their day was all about and what was important to them. “I knew there were a couple of things that were important to us for our big day.  We wanted people to be relaxed, have a good time, eat and drink well, and be able to tell they were at Mandi & Ed’s wedding. I wanted it to feel very personal and organic.  I love neutral/natural colors and Ed loves a laid-back feel. I knew I wanted a bohemian chic outdoor wedding because it fit us as a couple. Mismatching pieces, greenery, the outdoors, nontraditional pieces, anything with a vintage feel equaled us.  Overall, I think the guests felt like they were celebrating us and enjoying themselves as well.”

“My dress was from the Morilee Blu collection.  I loved that it had lace sleeves and a keyhole back. I found it at Angelus Bridal in Pompano Beach, Florida after looking at about 3 bridal shops. When I put the dress on I knew it was the one because my grandma started crying! She looked at me and said, “that’s it!” I loved the vintage look and bohemian feel of the dress.  It was also affordable which was a plus!! “

“My florist was Boho Garden Crowns who I found on Instagram. I found her through her beautiful floral crowns.  I knew I wanted a leafy green eucalyptus flower crown and bouquet since I was having an outdoor wedding. My bouquet had various types of eucalyptus and white roses. My bridesmaid’s bouquets had eucalyptus and baby’s breath.  My flower crown was all eucalyptus and our flower girl’s crown was white roses and eucalyptus. The flowers fit perfect with the venue, it looked as if they were put together from the surrounding greenery!”

“Our first look was perfect.  Ed’s face and reaction were so sweet. I love looking at the photos.  I remember the feeling of the exact moment. How beautiful everything looked.  We had worked so hard to bring this day together and saved all our pennies to pay for it.  It just felt amazing to hold onto each other and embrace the day and life we had been planning for together.”

“Our dog, Bailey walked down the aisle before the wedding party in a flower wreath and hung out the whole wedding!”

“I remember standing on the balcony porch overlooking the guests taking their seats and crying tears of joy that our special day was finally here. The usher who was giving me the cue to walk down the stairs to my dad said he had never seen a bride so happy and peaceful on her wedding day. At that moment I knew we had done everything right for our day.”

“My matrons of honor and bridesmaids all wore mismatching dresses that they chose themselves.  I gave them color swatches to choose from which was dark blush, lavender, mocha, and grey. They were all different but floor length,  it looked so beautifully bohemian.”

“It was really important for us to pay for our wedding in cash.  We did not want to start our new marriage with debt from the day. We skipped things we couldn’t afford like videography and transportation to and from the venue. If it didn’t fit in the budget we did not do it.  Most of my vendors worked with me so I could make payments over the year we were engaged and that really helped. The only thing I was not willing to skimp on was photography! I knew I had to have Erica J take our pictures.  I still feel really lucky that we were able to have her capture our day.”

Pearls of wedding wisdom from the bride…

“Stick to your budget, guest list, and theme. Skip the stuff people don’t remember or care about ie: personalized napkins, excessive flowers, 4 different choices of meals to choose from, matching bridesmaid dresses and shoes.

During the actual ceremony stop and turn and look at the audience.  Take in the love and friendship of all the people there to celebrate your union.  It is such an amazing feeling.

Do a first look! I am so glad we did because we didn’t take time away from our reception by taking hours of pictures. So after a few family pictures, we got to enjoy the cocktail hour and then lined up to be announced into the reception with the rest of the wedding party. “ 

“We skipped a cake and had our favorite doughnut shop deliver our favorite sweets!  They made us 2 special doughnuts with my new last name!”

Tell us a little about your photographer….

“I found Erica J Photography at a friend’s wedding.  She was preparing to take photos and asked to take photo of me to adjust her camera settings.  I thought she had the sweetest spirit and smile. I saw my friend’s wedding photos later on and they were beautiful. I love Erica’s style and organic look.  I knew when my day came I would have to ask her to take my photos! When I reached out to her after I got engaged I asked if she remembered me and she did! She even remembered my makeup from that day and I was just so touched by her sweetness, kindness and of course her TALENT!”

VIEW THE GALLERY

How gorgeous is all of that greenery? Huge congratulations to the happy couple Mandi & Ed, and a big thankyou to them as well as their wonderful photographer Erica J for allowing me to share their beautiful day with you. If you love Erica’s photography and would like to see more of her work head over to her website www.ericajphotography.com and be sure to follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Or if you love the timeless romance of this wedding, and are looking for more inspiration for your own big day, then you might want to see Jenn & Teague’s earthy & elegant wedding at Rigmor House, Alex & Ian’s wedding at Salisbury House, or Alex & Amanda’s romantic celebration in the mountains of North Carolina! And you’ll love Matt & Kelly’s greenery filled affair at the Chandelier Ballroom!

Amy

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Contributors & Credits

Photography – Erica J Photography // Venue – The Old Fish House // Event Planning – Joyce Dominico // Floral Design – Boho Garden Crowns // Stationery – Wedding Paper Divas // Wedding Dessert – Jupiter Donut Factory // Rentals & Linens – Better Party Rentals // Hair – Courtney Does Hair // Makeup – Kate Blake Artistry // Wedding Dress – Morilee // Bridal Boutique – Angelus Bridal // Groom’s Attire – Jos A Bank // Bride’s Shoes – David’s Bridal // Bridesmaids Dresses – Jenny Yoo , BHLDN , Macy’s , ASOS // Catering – Laura Ashley Catering // Entertainment – Kenny Mondo Productions