Wedding Planning and Where to Start: 5 Things to Do Right Away

Claudia and Raymond’s wedding day was nothing short of unforgettable—a perfect blend of elegance, emotion, and unfiltered joy set against the stunning backdrop of the World Equestrian Center.

The day began at the luxurious Equestrian Hotel, where both Claudia and Raymond got ready in their suites. Laughter echoed through the hallways, music poured from the groomsmen’s room, and anticipation filled the air. Raymond’s crew set the tone early on—celebratory and full of energy—while Claudia and her bridesmaids prepared with grace and excitement.

In a tender moment before the ceremony, Claudia and Raymond met for their first touch in the serene Rose Garden. With eyes closed and hearts wide open, they shared a quiet moment of connection. Their mothers joined them in prayer, wrapping the couple in love, blessings, and the sacred weight of the day ahead.

The ceremony took place in the breathtaking Chapel—its timeless architecture and warm light created the perfect setting for their vows. As Claudia walked down the aisle, all eyes were on her, radiant and glowing, while Raymond beamed with pride and emotion.

Guests were then welcomed into the Expo Center for cocktail hour and an evening reception. The grand space was transformed into a celebration filled with music, laughter, and stunning details that reflected the couple’s joyful spirit. There were heartfelt toasts, sweet glances, and the kind of energy that only a truly in-love couple can inspire.

But the real party began after Claudia’s outfit change. When she stepped onto the dance floor, the room erupted—and it didn’t quiet down until the final song. From the first beat to the last dance, the floor stayed packed, full of family, friends, and the kind of electric energy that only comes from celebrating something real.

Claudia and Raymond’s wedding wasn’t just a beautiful day—it was a full-blown celebration of love, faith, and fun. We were honored to be part of their story and wish them a lifetime of dance floor moments and heartfelt prayers.

The Creative Team
Planner: Blessed Magnolia
Venue: World Equestrian Center – The Equestrian Hotel, Chapel & Expo 2 Center
Photographer: Eighteenth Hour Photography
Florals: Groom’s Mother Created all Florals
Hair & Makeup: Kiss and Makeup Orlando
DJ/Band: Xclusive Deejays
Catering and Desserts: World Equestrian Center
Cake: Publix
Rentals & Decor: Party Time Rentals

With love and gratitude,
The Blessed Magnolia Team
Blessed occasions curated specially for you!

Planning a wedding as unforgettable as Claudia and Raymond’s?
Let’s bring your dream day to life—inquire with us here to begin your journey.

Colby’s passion for the timeless “Black and White” theme she had dreamed of for their special day found its ideal canvas at the luxurious Golden Ocala venue. The grand ballroom, adorned with opulent black marble floors, pristine white walls adorned with exquisite trim work, plush black velvet drapery, and breathtaking chandeliers, was a vision of elegance. Every facet of this remarkable day exuded beauty, and within the enchanting ambiance of Golden Ocala, it effortlessly transformed into the elegant celebration that Colby and Connor had envisioned.

The day commenced with the ladies’ gathering at The Equestrian Hotel, where a team of expert stylists worked their magic, creating stunning hair and makeup looks for the bride, her seven attendants, and the mothers of the bride and groom. Meanwhile, the gentlemen embarked on their own adventure, hitting the golf course at Golden Ocala, indulging in a leisurely lunch, and preparing for the festivities in the distinguished Governor’s Room within the clubhouse.

Colby and Connor cherished the idea of a “first touch” rather than a “first look.” With great anticipation, Connor arrived at The Equestrian and was guided to the Rose Garden, where he eagerly awaited the moment he could feel Colby’s hand, a precursor to their upcoming “I Do”s. In a heartfelt addition to this precious moment, Connor’s nana arrived to offer her blessings and prayers for both of them. It was undeniably one of the most profoundly touching moments we’ve had the privilege to witness.

Their garden wedding was a vision of natural beauty, adorned with aisle floral arrangements and magnificent free-standing floral columns framing the altar. Among the most anticipated moments of Colby and Connor’s special day was their heartfelt first encounter as she walked down the aisle. As they exchanged their heartfelt, personalized vows, not a single dry eye could be found among the gathered guests, for their profound love for one another resonated deeply with all who were in attendance.

The reception commenced with a spectacular entrance by the bridal party, leading the way for the newlyweds, Colby and Connor, who followed suit. Inside the ballroom, a breathtaking transformation had taken place, with the aisle florals now adorning tall towers on each table, surrounded by the warm glow of candlelight. The free-standing floral columns found new life as exquisite decorations behind the sweetheart table. At each place setting, guests discovered heartfelt thank-you notes from the couple, expressing their gratitude for sharing in this cherished moment. The seating chart sign was a work of art, and the special photo backdrop, aptly named “The Criles,” provided an ideal setting for capturing memorable moments of the bride and groom.

As dinner concluded, the real celebration ignited. DJ Staz from Our DJ Rocks took command of the music, ensuring the dance floor remained alive and vibrant throughout the evening. From the gleaming, light-up cowboy hats to the dazzling, illuminated foam dance wands, everyone reveled in the festivities, dancing the night away alongside The Criles. This was unquestionably a wedding that will forever hold a special place in our memories. Thank you to Catherine Coons for capturing all of these special moments.

Is a Golden Ocala wedding your dream? Allow our dedicated team to guide you in transforming this magnificent venue into the perfect backdrop for your special day. At Blessed Magnolia, we specialize in comprehensive wedding planning, promising a seamless, elegant, and sophisticated experience throughout your planning journey. Let’s turn your dream into a breathtaking reality.

Let’s Start Planning!

Maria and Chad were looking for a venue that would ensure they could host their families and friends for an entire weekend-long celebration. Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, in Maria’s hometown, fit the bill perfectly. Family and friends could rent townhomes and homes in this gated community and be close to all the weekend festivities.

Family and friends started to arrive on Friday while the gatherings began. Late nights, laughing, and just catching up were on the agenda for this start of the weekend celebration. On Saturday, most of the family enjoyed time at the pool and golfing, while we prepared for the rehearsal dinner and welcome cocktail reception. The wedding was held on Sunday at the Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club. The ceremony on the front lawn, made for a grand entrance of Maria and her father, Andy to Chad and all the family and friends. Cocktail hour was held in the entire lobby area of the clubhouse with signature cocktails and amazing hors d’oeuvre. The grand ballroom held the reception portion of our evening and was decorated so elegantly. Maria wanted to mix the tables with both longs and rounds to ensure that we could fit her guest list of 170+ in one room. These tables held both long greenery garlands, baby’s breath garlands, elevated white and toffee rose arrangements, and an abundance of candles. The cake was not a high priority for Chad or Maria, so they opted for a grand dessert station and Chef Alabaugh created just that. When dinner was over, everyone moved out onto the terrace for the most epic dance party that I have witnessed to date. Curate Entertainment and DJ Malike kept everyone on the dance floor the entire time.

Are you considering Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club for your wedding day? Let’s talk and see how we can help you every step of the way getting you from “Yes” to “I Do” while you enjoy every moment.

Wedding Team:

Planner: Blessed Magnolia

Venue: Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club

Photography: Maudie Lucas Photography

Floral Designer: Floral Architecture

Entertainment: Curate Entertainment and DJ Malike

Ceremony Music: Anthology String Quartet

Rehearsal Dinner/Welcome Reception Rentals: Party Time Rentals

Beauty: Makeup by Sabrina & Truluck Studio

Blair and David wanted to bring their families together for a wedding on New Year’s Eve. Now this wasn’t just a wedding that they wanted to plan, they had family and friends coming from as far away as Dubai, so they wanted it to be a full weekend celebration! They wanted to ensure that there was an abundance of food, drink, music, and time for everyone to relax in between each event. It was also important to them that no celebration was held in the same space, therefore utilizing every area of this beautiful sprawling venue, known as the World Equestrian Center. Everyone here at Blessed Magnolia understood the task and just how important the celebration was to Blair and David.

We set off on the planning journey working our way through the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and welcome cocktail reception. The pool deck set the stage for this opening night event.

Wedding day had arrived and rain crept up in the forecast. We had to move the morning brunch from the Rose Garden to the Paris Room. The guests enjoyed mimosas, scrumptious breakfast bites, and award-winning macaroons from Chef Johan.

While the guests were enjoying this lovely brunch; Blair, David, and their wedding party were getting ready for the big moment. Brittany with Eighteenth Hour Photography captured beautiful shots of the detail items and some great getting-ready photos of both Blaird and David.

At the end of the brunch, all the guests were taken to the Chapel for the noon ceremony. The sound of the ringing bells from the Chapels Bell Tower filled the air as Blair and her father were driven by horse and carriage from Orlando Horse and Carriage. There was a light mist but oh my the pictures were so gorgeous. Take a peek at a few of those shots here.

The Chapel was adorned with roses along the aisle to enhance its beauty. Guests were treated to Classern Quartet playing the prelude and processional music. Bibbi Bobbidi Boo was the special song for the lovely flower girl and her bubble wand. The elegance of Blair’s dress and the beauty of the chapel were just perfect.

David and Blair were whisked away by horse and carriage to the Paris Room, where they desired to hold a formal receiving line and greet each guest as they arrived for cocktail hour. It was a grand time for every guest to get this one-on-one moment with the bride and groom. Every guest also got to take a photo with David and Blair as they spent this moment with them. Once the cocktail hour was done, each guest was invited to join the bride and groom on the Stirrups Terrace for the formal lunch. Classern Quartet was serenading the guests during this time. At the end of lunch, the final song played Auld Lang Syne while guests joined in with song. After the cake-cutting, Blair and David made their way to couple portraits while their guests had a few hours of rest before the evening festivities.

Black and white, clean and crisp during the day; black and gold, and party mode at night. Every bit of the decor handled by Graceful Gardener was so flawlessly executed. Outfit changes all around for everyone, including myself, from daytime to nighttime. Champagne greeted everyone as they entered the elevator to head up to the party. Once off the elevator large 2023 numbers and a grand gold and black balloon garland created quite the entrance. There was food, drinks, and entertainment provided by Felix and Fingers. Dueling Pianos is such a fun and entertaining way to get your guests involved in the party and there was no shortage of guests willing to get up and sing with the entertainers. The closer and closer we got to midnight, the pianos switched over to a DJ to keep everyone going until the clock struck 12.

This wedding will always be one for the books for us here at Blessed Magnolia. 12 months of planning, weekly and monthly check-ins, and details for each and every moment that were meticulously planned. Working with Blair and David to make their wedding day dreams come true was a true delight. We are so grateful that they asked us to play such an important role in their big day.

Do you have a big dream for your wedding day? Let’s talk today about how Blessed Magnolia can bring it all to life for you.

Tented weddings are a great option for couples that want to host their special day on family property. Enjoying their wedding day with family and friends at a place that has so much meaning to so many in attendance, is a dream come true for many couples. However, planning a tented wedding comes with a special set of logistical items to consider. Hayly and Richard wanted to have their wedding at her grandparent’s family estate under the 400+-year-old oak tree and tented reception. The obstacles in this area of the property were there was no power, no water, and no restroom nearby. Not to mention the location was also at the back of the 100+ acre estate.

The canvas was beautiful but ensuring that you have all the necessary items to make this area of the property enjoyable for their guests takes a partnership with vendors that understand this task completely. While Hayly and Richard had already contracted with some of their vendors, we needed to bring in the decor team that would help bring us to the finish line. Working closely together with your decor and floral teams allows for the vision to come to life.

Working closely with these vendors allows you to highlight what nature has given us and make it a magical place for your guests to enjoy your nuptials. The reception space was very important to Hayly and Richard, they wanted it to be formal, and elegant, as well as a great place to hang out with your closest family and friends. Every vendor understood their assignment and created an amazing space.

Understanding the space and all the things that were needed to create the perfect tented wedding is very important. Below is a list of all the things that we had to take into account when handling a full build-out for an event of this type.

• Power – generators to handle everything that was on-site, this included lighting, warmer for the caterer, entertainment, and portable restrooms.
• Tent – there are many different types of tents and ensuring that you get the tent that fits your look is important
• Tent Walls – it was a very cold and sometimes rainy day, so we knew we would have to add walls to make sure the guests were comfortable and dry. We opted for clear walls to keep the elegant feel and only covered the side of the tent where the winds were most prevalent.
• Portable Restroom Trailer – we needed to ensure we had restrooms close to the reception space and ones that were also nice for such an elegant event. Power is needed for these restroom trailers, as well as water. Knowing that we did not have water, we had to relay that message to the company to ensure that the water tanks were full for the event.
• Catering work station – this was one of my favorite logistical pieces that Party Time Rentals created for this event. They created a wood wall that fit at one end of the tent where the catering team could set up their work station, along with a warmer to serve the plated meal.
• Bar – creating a bar area where you are able to conceal the coolers with ice and supplies is crucial to keeping the elegant look and feel. Marion Mobile Bar and Bubbles created the perfect bar space.
• Entertainment – knowing that there was no power took some extra planning on the part of the DJ. DJ Karim handled the ceremony with a battery powered speaker and worked closely to let us know his electrical needs for the reception space.
• Photography – communication with the photographer about the space and distance between the getting ready location, ceremony location and reception location was important. Understanding that the celebration was on a vast 100+acre property makes a difference when thinking about the timeline needs to capture all the best photos.
• Decor – creating a space that had all the elements that Hayly and Richard wanted required site visits and communication about the obstacles and requirements that would be needed to make it all happen.

To host the perfect tented wedding it takes a team of professionals that understand all the logistics that goes into creating and building out this type of event. This day would not have been possible without all the great vendors that worked so hard to make it come to life:

Planning: Blessed Magnolia

Photographer: KT Crabb Photography

Large Scale Rentals/Decor: Party Time Rentals

Florals: Graceful Gardener

Catering: LaCassella Catering

Bar: Marion Mobile Bar & Bubbles

Cake: Cakes Come True

Entertainment: DJ Karim

Beauty Team: Lauren Dove and Salon 209 (Kelley)

Restroom Trailer: Sound Exchange

Are you considering hosting a tented wedding? Blessed Magnolia is a full-service wedding planning company that can help you with all the logistical challenges that comes with a tented wedding or event. Give us a call today and let’s get your celebration planning started. Let’s get started planning!

Kayla and Brantley knew that they wanted to have the wedding day they both dreamed of. Surrounded by their loved ones and enjoy every moment of the day. They chose Casa Feliz in Winter Park, FL to celebrate their love. This quaint and charming venue gave them all the things that they wanted for their day.

Gorgeous areas to capture photos, like this image of Kayla having a first look with her bridesmaids. The covered brick walkway lines the courtyard where the dinner reception is held.

The brick made such an impact on this detail shot. One of the big surprises of the day was Kayla’s blue shoes. They were so dainty and beautiful and the pale blue handled something blue for Kayla on this day.

Although they decided to have an outdoor wedding, it was very important to Kayla and Brantley to incorporate both of their religious traditions into their day. The cross at the ceremony and the breaking of the glass right after their first dance were their choices to bring all the traditions together.

The stunning architecture of Casa Feliz made for some truly amazing photos. This is the famous archway where so many couples take their photos. I completely understood why when these images were returned.

Thank you to Eighteenth Hour Photography for all of these beautiful photos from Kayla and Brantley’s wedding day. Blessed Magnolia is a full-service wedding planning company ensuring that everything is handled for your day. We handle all things planning, so you and your family can enjoy every moment of your engagement period and wedding. Let’s talk today about your wedding plans and see how Blessed Magnolia can make your day amazing. Let’s talk today.

It was my first wedding back since the start of COVID. I could not wait and at the same time was so nervous. It had been so long since we had done weddings, events, or anything that would bring people together. I found myself during our time of shut down questioning why I started this business and did I make the right choice leaving the great job I had where I was sure to retire from. The day arrived and I knew it was right.

When you are an event professional, everything in your blood tells you that you live for the moment when everything seems to be in chaos. Funny that we would admit to that, but it is so true. We know how to take the chaos and turn it into productive positive motion. We know how to calm the masses and ensure them that everything is going to be ok and they should not worry about anything.

This first wedding back was nothing short of just that. I delivered the flowers to the bride that morning and I knew that she had been watching the weather, as her wedding was outside and there was a high chance of rain that day. Now, as a wedding professional, you know that Plan B is always front of mind and you do your best to ensure that your couple does not worry about the weather at all. The first thing I said to her after I told her how beautiful she looked, was to stop watching the weather, I have it all under control. We had already talked about what would happen if it rained and where the ceremony would be. She laughed and said, “Okay, you got it”.

That moment changed the entire day for me. It let me realize that I had chosen the right path opening Blessed Magnolia, as it was my dream that I could ensure any couple that worked with me would have their day stress-free. I am so grateful to Zac and Tayler for choosing me to be their planner and letting me give them a stress-free and great day. Yes, it did rain (only during the ceremony time) and their ceremony was moved undercover, it was beautiful and everything they hoped it would be.

As a planner, when you have moments of doubt, which you will, go back and remember those weddings or events where something happened to give you great joy and made you realize why you do what you do.