Club Lake Plantation Wedding

I’m sitting here at my desk trying to some up a sentence to describe Amber and Philip’s Club Lake Plantation wedding but there are truly no words. Let’s just say I’m not sure I’ve ever teared up more at a wedding. The love in the air was palpable. It was an incredibly heartfelt celebration of their marriage, full of personal touches and help from family and friends. The Florida weather seemed to have gotten the memo too and they were blessed with a perfect and sunny day! Bella Sposa Events & Club Lake Plantation made sure their day flowed smoothly and that they never had to worry about a thing. Amber & Philip are two of the most genuinely kind people I’ve had the honor of working with and I am SO happy we had the honor of capturing this momentous day for them.

If you are on the fence about doing a first look before the ceremony, we always recommend a first touch. You save the moment of seeing each other for the first time for the aisle, but still get to have alone time with the person who calms your nerves the most. Philip said,

My wife and I are more of traditionalists, and wanted to preserve the first look for the aisle. So having a bit of alone time before the wedding with only a door between us was simultaneously torture and a sweet moment to exchange gifts and words before the ceremony. It made that first look down the aisle so sweet!

Amber and Philip’s Club Lake Plantation wedding was filled with personal touches, but one of the most impressive ones was the personalized cookie favors!

“It’s impossible to forget the cookies! My mom designed a custom cookie press and baked the most adorable cookies as wedding favors for our delightfully overflowing guest list of over 200. It’s unfortunate they were so delicious, because it would have been nice to take some on the honeymoon with us! Honorable mention goes to one of my bridesmaids (who is far more artistic and elegant than I am!) who took the time to create a beautiful welcome sign for us, with the help of some woodworking expertise from her boyfriend. It now welcomes guests into our home!”

We love when hearing that little pieces of our clients’ wedding days make it into their daily life!

One of the most emotional parts of their Club Lake Plantation wedding (there were plenty to choose from!) was the song Amber’s brother, Jesse, wrote and performed for her. It was one of Amber’s favorite moments from the day too!

“My twin brother, Jesse, was blessed with musical talents that I requested he use to sing a song to Philip from me at the reception. Yet like any sibling would, he ignored my request. This time I couldn’t have been happier that he did! Jesse surprised me by playing a song he had written for me that paid tribute to our childhood and the lives we live now. I was so shocked and blown away by his performance I didn’t know whether to cry with happiness or laugh at how he tricked me. That was truly the best gift he could’ve given me.”

Trust us when we say there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

Amber decided to do a dance with her mother, as well as her father. It gave a chance for other moms to dance with their sweet daughters!

“Growing up my mother and I loved to dance together, so when it came time for me to get married I wanted to share a mother/daughter dance in addition to the dance with my father. Once I found the “Mom” song by Meghan Trainor my wish turned into a reality. This cute idea not only gave me an opportunity to dance with my mom, but we invited other moms and daughters to come up and dance with us too. The dance floor was full of laughter and love, which was a true testament to the special bond between a daughter and her mom.”

Amber shared a special dance with her maid of honor, Katie, who is not the biggest fan of dancing. It was Katie’s gift to Amber to step out of her comfort zone and Amber absolutely loved it! Philip and his best man decided they couldn’t be shown up by the ladies so they took matters into their own hands!

After Amber & Katie’s fun little dance, my best man, Sergio, (also Katie’s fiancé) got a bit jealous and pulled me aside, suggesting we follow suit. Next thing you know, our DJ , Emily (she rocks), plays “I’ve Had The Time of My Life” and Sergio runs towards me across the dance floor, and I lift him into the air like only Patrick Swayze could. Maybe it looked a lot more graceful in my head…

Sara caught the moment PERFECTLY!

The perfect ending to their Club Lake Plantation wedding was a last dance for just the two of them. Amber said,

One of the last memories I cherish was my last dance with Philip at the end of the night. We chose to do a private dance while everyone was getting ready for the send-off so that we could have a moment to ourselves to soak in the excitement of our new adventure. It was a perfect, intimate ending to our beautiful day.

Amber & Philip’s romantic Club Lake Plantation wedding was absolutely perfect! Their advice to brides planning their own weddings now is something we can get on board with.

The best advice I can possibly give is to set aside time to spend with your spouse throughout that day. Schedule a few minutes where you two can slow down and soak in all of the love and joy surrounding you. The day will be over before you know it, but take the time to be grateful in the moment. In the end, you won’t care if the napkins are white or cream, but you will remember those sweet moments you two get to share.

These two did a fantastic job taking time for each other while celebrating with their loved ones. Congratulations to you, Mr. & Mrs. Lavandera! We were so lucky to play a small part in your big day.

Much ♥, the SFP Team