Nicole + Jack | Mission Inn Resort – Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida | Amalie Orrange Photography

From the moment we met, I knew that Nicole and Jack were going to be so much fun to work with and their big day was going to be marvelous! These two love birds were made for each other and boy did it show. Every time we met, they were always smiling and laughing and together they planned the wedding of their dreams! We love it when the groom gets involved and Jack was there every step of the way. Once the wedding planning commenced, the two started to look at venues and immediately fell in love with Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Just 45 minutes from Orlando, it is indeed a hidden gem and has that “destination wedding” feel, but it still close to home. Jack and Nicole wanted to host the perfect wedding weekend, surrounded by their friends and family and Mission Inn was perfect for this!

The actual wedding date, design and theme all stemmed from the Chinese New Year. January 28, 2017 is New Year’s Day on the lunar calendar so that became the wedding date and bonus – it fell on a Saturday! In addition to the New Year, they celebrated “the year of the rooster” which takes place in 2017 and happens every twelve years. With the rooster being red, Nicole wanted to bring in deeper red tones like marsala and burgundy and accent those colors with gold, champagne, ivory and light pink. She wanted a slightly organic, yet elegant look for her floral and Flowers by Lesley accomplished just that. The ceremony was centered around a stunning arch, adorned with ivory draping that was outlined with beautiful garland. The aisle was lined with pedestals that were topped with lush floral arrangements of hydrangea, carnations and eucalyptus. Gold chiavari chairs added that extra touch of elegance. It was such a beautiful ceremony out on the lawn of Plaza de la Fontana.

Guests were greeted into the reception with a glass of champagne. Each glass was adorned with an “escort scroll” to help guests find their seats. It was such an elegant touch and everyone loved it! The Grand Ballroom was completely transformed from head to toe. The ceiling was draped in ivory with a crystal chandelier centered over the dance floor. Champagne linens were seen throughout the room. Two different styles of centerpieces were used to create the perfect look. The wedding cake was adorned with a cascade of flowers and it was absolutely stunning! The garland from the ceremony arch was re-used on the sweetheart and cake table to add a little garden touch to the elegant reception. Everything turned out just as Nicole and Jack had envisioned.

Guests were entertained with a super fun photobooth with gold glitter backdrop by Photobooth Rocks and a delicious spread of candy provided by Florida Candy Buffets. They danced the night away with DJ Gaby of Our DJ Rocks and had such a wonderful evening! The night ended with a romantic sparkler exit and an after party! Wedding planning package – Sweet + Simple.

Special Thanks To…

Day-of Coordinator // Big Day Celebrations Wedding Venue // Mission Inn Resort & ClubDJ // Our DJ RocksPhotobooth // Photobooth RocksFloral // Flowers by LesleyPhotographer // Amalie Orrange PhotographyVideographer // Seltzer FilmsHair + Makeup // Makeover StationCake // Party Flavors Custom CakesOfficiant // Our Simple CeremonyChairs // A Chair AffairLinen // Over the TopCeiling Draping // Classic Event DecoratingPipe + Drape // Classic Tents & EventsCandy Buffet // Florida Candy BuffetsWedding Dress // Calvet Couture BridalBridesmaids Dresses // Bella BridesmaidsSuits // Men’s WearhouseInvitations // MintedCalligraphy // Two Peas Designs

From the bride…”Katie is the best!!! It was such a great decision to hire her as our wedding planner – she added value and input throughout the process, and made our actual wedding day so smooth. She has a great personality and is organized and assertive. She coordinated all of our vendors seamlessly, mostly behind the scenes, so that we didn’t have much to worry about. Even though we hired Katie as our day of wedding coordinator, she was extremely helpful throughout the whole wedding planning process. She sent out multiple emails to check in on us and to see if we needed help with anything with the wedding. She made it known that she was an email, text and phone call away for anything. Whenever we needed help, advice or had a meltdown, Katie was our go to person. We weren’t stressed at all during our wedding, and so much of that was because of Katie’s work leading up to the wedding and throughout the day, taking care of problems as they came up. We love Katie!!”