Jacksonville Wedding Photographer | San Jose Country Club Wedding Photos | Courtney + Matt | Jacksonville, FL

Courtney + Matt Wedding Photos

Before the Wedding …

How did you two meet?

Matt and I met in high school. We started dating in September 2004 during our senior year and have been together ever since!

How did he propose?

Matt was deployed to Iraq with the Army (for the second time!) in 2010. During the summer of 2010, he got to come home on leave for two weeks. When we first started dating, we used to always go down to the pier at Jacksonville Beach and sit in the lifeguard stands at nighttime and just talk and watch the waves.

The night that Matt proposed, we went to a very nice dinner at the beach and then went for a walk. We climbed up in one of the lifeguard stands, and then Matt got down and asked me to marry him. It was very sweet! We got engaged July 1, 2010, and got married one year and one day later, on July 2, 2011.

How did you decide on your color scheme, flowers, and cake?

Color Scheme:

I knew I wanted the wedding to be classic, traditional, and Southern, and I tried to reflect that in my dress and veil, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the boys’ classic tuxedos, the flowers, and the food. Red is my very favorite color so that is why I chose red for the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Flowers:

In looking at wedding magazines and blogs, I was really drawn to white and ivory flowers.

Cake:

The wedding cake was pretty and simple with fresh flowers, our monogram, and buttercream frosting. Matt’s cake was a Florida Gator head because we are huge Gator fans—I graduated college from the University of Florida and Matt has been a lifelong fan. Our love for the Gators also inspired our exit, with guests waving orange and blue pom-poms!

Your Special Day!

Rehearsal Dinner Location: Mandarin Garden Club

Matt’s dad and stepmom hosted the rehearsal dinner for us at the Mandarin Garden Club. They got barbeque catered and we had a great time!

Ceremony Location: The ceremony was at Lakewood Presbyterian Church.

Reception Location: San Jose Country Club

We had the reception at the beautiful San Jose Country Club.  My parents had their wedding reception there 27 years ago!

Caterer: San Jose Country Club

San Jose Country Club did all the catering—we had many different food stations and the food was delicious!

Wedding Coordinator: San Jose Country Club

My mom and I were the planners! However, the Catering Director at San Jose, Nicola, was our reception coordinator. She helped us with all of the food and décor and she kept everyone on schedule and ensured we had a perfect reception!

Photographer: Tonya Beaver Photography

Tonya was really fun to work with and she was so sweet during our engagement shoots. The pictures I’ve seen so far have been gorgeous and I cannot wait to see the rest!

Videographer: Wes Taff of SceneCrafters

We used Wes Taff of SceneCrafters for our videographer. Wes was really friendly and he did a great job! We just received our video from him and we had such a good time watching it and reliving the rehearsal, ceremony, and reception.

Cake: Signature Cakes by Paul

Chef Paul of Signature Cakes by Paul made our wedding and groom’s cakes. He was the only pastry chef we even considered using for the wedding after we tasted his cakes at several weddings last year. The cakes he made for the wedding were beautiful and delicious!

Florist: Wilson’s Limited  was our florist.

We worked with Michael and he was wonderful! I just gave him some pictures of what I had in mind and the flowers he designed for the wedding far exceeded any of my expectations; they literally took my breath away with how gorgeous they were! The bouquets and centerpieces were absolutely beautiful and we could not have been happier with them!

Officiant: Reverend Michael Thomas Hudson

Reverend Michael Thomas Hudson was our Officiant. Mike was my youth director growing up and it was very special for him to marry Matt and me.

Hair: Amylynn of Fringe Salon

She who does our hair regularly, came to my house the morning of the wedding and did our hair.

Make-up: We used Leslie, a friend of the family and Bobbi Brown makeup artist.

Entertainment: Y? Entertainment

David Hanscom of Y? Entertainment was our DJ. He was super easy to work with and the online planning site for choosing songs for the reception was great. He kept people on the dance floor all night and helped the reception flow smoothly!

Transportation: We used L & L Limousine

Matt and I have been using Mr. Leslie’s (the owner’s) limousines since we were in high school because we are good friends with his daughter. The limos are very nice and the drivers are always polite and on time.

Wedding Dress: Bridal Shop

I got my dress from the Bridal Shop at the Avenues  and the dress designer was Paloma Blanca. I loved my dress! My veil was my “something old” and it was my mom’s. Martha Shump of Martha Shump Designs was my seamstress and she also altered my sister’s bridesmaid’s dress. We loved working with her and I would definitely use her again for any formal dresses.

Bridesmaids Dresses: LulaKate

The bridesmaids’ dresses were LulaKate brand and we got them from Bella Bridesmaid in San Marco . Ashley, the owner of Bella Bridesmaid, was so nice, cheerful and fun! The dresses came in way ahead of schedule and I loved them (and I think my bridesmaids did too!).

Groom and Groomsmen Wear: Men’s Wearhouse

The tuxedos were from Men’s Wearhouse. The boys looked great!

After the Wedding …

Where did you go for your honeymoon? 

We stayed in St. Augustine for a few days right after the wedding. We are going to one of the Sandals resorts in St. Lucia the third week in August and we are so excited!!

If you could give yourself any advice prior to the wedding, what would it be? 

I would tell myself to slow down and enjoy the day, because it goes by so fast! And, I would not worry     about anyone or anything else, because the most important and best part of the day was that I got to marry my wonderful husband!

Tonya Beaver Photography Studio Location: Jacksonville Beach, FL

318 First Ave N

Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

To view more Wedding Sessions, please visit:

https://www.tonyabeaverphotography.com/weddings

For more Wedding pricing, please visit:

https://www.tonyabeaverphotography.com/wedding

Hi, I’m Tonya, a Jacksonville Florida Photographer. I specialize in photographing weddings, families, and babies. I would love to hear all about your photography needs to see if we’re a right fit for each other. As a photographer, I get to capture the most exciting and life changing experiences in people’s lives. 

Not only in Jacksonville, but all over North Florida: Ponte Vedra, Amelia Island, St. Augustine, etc. 

I know there are quite a few photographers in Jacksonville so it can be overwhelming. But I invite you to check out my wedding, family, and newborn portfolio. Also, feel free to check out some of my reviews that my previous clients have given me. Jacksonville is one of the most beautiful areas for photographing engagements, weddings and family photos. From the beach, golf clubs, parks, downtown, gorgeous churches and so much more. I look forward to hearing from you and getting to know you more!

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