Erica and George’s Modern Meets Tropical Miami Wedding With a Vintage Twist by Light Sky Photography

Happy Monday everyone, how are you all this lovely Monday morning? I am super excited as I am off on holiday again today. We only came back form Cornwall a week ago, caught up with work and now it’s time to finish packing and head off again! We are going to Tattershall Lakes in Lincolnshire for the week, which is always a good week away, hopefully the sun will shine and we will have lots of fun! I have lots of fab wedding articles for you whilst I’m away though, so don’t worry there will be lots to keep you occupied. Starting off with this fab wedding from Light Sky Photography. Erica and George wanted a modern day but with a vintage twist, while making sure their guests where Covid safe. For this reason they opted for an outdoor reception, that showed off their favourite Miami skyline. The day was filled with gorgeous flowers and decor and was super stylish. The perfect way to start this Monday morning.

Joyous day celebrating love as we were surrounded by friends and family. It was a modern wedding with a vintage twist.

Erica and George were married on 27^th February 2021 at St. Patrick Cathedral, with the reception at Sunset Cove in Miami, Florida. ‘We wanted an outdoor venue to allow guests to feel safe during the pandemic and we really wanted to overlook the Miami skyline.We had 130 guests and it took 9 months to plan.’ 

How they met 
We grew up just minutes from each other but we didn’t actually meet until college at the University of Central Florida. Things started off as a friendship with a ton of flirting! We always knew we liked each other but it took a few months before we went on our first date. Now we have been together for 8 years.

The proposal
We were on a trip to Paris and Rome to celebrate graduating with my Master’s degree. The morning of the engagement he told me we were going to see the Eiffel tower early to avoid the crowds so we could get a good picture of ourselves. That morning he surprised me with a proposal while standing in front of the Eiffel tower. Luckily no one was around because I cried like a baby.

Where did you splurge and where did you save?
We spent the most on things that were very important to use like the DJ, transportation, catering, and venue. We really wanted people to come and have a good time without having to worry about driving and we wanted to give our out of state guests a taste of Miami by picking a venue with a skyline. We also hate traditional wedding food so we wanted to find a venue that allowed us to bring in our own vendors so that we could have the food and entertainment we wanted. We saved a lot on the decorations as I was able to ask friends and family for their hand me down wedding stuff.

How did you choose your photographer?
My cousin was married a year before and used Erika Arango from Light Sky Photography and I loved her work! She was so energetic and brought so much fun to the day while taking pictures. As soon as I started planning my wedding it was a no brainer that I had to ask her to do my wedding.

The dress 
I brought my dress from Happy Bride in Hallandale.

The suit and bridesmaids
The bridesmaid’s dresses were purchased from Lulus.com. I really wanted my girls to be in something comfortable and inexpensive as I didn’t want them to feel any financial burden. The bridesmaids all wore matching champagne dresses. The men wore classic black suits, champagne vests, and an orchid on the lapel. Shoutout Tuxedos by Formal Tradition in Fort Lauderdale.

Theme or colour scheme
Our theme was modern and tropical with a vintage vibe. We had a lot of green in our florals with champagne and gold, it had an elegant feel to it.

Flowers 
Since our theme was tropical, we had a lot of palm leaves with hints of antheriums, white roses and pops of hydrangeas.

Decoration
We had vintage furniture with the backdrop of Miami so people could lounge and take pictures. We had vintage gold frames with pictures of loved ones who have passed away. Since the catering was from a Brazilian steakhouse we tried to follow the experience by having coasters that had green on one side and red on the other to indicate who wanted the gauchos to bring them more food or not. The red side had a pictured emoji of the bride indicating “nah” to more food. The green side had a picture of the groom indicating “yes” keep it coming! On the cocktail hour tables we had frames with interesting facts about our relationship. Our favourite was our signature drink sign that is now hanging in our home bar “The Escobedo Mojito”.

Food
Our catering was such a fun experience! We had a Brazilian Steakhouse and the gauchos passed out 4 different meats on large skewers with different sides served family style on the tables.

Wedding cake
Our wedding cake was simplistic and elegant with white buttercream and a few orchids to match the theme.

Entertainment
We had a vintage VW bus that you could step inside of to take pictures and receive a photo strip to take home. My fiancé and my father really wanted a cigar roller who was able to roll cigars for guests at the wedding. My dad hand made us corn hole tables with team groom on one side and team bride on the other. We had glow sticks, beads, and props that we gave out towards the end of the night during “Hora Loca” dance party.

Who supplied the stationery?
We bought our save the dates and our invites from Magnet Street. It was great quality and affordable.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to Cabo San Lucas.

Personal touches
Our handmade cornhole was a hit!

Special moments
We wrote hand-written letters to one another that we read while getting ready. We got married in a church and exchanged traditional vows, so it was important to us to be able to express our own personal vows to one another.

Advice for other couples
It is YOUR wedding so treat it as such. Many people warned us that we wouldn’t have fun at our own wedding because we would be too busy being hosts. Our advice would be to eat the dinner you paid for, have your own signature cocktail, and spend the night dancing. Also, HIRE A DAY OF PLANNER!

Biggest surprise
Leading up to the wedding, people around us would warn us that a number of things would go wrong. Looking back on the wedding day, it seemed that maybe one thing went wrong. We really lucked out with everything falling into place as we planned.

Supplier Shout Outs

• Photographer: Light Sky Photography
• Wedding Planner: Events by Carmen
• Hair and Makeup: Beauty By Renata
• Catering: Brazilian Grill Catering
• Venue: Sunset Cove by Imagine

For more information on Light Sky Photography got to

www.lightskyphotography.com / www.lightskyphotography.com/blog / lightskyphotography.com / (954)695-7980 / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST