Samantha & Michael | Marie Selby Gardens Wedding

Elegant Selby Gardens Wedding

When we arrived in Sarasota the night before Sammy and Mike’s big day, we were in awe of the beauty of Selby Gardens. We were hopping around, overwhelmed with the amount of photo-perfect spots.

It was an ideal setting for their elegant nuptials surrounded by the immense love and support of their families. Sammy and Mike were quite literally glowing during their vows as the sun set behind them.

The day was filled with tears of joy, so many hugs, amazing dance moves, and a ridiculous amount of cute and personal touches. In fact, when asked what made their wedding stand out from the crowd they responded,

Personal touches – we wrote our own ceremony script/vows and included a lot of design details that had special meaning to us (oranges, signature cocktails, music choices, Polaroid guestbook, etc.)

It was a truly wonderful example of two amazing families coming together to start Sammy and Mike on their new journey as husband and wife.

Samantha and her mom have the sweetest relationship. Her mother was brimming with pride and joy as she walked her daughter down the aisle. Sammy

said her favorite part of the day was watching her mom dance and enjoy herself. #motherdaughtergoals

Their ceremony was filled with emotion. A lot of that had to do with their unique music choices. They dedicated their processional songs to their grandparents; Elvis for hers and Frank Sinatra for his.

This is what proud mamas look like.

Mike had an adorable idea to do a Polaroid guestbook in place of a traditional book that everyone signs. They had tons of Polaroid film available and everyone snapped a quick Polaroid and tacked it up on their photo hanging rig that they made themselves using mossed pots. How cool to be able to look back on all those goofy photos years down the line?!

Advice From the Bride

Sammy’s advice for brides planning their own weddings now is something we wholeheartedly agree with! Her team from NK Productions coordinated this wedding seamlessly. Sammy says,

Invest in a coordinator or planner! We are control freaks and wanted to do everything ourselves but it would have been nearly impossible for us to actually enjoy the wedding if we had been worried over the final details and the logistics of the day of. Best decision we made by far. Also don’t stress about tiny details or hiccups – no one will notice them nearly as much as you think.

The officiant, (AKA Mike’s sister) gettin’ down!