There's always something so romantic about a military wedding.
It tends to mean the couple has already had to work hard on their relationship. They've spent time apart, they've made sacrifices, and that makes wedding even more special, and even more of a celebration.
So when we set eyes on the gorgeous Kendall, her dashing Air Force groom, Garrett, and their beautiful pictures by Kati Rosado Photography, we couldn't wait to share their Florida wedding.
And that was before we found out they'd planned it in just eight weeks!
Adorned with navy blue details and DIY features, we can't believe how many personal touches this pair managed to squeeze into their day with such a short time to plan.
With a glamorous Oleg Cassini wedding dress with long sleeves (one of our favourite styles!), Kendall made a stunning bride. We're officially head over heels for her succulent bouquet, and we always adore a bride with bangs too!
While Garrett's handsome formals added a real sharpness to the whole day, and inspired the palette – there's something about military dress that reminds us of an old movie, so romantic, don't you think?
We asked Kendall and Garrett to sum up their wedding in three words.
Their answer? Sweetest. Day. Ever.
Wedding Day Snapshot
Our Love Story
We met in college. We were both in our last semester before graduating. We had never met until our math course. We spent as much time together before Garrett left for Air Force Training.
We wrote letters back and forth everyday while he was away. Then in the fall I flew out to Texas to see him graduate and he asked me to marry him.
We were going to wait till the following summer to get married, but we found out that Garrett might be stationed far away for a few years and we just didn’t want the distance any longer and wanted to be together.
So, we bumped up our wedding to just after Christmas. With the help of extremely nice local vendors in our community, my mother, and our wedding planner, Stephanie Starke, we pulled a wedding together in about 8 very fast weeks in November and December!
Shortly after our wedding, we found out that he was to be stationed (where we live now) in Germany!
The Inspiration
We didn’t have a specific theme really. With planning it in such a short amount of time we really just focused on it being nice, yet we wanted it to be classic and beautiful and comfortable.
Since it was three days after the holidays we tried to avoid Christmas-y feeling colors but it was still winter – Florida winter that is.
We chose the dark blue to complement Garrett’s uniform. My mom and I loved it because it also really went well with everything and looked really crisp and clean.
We also wanted it to be intimate; it was just our families and a few friends, a small wedding with the people closest to us.
The Flowers
Patti at Buds Etc did our flowers. Her arrangements are so beautiful. She worked with us and asked exactly what we envisioned and made it happen.
There were roses, eucalyptus, blue thistle, peonies, berries and evergreen. I love gardening and growing succulents, she put some of the biggest and prettiest ones I’ve ever seen in too.
I even took them after the wedding and made cuttings that have now grown into new little succulents.
The Attire
I wore a dress by Oleg Cassini for David’s Bridal. I actually brought my dad to look for dresses because my dad means the world to me and he has a good eye.
We tried on a few dresses and they were really nice, but as we were about to leave we saw one more dress and my mom said to try it just to see.
When I put it on I before I even looked in the mirror my dad’s reaction is what made me know it was the one. I loved the sleeves and the little details, everything.
My bridal party wore David’s Bridal dresses. I know David’s may not seem like the most unique place to get dresses compared to Etsy and others, but the really do have some pretty dresses and really nice colors.
And the colors have matching ties and hankies, etc at Men's Warehouse for the fellas.
In a time pinch, that was perfect for us. My best friend found the dress and it suited them both really nicely, and they looked wonderful.
The Photography
I chose Kati because I really love outdoor lighting and the way her photos look, they don’t look stiff and staged.
I love that she used film for some of our photos too. I really like her first look idea, it’s something special just between you and your soon to be spouse and I think it knocked out some pre-ceremony jitters.
She is very sweet and was really nice to plan with. I would definitely recommend her work.
Our Honeymoon
Our honeymoon was short because Garrett had to go back to his training base, so every minute counted. Our wedding night was spent at Port D’Hiver, a bed and breakfast in Melbourne Beach, a gift from my parents.
I would really recommend it. It is so comfy and the room was huge and beautiful. The breakfast in the morning was killer too, “best we’ve ever had”, says Garrett.
We didn’t do a fancy get away or an island vacation, but we stayed close and went to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure for a few days and it was still really fun.
Just getting to spend time together as newly weds was a really new and great feeling.
The Venue
I’ve always loved the historic districts where I live and the Porcher House seems like it is out of a dream. It’s a beautiful old 1916 home made of coquina right on the riverfront.
It was super for a wedding because all of your venues are in one place, a wedding on the steps and a reception inside, rooms for dancing, and in the back of the house there’s the river.
It is also an ideal venue for a small wedding. It can’t hold too many guests so if you aren’t having a huge shebang, it’s cozy for a smaller wedding without feeling small.
The Music
Processional: Pachelbel’s Canon in D
Recessional: Sigur Ros, Hoppipolla
First Dance: Two of the Lucky One’s, The Droge and Summer’s Blend
Favourite Moments
The look on Garrett’s face through our entire ceremony, he didn’t break eye contact with me and it didn’t feel like there was anybody else around.
Seeing all of our families in one place together, coming from all over the place to celebrate with us.
It’s not very often that it happens and as hard as it is to admit, it might be one of the last times as we all grow older and we go different directions.
The Decor & Details
We decorated with pictures of our parents and grandparents wedding photos, pictures of Garrett and I when we were kids, and lots of flowers.
I DIYed the guestbook signs, the card suitcase, and my hair (it always falls down even with copious amounts of pins and spray) I went with just a half up by myself, it saved some time on the wedding day and the money, I also dyed lace and sewed my garters myself.
For decorating with framed pictures I actually went to dollar stores. For a one time thing, some pictures I didn’t want to risk breaking an expensive frame, or photos being damaged so we made copies.
The dollar stores actually had some really nice frames that looked just like some of the more expensive frames we had seen in craft stores, and hey for a buck, they were pretty nice!
The Budget
We spent the most on the venue, catering, and the vendors and they were all extremely worth it. We saved by using Etsy for bridesmaids/groomsmen gifts and favors.
We also saved a lot by using David’s Bridal for invitations and dresses. They actually have some really simple and pretty styles for under one dollar a card, they are cheaper but didn’t look or feel “cheap”.
The Refreshments
We did a cocktail hour with drinks and h’ordeves with dancing and pictures, for dinner we did a buffet meal.
When I asked Garrett what kind of cake he would want, he jokingly replied I just want apple pie. I didn’t want to go with a traditional wedding cake either.
So Garrett got his apple pie and we did a few different cakes so everybody could pick something that they would like.
We did have a one layer white wedding cake for us to cut and share. Oleanders made the best cakes!
Advice for Other Couples
Planning a really nice wedding in a very short amount of time is possible! You don’t have to break the bank either. Etsy was a really good source for smaller details too.
Splurge on things that are really important to you like a photographer to capture the happiest day of your life, or a comfortable venue where you see your friends and family, and more importantly you and your new spouse, sharing these moments.
Don’t freak out, being as relaxed as possible made our day even more enjoyable.
Isn't it lovely? What a sweet couple. And can you believe this is just a few days after Christmas? Anyone else want to move to Florida!
Thanks so much to Kati Rosado Photography, and of course, to Kendall and Garrett for sharing their beautiful wedding with us.
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