Jan and Jay’s Tallahassee Wedding at the Indian Mounds State Park

Jan and Jay’s Tallahassee Wedding at the Indian Mounds State Park

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It took Jay over 3 years to get Jan to marry him but on Sunday, March 13th they tied the knot!

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Jan and Jay’s Tallahassee wedding at the Indian Mounds State Park

When Jan contacted me about getting married she told me about how she had been dragging her feet. Now she was ready to get plans in place and marry the man of her dreams! We worked on putting the perfect ceremony vows together which include a family unity candle ceremony and memorial to Jay’s past daughter.

“This candle you are about to light is a candle of Family. Its’ fire is magical because it burns with the flame of a family joined in love, as well as, remembrance of Jojo.” 

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I provided the small table and white clothe for Jan and Jay’s Tallahassee wedding family unity candle ceremony.

Jay was Jan’s  first crush, and forever, so I incorporated this into their ceremony vows:

Amanda to  Jan: 

“Jan, do you take Jay to be your husband, knowing in your heart he will be your faithful forever crush, your one true love, and your constant friend?””

About 25 of Jan and Jay’s family and friends gathered for their wedding. Chairs and wedding decorations were setup under a pavilion in the Indian Mounds State Park. Jan’s two sons walked her down the aisle. Jan’s friends stood by her side as her maid of honor and Jay’s brother stood by his side as the best man. I officiated their beautiful thoughtful ceremony. After the ceremony everyone was staying at the park to celebrate with cake and appetizers.

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Jan had told me about how she wanted a cake topper with the groom dragging the bride and I found one online! She ordered and it was so happy to have their wedding!

Congratulations, Jan and Jay! It was a honor and pleasure to be a part of your wedding!!

How to have a July Tallahassee Wedding Ceremony- Tips and Ideas

How to have a July Tallahassee Wedding Ceremony- Tips and Ideas

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So you want to get married in July in Tallahassee, Florida. Through my 7 years as a Tallahassee wedding officiant,  I’ve learned a few things about having a Tallahassee wedding ceremony in the Summer. Here are my tips and idea on How to have a July Tallahassee Wedding Ceremony

1. Always have a Plan B because it might rain. Summer time in Florida gets a lot of rain. There’s no pattern or way to predict what the weather so I highly recommend having a back-up plan and an umbrella on hand in case of rain.

Rain on your wedding day is good luck. Always have an umbrella handy and a backup place for a ceremony....just in case!

Rain on your wedding day is good luck. Always have an umbrella handy and a backup place for a ceremony….just in case!

2. If you’re having the ceremony outside consider having your July Tallahassee wedding ceremony early in the morning before it gets SO hot.

Have your ceremony early in the day and in a place with a  lot of shade.

Have your ceremony early in the day and in a place with a lot of shade. This is a beautiful morning Tallahassee wedding ceremony at The Southwood House in Tallahassee Florida.

3. Provide water for guests. I suggest placing a tube with ice and water bottles behind the last row of chairs in the ceremony so guests can easily grab a cold bottle of water on the way to their seats.

4. Have an inside reception. July in Tallahassee is HOT. There’s no way around it. Tallahassee is a beautiful place for outside wedding ceremonies so I understand the desire to have your wedding outside. There are a lot of venues and parks where you can have a beautiful outdoor summer wedding ceremony then have a nice reception inside. This is a great because then you and your guests don’t have to spend too much time in the heat.

Lunch wedding reception at the Southwood House in Tallahassee

An inside luncheon wedding reception at the Southwood House in Tallahassee after a morning wedding ceremony in the front lawn.

5. Have an inside ceremony. Most venues have a way of transforming a space into a beautiful indoor area for a wedding ceremony. Planning to have your summer time ceremony inside elements a lot of concerns (heat, rain, bugs, sun) and allows you to focus on everything else. A lot of the couples I’ve officiated weddings for that have had their July ceremonies will go outside for pictures so they still capture the beautiful Tallahassee area.

Inside wedding ceremony at the Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee

This an inside wedding ceremony at the Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee that I officiated in August 2015.

Wedding at Hotel Duval in Tallahassee, FL

This was the inside wedding ceremony setup for a July 2015 wedding that I officiated at Hotel Duval in Tallahassee, FL.

6. Have a short and sweet ceremony. Your wedding ceremony is important. There are a lot of nice ways to make your wedding ceremony sweet and simple so that it doesn’t leave you and your guests melting in the heat or  bored of of their minds.

7. So you’re having an outdoor wedding ceremony in July- embrace the heat! You must know that it’s going to be hot so maybe consider adding some fun to the heat. At a recent wedding I officiated at Lichgate on High Rd in Tallahassee they had an ice cream truck for guests to enjoy after the ceremony; they called it “ice cream hour”.

While you take pictures have an Ice cream hour in-lieu of a cocktail hour.

While you take pictures have an Ice cream hour in-lieu of a cocktail hour.

8. If you do chose to have your July Tallahassee wedding ceremony outside prepare for mosquitoes. Some venues will spray for mosquitoes. If allowed, you could have tiki torches around. At a wedding I recently officiated the couple had placed a basket with bug spray right as guests walked into the park.

Have your

Kristin and Alex had their Juily 18 Tallahassee wedding ceremony in the morning right on their screened in back porch. It was shaded, protected from bugs, and full of happiness. Afterwards they were heading straight to a celebratory breakfast.

9. Pick me as your Tallahassee Wedding Officiant 😉

All in all, July is a great time to get married in the Tallahassee Florida area. The town is not overcrowded with college students, you don’t have to deal with football schedule, everything is green and lush… just to name a few. Deciding on when to have your wedding is always a bit stressful. If you’ve always wanted to get married in July then do it because there’s a lot of ways to have a beautiful wedding in Tallahassee in July.