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, and they’ve made sacrifices, and that makes the 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.
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 favorite 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 a military dress that reminds us of an old movie, so romantic.
Our Love Story
We met in college. We were both in our last semester before graduating. We had never completed our math course. We spent as much time together before Garrett left for Air Force Training.
We wrote letters back and forth every day 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 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 eight 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 ,beautiful, and comfortable.
Since it was three days after the holidays, we tried to avoid Christmas-y colors, but it was still winter – Florida winter, that is.
We chose 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 Bud’s Etc did our flowers. Her arrangements are so beautiful. She worked with us, asked exactly what we envisioned, and made it happen.
There were roses, eucalyptus, blue thistle, peonies, berries, and evergreens. 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 clothing, and my mom said to try it just to see.
When I put it on before I even looked in the mirror, my dad’s reaction was 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 they 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.
