Reception Photos!

We celebrated the reception in the White Room Rooftop and Loft, overlooking the water in St. Augustine.  It was a stunning night, and I absolutely loved every part of it!

 JP and I shared our first dance to Maria Taylor's "Speak Easy."  We don't dance often, so it wasn't the smoothest, but it was wonderful to have those 3 minutes of the song for just the two of us.

 We had a photobooth for the first few hours of the party, and guests took photos then pasted them into our guestbook. There are some memorable shots in there!

 Several guests toasted us, with my mom reading from a book she made especially for the event.  It was emotional and very sweet!

 Dad and I danced to Ben Folds' "Gracie," and it's one of my favorite moments of the night.

Our cake was made by Sweet Weddings, a bakery that JP and I lived behind in our first home together. I love the continuity of having them bake our wedding cake 4 years after we lived there!

 This wonderful sign was made by Etsy seller Nice, and was absolutely perfect for our sweetheart table.  It's now hanging over my dresser, and I'm planning to pass it on to other friends and families who want to use it in their weddings!

Then it was time to dance!  

 Megan caught the bouquet toss, and it was amazingly framed in this photo.  It's perfection.

JP and I exited via a sparkler tunnel, which was such a fun way to go!  Up next, honeymoon shots!

P.S. These are our professional photos by the talented, wonderfully patient and kind Ben Sasso.  He was the only photographer we looked at, and he couldn't have done a better job!

Officially Becoming Abbi D!

JP and I got married in the St. Augustine Basilica, right next to the bay.  It's a beautiful space, full of color and light.  We both had our moms and dads walk us down the aisle, which felt appropriate and so personal.  

 How cute are my parents?  I'm lucky enough to have four, but the two main ones are pretty amazing.

Haley and Nacho were calm, cool, and collected throughout the whole day.  They also looked great at the altar with us!

The hand-off.  This was the first time I saw my dad wearing a suit, and he totally pulled it off!

Ana did our first reading, and also wore the cutest polka-dot dress!

Summer did our third reading, and was rocking a Spanish look with red and super tall heels.

 Msgr. Maron told me to project during our vows.  We went traditional, but it still felt incredibly intimate and powerful reciting those words in front of our closest friends and families.

 We had a great time on the altar; lots of smiles and a few giggles.

 That was it!  We were pronounced husband and wife, sealed with a kiss.

I love this photo of our moms, off to enjoy the dancing and good times at the reception!

Haley requested the photo of JP holding me like that, and it really turned out beautifully.  The image above is taken where I first kissed John Paul, starting off this whole 6-year plus journey.  

The Diegos and our best friends!  

I do love this  moment between Haley and I; she looks so patient with me as I wear goofy heart-shaped sunglasses on the streets of Saint Augustine.  

My favorite individual images of us from the wedding: John Paul looking so dashing in his suit, and me showing off my bouquet and dress.

P.S. These are our professional photos by the talented, wonderfully patient and kind Ben Sasso.  He was the only photographer we looked at, and he couldn't have done a better job!

Morning of

Saturday morning was so lovely and relaxing!  I woke up and went for a small run beforehand to help ease my jitters, and then had a breakfast with my mom, dad and Haley.  It was a great start to a busy 3 hours before the wedding ceremony began!

 JP's high school friend, Kelly, has become one of my favorite people to hang out with, and is an amazing hairstylist.  As soon as she heard we were getting married, she called up and offered to do my hair and Haley's as a wedding gift; I couldn't say yes fast enough!  She was an incredibly calming presence in the morning, and did a seriously wonderful job making my hair look great.

 Haley was in charge of music, and kept the good tunes flowing!

 Oh, and the champagne was flowing, too.  I think we went through 5 bottles...to be fair, there were a lot of girls in the two prep rooms!

 Final touches...

 Haley looks like a model without the additional help of a professional hairstylist, so you can imagine how great she looked at the ceremony and reception!  She was a saint the whole day, and kept me smiling.

 We all got ready in two adjoining balconies, enjoying the Florida sun and breeze.

 Megan had treats, and was so much fun to be around!

 I did some of my makeup, and Amber did my eyes; she did a beautiful job.

 Aunt Nesi made some really great beet dip, which acted as our lunch.

Andrea and Amber put fake lashes on to make my eyes pop.  I'll be honest- I'd wear them everyday if I had steadier hands!
Up next: the ceremony and portraits.

P.S. These are our professional photos by the talented, wonderfully patient and kind Ben Sasso.  He was the only photographer we looked at, and he couldn't have done a better job!

Rehearsal Lunch

Here's our happy party at our rehearsal lunch!  It just made more sense for us to meet for a more intimate lunch rather than dinner; more time to relax, and lunch just feels more casual.  There were 17 of us at the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine, and I was more than happy to be surrounded by such a wonderful cast of family and friends. 

The Shelton girls were all smiles!

Here's JP with his mom and my mom (Brent was unaware that a photo was being taken...).  JP wore a tie!  How Mad Men of him.

Haley and Matt were so stinkin cute that whole weekend, and Haley was the perfect maid of honor.  I'm so lucky to have her and her amazing emergency bag!  Seriously, it had everything in it; we should have taken a picture, as it was a real lifesaver throughout the day of the wedding. 

My gorgeous new sister-in-law Ana and her rosy-cheeked boyfriend, Adam, were my other dates for the lunch.  I've thought of both Ana and Belen as part of my family for years now, and it feels great to make it official!

We had two wonderful priests (one of whom is Irish and recited Yeats with Haley after the ceremony) who walked us through the ceremony beforehand.  It went smoothly!

Full disclosure: I took very few photos of the wedding weekend, so these posts are largely made up of photos from my mom and cousin, Megan, who were way more on their game than I was.  Thanks for sharing, ladies!

P.S. My dress is from Gap (remember this one?  I had it hemmed to above my knees.) and shoes are Vince Camuto. 

Getting ready for Abbi D

 Well, it happened.  I married John Paul.  !!!  

The day went without a glitch, and I couldn't stop smiling.  But I'll get there. 

On Friday, Haley, my mom and I went to a little nail salon in Saint Augustine (Small Indulgences) to get our nails done- an ideal time for a little girl chit-chat over mimosas.  

Oh my, the nail polish colors were difficult!  You know what wasn't?  Swilling down the raspberry champagne with orange juice.  Seriously, try it; honestly, the most delicious combination at 9:30 in the morning.  

 The girls who helped us were amazing: super fun to talk about Hunger Games with, and fabulous nail ideas.  Haley got glitter dust sprinkled on her toes!

Cheers, Mom!

 Haley and I got Gel-ish, a process that basically uses a super-thick polish and UV light to harden your natural nails, making your manicure last for up to 3 weeks (I'm going on 11 days!).  She got charcoal gray with a silvery sparkle accent nail and...

...I got a pale pink French mani with lots of gold glitter.  You know I love my accent nails!  

After that, it was off to the rehearsal lunch!  At least I wore white on the day before the wedding...