Our Wedding- The Reception

After the emotions and weightiness of our wedding ceremony, we were ready to let loose and celebrate our marriage at the reception. In planning the reception, our goals were simple - we wanted our guests to be comfortable and we wanted to everyone to have fun.

Our experience has been that the band plays a big part in setting the tone of a reception or party, so we spent a lot of time looking for a band that we thought embodied fun. For us that meant a Southern Motown band and Mo' Sol, the band that we booked, definitely fit the bill.

Once we secured Mo' Sol, we felt like we had the fun factor covered and moved on to making sure each of our guest's needs would be met. This meant selecting a yummy menu, planning seating, and lots of time selecting linens, flowers and considering the overall look of the reception. Here's how it all turned out . . .

Views from each end of the terrace. It was a windy afternoon on Sarasota Bay, so some of the chairs are leaning to keep the tablecloths from blowing away! I'm sure the wind was a nightmare for our wedding coordinator and the caterer, but it made the temperatures on the dance floor much more bearable : )

Photo Credits: Ken Luallen

Our florist, Tiger Lily, suggested using these candelabras as platforms for the flower arrangements. I thought they added an elegant touch to the tables and made conversation a little easier. Wouldn't you love to have one or two of those at home? Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

In addition to flowers, each table was adorned with cut crystal votives, gold charger plates and personalized menus. To keep the menus from flying away, we decided to tuck them into the napkins and wrapped the entire package with a monogrammed ribbon. Photo Credits: Ken Luallen

We decided to do both a bride's cake and a groom's cake. This is traditional in Texas and lots of places in the South, but we raised a few eyebrows in Sarasota - our caterer, florist and wedding planner (all transplants from the North) were somewhat unfamiliar with the tradition. We loved the classic white cake and the Duke Blue Devils cake our baker, Cakes by Ron, created for the occasion. The best part was both cakes tasted as good as they looked!Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

It was so much fun to see everything come together. All of the time we put in on the planning side of things really paid off and we were so pleased with the look and feel of our reception. The best part was that we were able to truly enjoy it. We visited with friends, ate a delicious dinner and danced the night away.

Time for our first dance!
Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

Cutting the Cake
Photo Credit: Ken Luallen


Dancing the night away!Photo Credits: Ken Luallen

Photo Credits: Ken Luallen

Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

Photo Credit: Ken Luallen

If I could, I would relive our reception every anniversary for the next 60 years. It was that much fun. This first year of marriage has also been a lot of fun. K and I have learned a lot about each other, grown in our relationship with Christ and laughed more than I ever thought possible. We have also weathered some tough times along the way. Through it all, I have been repeatedly reminded of the amazing blessings that come with marriage - the love, support and devotion of a spouse should mirror the love of Christ and that is a wonderful thing indeed.

Last night before bed, I asked K what surprised him most about me this year. His answer? The fact that I can cook so well. (He is such a guy!) Then K posed the same question to me. There were two things that really surprised me - how much he really does love his sleep and his seemingly limitless patience. I am grateful for his patience every day. I love him so much! Happy Anniversary, K!


*Want to see more?  You can check out our ceremony, rehearsal dinner, bridesmaids luncheon, paper selections, and planning drama.