PONTE VEDRA BEACH WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY | PONTE VEDRA INN AND CLUB WEDDING PHOTOS | SARAH + MATT | PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL

SARAH + MATT WEDDING DAY

Planner  @islaspringevents
Florist  @roseofsharonjax
Cookie Table  @cinottisbakery
Band  @baykingsband
Venue  @pontevedrainnclub
Photographer  @tonyabeaverphotography
Hair & Makeup @ashtontyler.hair & @kimtashamakeup .

Love Story:

How did you two meet? 

Our love story began like most 19 year olds at Dartmouth College – in Matt’s fraternity basement! Our paths had crossed in classes and social events, yet we never formally met until the last night of the term. Even though I was preparing for a term abroad, we knew there was something worth holding onto.

That winter, while Matt remained on campus taking classes and I was soaking in the Spanish culture, our relationship grew even stronger through email and Skype. After that winter apart, we were inseparable for the rest of our time at Dartmouth. 

How did he propose?  

Matt proposed on the beach the first weekend of May 2017. We went to breakfast at one of our favorite local spots and were biking around the beach when he asked me to stop because he wanted to go down to the water.

Little did I know the “fishermen” by the water also included Tonya with her camera! He got down on one knee, we cried happy tears, I said “yes” and we celebrated with friends and family (including my mom and our dog Georgia who were patiently waiting behind the dunes)!

Wedding planning:

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

We struggled a bit at first because we had a winter wedding, but it was in Florida! Matt came up with the first color, navy, and we sort of built around that with the light pink, dusty blue, and gold colors. I didn’t know where to begin with flowers – I can barely tell a rose from a sunflower (kidding).

But we worked really closely with Lynette at Rose of Sharon to figure out what types of flowers would be in season and what would look best with our vision. Neither of us are really cake people, so we decided to serve key lime pie at the end of dinner and have a cookie table for our guests.

I grew up in Pittsburgh and it’s a tradition at Pittsburgh weddings that the bride’s family makes cookies (for months!) to serve as dessert at the wedding. We used Cinottis cookies to recreate this awesome tradition for our guests.

How did you decide on your invitations, and who did you use?

We wanted something simple yet elegant, so we chose a pretty basic ivory and gold foil invitation from Minted. It was really user friendly to upload addresses and names and they print the envelopes for you!

What was the most fun part of wedding planning?

Definitely the menu tasting at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club! Other than that, we just enjoyed the process of figuring out what was most important to us on our day. Whether that was a reading at the ceremony, talking with our band, or incorporating a closest to the pin contest, we loved that our day felt like “us” and loved seeing it all come together.

Which part did you not like as much?

I can’t say there was a part that we didn’t like! We both knew we wanted our wedding day to be as stress-free as possible and don’t love “executing” on plans so that’s why we hired our amazing planner, Isla O’Donnell. She made it so we didn’t have to worry about the part we don’t like!

What are the biggest pieces of advice you wish you would have known before the wedding day?

Matt’s aunt gave us the best piece of advice the night before the wedding, which was to take mental snapshots throughout the day. It goes by in a flash and you’re getting pulled in so many different directions that it can feel like you’re going through the motions. As much as we could we tried to stay present in the little moments we were in, and we feel like that made a huge difference.

Wedding Weekend Info:

Hotel accommodations for guests: Ponte Vedra Inn & Club , Hilton Garden Inn in Ponte Vedra, Hampton Inn in Jacksonville Beach 

Rehearsal Dinner Location:  Topgolf

Ceremony Location: Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Inn Dining Room

Reception Location: Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, Terrace and Lagoon Rooms

Caterer: Ponte Vedra Inn & Club

Wedding Coordinator: Isla O’Donnell (Isla Spring Events) , London Bloom (Ponte Vedra Inn & Club)

Photographer: Tonya Beaver Photography

Videographer: NA

Cake: NA 

Florist: Rose of Sharon

Officiate:   Rev. Richard Cooper, Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church

Hair: Katie Harvey


Make-up: Kimtasha Armstrong


Entertainment: Bay Kings Band

Transportation: NA

Wedding Dress: Lazaro, purchased from White Magnolia

Wedding Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Bridesmaids Dresses:  David’s Bridal


Groom and Groomsmen Wear:  Jos A. Bank

Any other vendors who contributed that we need to mention?

            Selfie Booth: Chic Booth

            Rentals: Luxe Party Rentals

In your words, can you give a storyline of your wedding day?

We each stayed in separate rooms at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club the night before and woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Matt spent the morning with his brother while Sarah was getting ready for hair and makeup to arrive. The guys got ready while watching sports and drinking beer with Matt and the girls were having dance parties and drinking mimosas in Sarah’s room.

We had our first look overlooking the beach and were both so nervous and excited for the day. From then on I can’t remember a time where we didn’t have the biggest smiles on our faces. We took pictures with our bridal party and family and before we knew it, it was time for the ceremony. When I got to the front of the aisle and grabbed Matt’s hand he was shaking!

From that moment on we didn’t separate, which was one of our promises to each other on our wedding day. Matt kissed his bride and we were off to enjoy our friends and family and the rest of the day’s events, from a closest to the pin contest to singing and dancing on the dance floor with the best band ever. Before we knew it, it was just us. We shared one last dance to “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes in our empty room.

We headed outside for our candlelight and golf cart exit and just took in what a magical day it had been!

What was the high point of your wedding day that you hope to remember forever?

Matt and I each have two high points – our first look and our last dance. They were the times in the day where it was just us, emotions were everywhere, and we were able to just savor the moment. We’ll remember them forever!!

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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(904) 382-6354

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