Minda and Clark’s wedding day began bright and early on Sunday morning. I arrived at the bridal suite just before 7 a.m.
Minda arranged for two people from a local salon to come to the suite to do our hair and they got to work right away. Since Minda’s wedding ceremony took place at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, the morning was packed with wedding preparations! My friend and fellow bridesmaid, Amanda, and I were up first!
The people who did our hair followed Minda’s instructions and gave each bridesmaid a teased side ponytail hairstyle inspired by a picture that Minda found online.
As we were getting our hair done, Minda surprised all of us with the sweetest bridesmaid gifts. Each bridesmaid received a white spa robe with our name on the front and “Bridesmaid” on the back. She also gave us custom-made earrings from Etsy and even got me a pair of clip-ons since my ears aren’t pierced. She thought of everything and we were all so touched!
We lounged in our robes while we got ready and set up makeup stations around the bridal suite.
Michelle was in charge of champagne and took her job very seriously!
Love it!
Time absolutely flew by and before we knew it, the florist was knocking on the door to deliver our beautiful bouquets.
There’s something about the arrival of the flowers that I adore. I know it’s a rather trivial moment in the bride’s special day compared to everything else, but I love how everyone always seems to gather around the bouquets and the bride always lights up! Minda immediately loved her bouquet and we all raved about the striking orange lilies.
Not long after the bouquets were delivered, Minda’s friend and make up artist put the final touches on Minda’s makeup and she changed into her beautiful dress before she was whisked away for first look pictures with her husband-to-be.
Check out Minda’s shoes!!
Aren’t they so adorable? I love the ruffles!
While Minda was away taking photos with her groom, her mother told us the sweetest story about wedding dress shopping with Minda. Her eyes lit up and she told the story with such animation and affection. Apparently Minda kept saying every wedding dress she tried on was “the one” and loved them all which made all of us laugh. But, when Minda tried on the dress she ended up wearing, she cried and said, “No, this really is the one.” Her mom was the one who picked it off the rack for her try on!
About 30 minutes after Minda left for pictures with her groom, we joined the happy couple and took all of our pictures outside before the ceremony began. It was hot, but pictures moved quickly and took place in the shade.
Once pictures were done, we walked a block to the wedding venue and hid in a little side room while guests arrived.
We sipped champagne, toasted to Minda and tried to enjoy every last moment.
When the wedding coordinator told us it was time to head upstairs for the ceremony, my heart started racing. It was time for Minda to get married!!!
We lined up inside and waited for the coordinator to tell us to walk down the aisle.
Once it was Minda’s turn, everyone stood up and I could not stop smiling as she slowly walked down the aisle to meet her groom.
Their ceremony was so personal and sweet. Minda and Clark clearly put a lot of time into making the ceremony fit their personalities and I loved every minute of it. My favorite part occurred when they recited the vows they wrote for each other. They both made me cry! Clark’s vows to Minda were so incredibly heartfelt and perfect and made me feel so happy that my wonderful friend is marrying a guy who has such intense, undying love for her. My favorite line from his vows? “I may be crazy, but I am crazy for you.”
I also loved the exchange of rings because I knew this was a very special moment for Minda and Clark. Clark’s wedding ring was made by melting the gold from their fathers’ wedding rings together. It featured a single diamond set off to the side from a pair of diamond earrings that Minda’s dad gave to her mom on their 20th wedding anniversary. Since Minda’s loving father passed away when we were in college, we all thought this was an incredible way to make him always be a part of this incredible day in their lives. It was so touching and very emotional.
You may now kiss the bride!
Minda and Clark’s wedding reception kicked off at noon on the second floor of The White Room.
Since all of our pictures were taken before the ceremony, the bridal party was free to enjoy the cocktail hour with the guests which was great.
I had a great time catching up with some of my favorite girls from college while we waited for the bride and groom to join us after they were done with their family pictures.
I sipped on wine and thoroughly enjoyed the bacon-wrapped scallops and baked brie.
And then the beautiful bride and her handsome groom were introduced and everyone watched as the couple who first met when they were only 14 years old swayed together on the dance floor.
Once it was time to eat, Ryan and I joined a group of our college friends at a table for lunch.
Lunch included a duet of beef tenderloin and mahi mahi served with mashed potatoes and oven roasted vegetables.
Our entire table raved about the food and agreed that the beef tenderloin stole the show. It was cooked perfectly and tasted fantastic.
As our plates were cleared, we listened to three heartfelt speeches from the best man, matron of honor and the mother of the bride. Minda’s matron of honor, Brett, delivered a great speech and had everyone incredibly impressed with her public speaking abilities.
She was funny, sentimental and perfectly conveyed just how wonderful Minda truly is by highlighting her incredible heart, capacity for loving others, sensitivity and her killer sense of humor.
Minda’s mother had me crying in no time at all as she beamed at her daughter and talked about how Minda’s dad once said he wanted the perfect wedding for Minda. Hearing Minda say that her wedding day was absolutely perfect later that afternoon made my heart swell. I’m so glad Minda found Clark to share her future with since she deserves all the happiness in the world.
After the speeches, it was time to cut the cake!
The cake was an orange blossom cake with vanilla buttercream frosting made by Sweet ‘n’ Flour and it was incredible. I can honestly say it was one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever had in my life.
Minda also surprised Clark with a bourbon chocolate pecan pie because that is his favorite dessert.
Minda and Clark’s wedding day was absolutely perfect. It was filled with family, friends, fantastic food and so much love. I am so happy for the newlyweds!
Congratulations Minda and Clark!
Giveaway Winners
Noonday Giveaway Winner
- Angie: “I liked Noonday on Facebook, great concept.”
Reebok Nano 3.0 Giveaway Winner
- Meaghan: “I would love to win these to wear to Crossfit! I’ve heard great things about them.”
Congratulations! Both giveaway winners have been emailed!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Love the orange dresses & flowers — not your “typical” wedding color (which is a good thing!). So pretty!
I love those dresses too! Can you still get them? If so where and how much?
Girl, you’re like a professional bridesmaid these days! Love those orange dresses, and what a stunning bride.
Those bridesmaids dresses are so pretty I love that they are longer. Looks like it was a wonderful wedding 🙂
Ha – this post was almost a flashback for me! I went to a wedding at the same (gorgeous) venue back in December, had nearly the same meal at the reception, and heck – I even used to workout with the woman who baked the cake! Made me miss Jacksonville a little bit, although I’m happy to be in Sarasota now. 🙂 Beautiful bride + wedding!
What a beautiful wedding! I LOVE the style and color of the bridesmaid dresses!
Oh my gosh, I teared up reading all about this! Especially about her mom’s speech about her dad. kleenex please! I love that it was an early day wedding! I’ve never heard of that. Reading these wedding posts (you’re in a lot of weddings this year!) reminds me of my wedding and i keep reliving it 🙂
Love her colors!!! So pretty and classy 🙂 And as usual, you looked gorgeous Mrs Julie!!
Everything looked beautiful! I’m in girlfriend’s wedding next year and LOVE the bridesmaid dresses. Can you give me some details on where you got them??
Thanks!
We bought them at BCBG around the end of December last year. 🙂
Those bridesmaid dresses are absolutely gorgeous!! The bride did an awesome job of picking those out. I love the color, too!
It’s funny that you don’t have your ears pierced. I feel like that’s so rare. 😉 What a lovely wedding!
Her wedding dress is INCREDIBLE! Actually I just love the style of her whole wedding! You did a wonderful job writing about it, too– I really felt like I was there when I read through this! 🙂
LOVE the color of the dresses!! So fun! The part about the father’s wedding rings made me cry! So sweet.
I love your wedding recaps! They’re always beautiful and heartfelt!
Thank you. 🙂 They’re so much fun to write!
The bright coral is stunning! Even the cake flavour totally suited the theme!
I’m getting married next July and the topic of conversation at our dinner table is what time the ceremony should take place. My fiancé’s parents are superstitious and believe in the Chinese calendar (they are Vietnamese) so they think that at noon on July 26 would mark the beginning of a bad day and time to get married. Neither myself nor my fiancé are superstitious, but I want to try and make his parents happy so we are thinking about having an early ceremony. I’ve just never heard of anyone doing that until this post. Can you give me some more details about how long the reception was and your opinion on if it was weird attending such an early ceremony and reception (eating dinner really early). Thanks!
Hi Katie! Congrats on your upcoming wedding! Very exciting!! The ceremony began at 11:30 and was immediately followed by a cocktail hour that included beer, wine, soft drinks and juice from noon to 1 p.m. We ate lunch around 1:30 p.m. and everything wrapped up around 3:15 p.m. They had a jazz band which was really nice for an afternoon wedding! It definitely had a different feel than a nighttime wedding, but in a unique, fun way. People still had a really good time and I actually felt like I had more time to talk and catch up with people I haven’t seen in a while since the atmosphere was more brunch-like than party, party, party. I think there are obviously pros and cons to each, but I thought Minda’s wedding was really wonderful! It was a really great day!
I love the bright coral color she picked out–it is so perfect. And the flowers to match it all–I love it!!
Love the story of the ring–so so sweet. <3
Looks like an absolutely gorgeous wedding!! I love how unique her dress was!
Beautiful shoes — and love that orange color! So pretty!
I got married in St. Augustine (at the River House) in February and my girls and I got ready in the same suite!!!!
You all look so beautiful! I love how the color of your bridesmaids dresses (I’m not even sure what color to call it) is infused in so many details at the wedding, especially the bouquets. Just lovely!
Yay for unpierced ears! I always get asked why I don’t have my ears pierced. Where do you get your earrings? I need to find some that don’t pinch my ears!
No one cares about your friends weddings. How is this hlb? Do you get permission to post all these pics and personal stories? I wouldn’t want my wedding plastered on the Internet bc you don’t have content. I hope you didn’t pay for that rats nest side pony tail.
Jenn, from a fellow Jen, I’m asking you to be brave. Contact the authorities and let them know exactly who it is that’s holding the gun to your head, making you read this blog.
Seriously! How rude. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. No need for the nasty comments. It was her dear friend’s wedding. Keep your rude thoughts to yourself.
Hi Jenn – This blog follows my life, as it always has, and my life includes weddings and things outside of just food and fitness. If you’re looking for a blog that focuses solely on food and fitness, this is probably not the one for you. And yes, I do get permission from friends to share photos of them and blog about their weddings. They’re all very supportive of my blog and most actually enjoy being a part of it.
WOW! How childish! Have you ever heard if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all? Furthermore, what a terrible place to voice such negative opinions consider nearly all of the readers enjoy Julie’s blog and will most certainly come to her defense as you’ve already seen.
If you don’t like it, keep on keeping on. Also- her blog does include a ton of great healthy eating recipes and workouts. 🙂
Beautiful bride, bridesmaids, and wedding!
I have to say, since I’ve seen a lull in weddings among my group of friends, I’m a little jealous of all the weddings you’re a part of or attending. Weddings are just so much fun. 🙂
St. Augustine seems like the perfect place to get married–it’s definitely on my “must visit” list.
Congratulations to Minda and Clark! The ceremony looked beautiful and everyone looked stunning!
Beautiful wedding! I love the orange!
Julie, I just wanted to say that I’ve been silently following your blog for several months now and I love your perspective! You’re an inspiration and its so fun to read about your life. Keep it up. 🙂
I’m a Jacksonville area Bride-to-Be and have been searching for the perfect wedding venue. The style of The White Room looks absolutely perfect. I’m going to have to check it out. Thanks for posting this wedding recap!
Gorgeous color on the dresses!
What a beautiful wedding and I honestly don’t think I have EVER heard anything more creative and endearing than the groom’s ring.
You all looked gorgeous! And I loved the bouquets, so different!
What a beautiful wedding!! Love the bright orange!
I love the colors she chose for her wedding! That orange is a perfect blend between seasons, late summer and early fall. Just curious, since it was an early ceremony what did y’all do after the reception?
Very pretty wedding! You have been to so many this summer, jealous! lots of fun! Random curiosity, is there a reason you don’t have your ears pierced?
Because I’m terrified of needles. 🙂
Well, there ya go! More power to you for wearing cute clip-ons !
Stunning !!! Thank you Julie for sharing this special day with us. I’m sure many of your followers feel the same as I do, we see and hear about these wonderful friends of yours and appreciate being included in your recaps! 🙂
Thank you for this sweet comment, Kc! 🙂
I absolutely love the bridesmaid dresses and I’m not even a fan of orange! So pretty
Beautiful wedding-and just blocks from my house! St. Augustine is such a romantic setting for a wedding. 🙂
What a stunning wedding ceremony! I loveee weddings. Just getting me more and more excited for mine. 10 months to go!
What a beautiful wedding! I love all of the touches in regarding Minda’s father. That is so sweet. 🙂
Oh she gave you guys awesome bridesmaid dresses! Those are some of the best I’ve seen 🙂
You all look stunning!! The ceremony and reception is beautiful! I love the sentiment about your friends father, reading it made me teary! I need to find these bridesmaid dress you wore, they are beautiful!
Yay for love! What a beautiful wedding!
What a beautiful wedding!!! love that color for the BMs 🙂
What a truly beautiful wedding. The dress, the flowers, the food, the location…I wish them all the best!
What a beautiful wedding! And the shoes, gah. I was especially touched by the story of how they melded their fathers’ rings together. What a great way to keep the memory of her father alive. I also wanted to say I love your wedding recaps (sometimes I even read through them more than once!).
I obviously don’t know these people and your story about their day made me cry! What a gorgeous day!
beautiful wedding photos
What did you get Minda for her wedding? Besides something on her registry and what not.. I feel like I need to get my best friend something prior to wedding just for her since I’ve been best friends with her for a long time. Any recommendations?!
Hi Julie! Minda sent me over to your blog a few days after her and Clark’s wedding, and had so kindly pointed out that you enjoyed their wedding cake I baked, which I was so very happy to hear!! Thank you for the kind compliment, it looked like you ladies had an amazing time celebrating such a wonderful lady and her man! Best wishes! xoxo
Not gonna lie, totally teared up reading this! This is one of the most heartfelt posts I’ve read and it was truly touching to hear the recap of their wedding day. What a beautiful wedding!