Shared with Christina Block’s kind permission, the pictures featured in this blog post were taken by the incredibly talented team behind Christina Block Photography.
Ross and Leslie’s wedding weekend began on a Friday afternoon in early March. Their wedding party, family and friends gathered in St. Augustine to celebrate the happy couple and watch them exchange vows at The White Room.
After a rehearsal dinner at The Columbia and drinks at the Tini Martini Bar, I fell asleep with a feeling that the following day – my sister’s wedding day – would be absolutely filled with love!
Ross and Leslie’s Wedding: Part One
All of my sister’s bridesmaids arrived at the bridal suite on Saturday morning to find Leslie bustling about and excitedly stuffing gifts into bags to hand out to her very best friends in the world.
A framed bible verse for each of us, a monogramed button-down shirt to wear to the salon, lip gloss and other odds and ends had everyone in tears before coffee could even be consumed!
We then gave Leslie a surprise gift – a scrapbook made by her bridesmaids. We each were in charge of making one page for the scrapbook on our own and then Leslie’s bridesmaid Lauren assembled everything that morning to present to Leslie. She was so touched and tears flowed yet again.
After presents were exchanged, a quick glance at the clock told us it was time to move along to the salon to get our hair done! My mom and I packed our cars with as many people as we safely could and everyone arrived with pictures or screen shots on their phones of the hairstyle they wanted for the day ahead.
We rotated through the chairs and chatted over coffee, mimosas, sandwiches and a platter of fresh fruit. Once it was Leslie’s turn to get her hair done, I noticed something seemed a little off. Her bubbly excitement that was contagious earlier that day seemed to have faded and she waved me over. “Does this look right?”
From the moment I realized Leslie didn’t feel comfortable, I felt incredibly protective. As a bride who also felt like something was off on her wedding day (I had a horrible experience with my wedding day makeup), I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for Leslie before we left the salon. I knew right away she didn’t like her hair and assured her we wouldn’t leave until she loved it.
Leslie adores the look of whimsical braids and had a braid in the front of her up-do that kept her bangs out of her face. I thought it looked pretty, but it didn’t look like Leslie. When I reminded her of previous pictures from her bachelorette party that she didn’t like of herself, they were the photos where she had her hair twisted back in a similar fashion. The moment the woman who was doing Leslie’s hair took the braid out and swooped her hair back in a more romantic and un-done way, Leslie exhaled and smiled again. Phew! In under 10 minutes, she was laughing and assuring us that she felt 10,000 times better.
Her hair looked gorgeous and looked like her.
Once everyone’s hair was done, we piled into our cars and drove back to the bridal suite. I let everyone out and had a bit of a hiccup with parking. I wasn’t allowed to park in the lot and since there was a St. Patrick’s Day parade in the area that day, I ended up parking a mile away and walking back. I felt incredibly thankful that the weather was so gorgeous that day! No rain and no intense heat! Thank goodness!
By the time I made it back to the bridal suite, bridesmaids were putting the final touches on their makeup and slipping into their long peach dresses.
We also broke into some of the mini champagne bottles I brought to the bridal suite!
And then Leslie gasped.
“My vows! I can’t find my vows!”
As everyone scrambled to find the small piece of paper, it became increasingly clear the vows were missing.
“Do you have them saved on your computer?” I asked.
Leslie nodded and we quickly emailed them to her contact at The White Room who printed them out for us to pick up next door.
With her vows back in her hands, Leslie breathed a sigh of relief!
I sadly missed the moment Leslie stepped into her wedding dress because I was picking up her vows and organizing things at the wedding venue next door with two other bridesmaids. Time started passing by a little too quickly! Though I missed the big reveal, my little sister absolutely took my breath away when she stepped out of the bedroom and I saw her in her beautiful lace dress for the first time.
With Leslie in her dress and all of the other bridesmaids ready to go, I scrambled to put on my dress and rush out the door. It was time for pictures!
Leslie’s sweet wedding photographer, Christina, led all of us down a cobblestone path until we reached an old building that she thought would make a beautiful backdrop for pictures.
Everyone was in a fantastic mood as Christina snapped away and told us to huddle close.
Leslie and her best friends from high school:
Leslie and her best friends from college (all ADPis from UF):
Leslie and her sisters – me and her sister-in-law:
As we began walking to the venue, we ran into my dad who was beaming from ear-to-ear. He hugged his youngest daughter and escorted us to The White Room where we were joined by Leslie’s niece and adorable flower girl.
She helped me get Leslie’s veil in order.
Up until this point, Leslie kept her vows a secret, so when she asked me to come over and read them, I was both honored and nervous. I made it through two paragraphs before I started crying (and not the soft, cute kind of crying). This naturally made us laugh and we both knew I couldn’t continue reading without breaking down.
I stopped reading, told her that her vows were perfect and gave my little sister a hug. I couldn’t wait to see her marry the man she loves so very much.
To be continued…
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The photography is absolutely beautiful! I love it all! The colors and pink bridesmaid dresses are perfect! & Love Leslie’s hair!
Ugh its just all way to beautiful 🙂
Hahaha thank you!! I’ll pass along your words to Leslie 🙂
I recently got engaged and was thinking long peach bridesmaids dresses was what I wanted after seeing these photos I am so in love, especially since each girls dress isn’t the same but cohesive. Where are the dresses from?
Cant wait for part 2
Congratulations!!! The bridesmaid dresses are from tulleandchantilly.com.
Thank you!!
What a beautiful wedding! Your sister looks stunning. I had a better rehearsal with my hairstyle than it looked the day of the actual wedding but by that point I was too happy to be getting married to care. I was a really weird bride in that I”m so type A normally but when it came to the wedding I was like, whatever! haha So not typical me. And thankfully in the photos my hair looked good so it all worked out fine in the end.
I can’t wait to read the next part of Leslie’s wedding!
I want her dress! Who is the designer?
Just texted her to ask! I’ll let you know!
Got the answer! The designer is Watters and the dress is called Greta. She got it at The White Magnolia in Jacksonville. 🙂
Awesome – Thanks! Not that I’m getting married anytime soon…don’t even have a boyfriend haha but it’s definitely something I’ll add to Pinterest! It’s beautiful 🙂 Lace with an open back is my favorite look.
Wow!! I was so thrilled when I saw your twitter “new post” this morning!! The blog post was just as amazing as expected. Leslie and Ross’ wedding looked incredible. I’m so excited for part 2!! I have to say, your own wedding and now Leslie’s wedding pictures have made me a little wedding crazy (pinterest, blogs, etc). SO happy for all involved!
– Long time reader of Peanut Butter Fingers <3
BEAUTIFUL photos- GORGEOUS bride! Love the dresses, her hair, everything is perfection! Congrats leslie!
Wonderful write-up, Julie!! You tell a great story! I have 3 sisters and it’s very sweet to see how close you two are. 🙂
This is such a sweet recap of your sisters wedding! You all looked beautiful.
Beautifully written. You and your sister are stunning and her hair did look amazing! Wow this makes me so excited for my upcoming wedding! The subtle soft pinks = swooooon.
Had to laugh at the lost vows and no parking. I tell my friends stuff will go wrong and you just have to brush it off. Among other things a marathon was going on surrounding our venue that day. Most of our guests were from out of town and didn’t know alternate roads to use! That marathon was cancelled the following year too!
There is aaaaalways something!
Love the way you wrote the story! It’s warming and filled with love… The colors, the dresses, the photos are delicate, and truly beautiful!! Love everything!!
Gorgeous gorgeous pictures!! 🙂 I love all things wedding!
Gorgeous photos. It’s times like these in which you can be so happy to be a blogger and able to document your sister’s big day for so many to see. Love it!
Everything looks so beautiful! That picture of you two at the bottom is just absolute magic! So well written too 🙂
Thank you, Lauren!
Tears were gathering in my eyes as I read this post! Your sister looks gorgeous and so genuinely filled with happiness. The photos are amazing!!!
Such beautiful photos, and gorgeous dresses. You all look lovely! I think I intend to stick to a hairdo that I’ve worn before and accessorise for that very reason – that I need to look like me. Glad Leslie changed hers before she walked down the aisle. You’ve got to be comfortable and confident with the way you look on your wedding day!
I’ve been reading lots of wedding recaps just recently as my wedding is just 15 weeks away now and I’m trying to think through all of the things I still need to do! Can’t wait to read the next installment. 🙂
Looks like an incredible day. You and Leslie look so beautiful! I can tell how much you love your sister just from the words in the post.
Why did it take so long to do a recap of your sister’s wedding?
I was waiting on pictures from the photographer since I only took 5.
I had chills the whole time I read this!!! Leslie looked absolutely stunning- along with the rest of the bridal party!!
You and your sister remind me so much of my sister & me. We are incredibly close and I know we will both be soooo emotional on our wedding days!!
-LIbby
Oh she looked so beautiful!! As did you! What a sweet bond you sisters have!
What a great recap – so heartfelt. Thanks for sharing with us. Leslie looked beautiful. I love the B&W picture of her with her bridesmaids where she is laughing – it’s so candid and real. What a special treat to have this forever documented on your blog.
Such a beautiful post! All of your recap’s of your sister’s wedding will be something that she and her husband will always treasure! It is so sweet how close the two of you are.
Thank you! <3
This is so beautifully sweet. I can’t wait to read the rest!
I’ve been eagerly awaiting your recap of your sister’s wedding! You all looked gorgeous! Looking forward to Part 2….
This recap is one of the sweetest most adorable things I have read in a while! Holy Moly! You see the date why use and more only halfway through the wedding I hope that my sister can be as on her game as you one day 🙂
It also makes me smile that you went to my two favorite spots in St. Augustine The Columbia and Tini Martini!
Can’t wait for part 2
Wow – everyone looks stunning! I love reading about weddings and seeing pictures, it’s just such a happy topic. I had goosebumps the entire time, I can’t wait for part 2!
Hi Julie! These photos are absolutely beautiful! Also, I was wondering if you can disclose where you got your bridesmaids dresses from. My best friend is getting married, and she’s looking for dresses very similar to the look of these. I would love to know if you’d be happy to share!
Thanks!
Tulleandchantilly.com they worked out well, but I’m not sure I would recommend them wholeheartedly. The quality wasn’t too great though they do look pretty!
Yay recap! Leslie’s wedding day looks amazing so far. I’m going to start crying at work, this is embarrassing! haha. Leslie is absolutely beautiful, she looks so slender and elegant 🙂
You could do these wedding recaps alone as a living! They’re so beautiful!
I’m trying not to cry at work! This post is beautiful!
So incredibly beautiful! The love you guys have for each other truely shows! I am a long time PBfingers reader and I have enjoyed seeing Leslie and Ross’ relationship grow! (Sounds creepy when I say it LOL) I just got married a year ago and we misplaced my veil and my hair started out terrible… So I can totally relate to that anxiousness! Cant wait to read pt 2!
Ahh I have been waiting for this post for weeks! Everyone looks so beautiful and I obviously got emotional reading this. Congrats to Leslie and Ross!!
So beautiful! I have been anxiously awaiting this post and cannot wait to read more. 🙂 Congrats to all!
I have been waiting for this!!!! Everything is perfect. I especially love the invites for the rehearsal dinner. And the flowers!!! I can’t wait to see the rest! Keep them coming!
Wow – what a sweet post filled with beautiful photos! You and your sister both looked gorgeous. Love the neutral colors of the wedding dresses and decor!
I tried on that wedding dress but it didn’t look nearly as beautiful on me as it does on Leslie!! I ended up with a lace sweetheart gown that is similar…it’s such a romantic look in a wedding dress. Also–you all looked gorgeous–what a lovely color scheme!
More! I want more wedding recap! I absolutely LOVE weddings and you tell the story so well. You both looked beautiful and I can’t wait to see the rest of the pictures!
So very sweet!
Gorgeous photos! Getting me excited for my best friend’s wedding this summer!
Your sister is such a gorgeous bride! And I absolutely LOVE that dress.
Leslie’s wedding dress is so whimsical and romantic….I love it 🙂 She looked beautiful!
This gave me the chills! I’m so happy for Leslie and you are SUCH a wonderful big sister.
So beautiful!!! Leslie looks gorgeous!!
Wow. Everything is absolutely stunning! I saved a ton of those pictures for inspiration for my wedding (whenever THAT happens haha). Just gorgeous. I especially love the dresses, particularly Leslie’s! I want something just like that. She made such a beautiful bride!
Ahhhh I was so excited to see this post on my feed!! I loved reading about your wedding and since I’m getting married this year as well I couldn’t wait to see Leslies! Everything looks gorgeous! Can’t wait for part two 🙂
Congratulations in your upcoming wedding!!
So sweet! Are the bridesmaid dresses from David’s Bridal? I’m wearing one just like yours in my friend’s wedding this summer, only it’s knee length. I love the color of her bridesmaid’s dresses!
Nope! We got them online 🙂
Oh my goodness the photos are STUNNING as is Leslie’s dress– love it!
Oh my god her dress and hair are both stunning!!! Beautiful pics!!! And love the bridesmaid dresses! Can’t wait to see more!
I must say that in all the pictures you have shared of Leslie I have never seen her look so beautiful, grownup, and happy! What a beautiful dress and the shoes too perfect 🙂 Cant wait for more sharing….
Your sister looked SO GORGEOUS!! So did you!! You both definitely look like sisters! 🙂 There is ALWAYS something that goes “wrong” on a wedding day I think! I had peony flowers in only my bouquet that were suppose to be light pink. They bloomed the MORNING of the wedding and bloomed bright purple!! My florist was SO wonderful! She got on the phone and called EVERYONE to get the right color! 🙂