What do you get when you grow up on fairytales, you find your prince, and you own a floral design studio? You get the over-the-top fairytale wedding of your dreams! Both grooms looked dashing in their pastel suits but they willingly shared the spotlight with their florals who they say are the star of this wedding. The venue looks like a real-life enchanted castle, there’s a wishing well, and one of the grooms literally rides in on a white horse…it really can’t get much more magical than that!
This couple put their dreams in the hands of Mo & Co Studio and they delivered! The grooms’ studio, The Bride Candy, designed all of the florals for their wedding including the stunning ceremony arch that beautifully echoes the architecture of The Ancient Spanish Monastery. Erica J Photography and Laylle Digital Media were there to capture every special moment of their big day and Modern Love Productions was there to get it all on video. You can see even more from this stunning wedding in the full gallery. Read on to hear more from The Bride Candy and the couple about how everything came together.
TELLING THEIR STORY
This wedding is truly one for the (story) books! Chris and Jeremy met in Miami five years ago at gay bingo and fell in love while volunteering together for a local LGBTQ charity. Their love has always been over the top, right down to Chris’s enchanted proposal to Jeremy. So when they planned their May 2021 wedding, they always knew that it would be whimsical and flowers would be the star. The theme was inspired by the personal stories of the grooms as well as fairytales. Jeremy spent his childhood immersed in books about once upon a time and far-off lands, and later spent much of his life traveling the world. Christopher grew up in the community garden that his father managed and learned to love flowers at a very young age. To symbolize both stories the couple chose The Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach, FL as their venue. They had a garden ceremony filled with flowers with a sign that said “Christopher’s Garden” followed by a reception in 12th century stone cloisters that they labeled “Jeremy’s library.” The decor in the reception was made to look like the garden had overtaken the space, as some fairytales feature in their storylines. They chose to incorporate their favorite colors (blue and green). Books were placed on the tables, accompanied by customized compasses at each table setting to represent the spirit of adventure. The look was pure fairytale, so much so that their wedding story started with handcrafted book invitations to guests.
FLOWERS EVERYWHERE!
Christopher and Jeremy own The Bride Candy, a wedding floral design studio based in Miami, Florida. The ceremony featured garden flowers such as delphinium, roses, peonies, and hydrangea paired with different types of romantic greenery. Floor arrangements lined the aisle and culminated in two flowering trees and a cathedral arch filled with white flowers. The reception featured a single long banquet table in one hallway of the cloisters with crystal candelabras, antique books, and plated arrangements of ranunculus, scabiosa pods, peonies, delphinium, ivy, and plumosa. Other wings of the cloisters featured vintage lounge furniture and bars by Mi Vintage. The cloister courtyard was transformed with crystal chandeliers and twinkle lights from Event Factor hanging from an old oak tree over the dance floor. The courtyard wishing well was covered with vines and flowers and surrounded by candles and served as the backup spot where the grooms tied the knot.
A PRINCE AND HIS NOBLE STEED
A standout moment was when Chris entered the ceremony on a stunning white horse, something that was kept top secret until the wedding day. Chris always wanted to feel like a prince on his special day and Bella the horse from Fancy’s Magical Critters gave him the grand entrance he wanted. “I feel so lucky that I got that moment because right after the ceremony started, the Florida sky opened up and it poured!” said Chris. Guests scrambled to the safety of the cloisters and the wedding transitioned directly into cocktail hour. Afterward, the couple resumed their ceremony in front of the opulent courtyard wishing well.
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE HAPPY COUPLE
The grooms wanted a small wedding from the beginning, something that turned into an advantage when the pandemic hit. “I wanted to be able to dance with everyone at my wedding, and keeping the list to just close family and my bridal party made that possible,” said Chris. “I had the best time dancing all night with everybody that was there.” Even though the wedding was small, “one of the best decisions we made early on was to hire a wedding planner,” said Jeremy. “We had over twenty different vendors. That requires a lot of coordination, and we were busy running production at our floral studio for our own wedding. Monica brought a level of organization and patience that made this wedding successful.” But if there’s one thing this couple advises above all else, it is to go for your dreams. “You only get one wedding,” said Chris, “so go for whatever you want. Do you want to ride in on a horse? Get your horse. Do you want a dream venue? Get it! It’s what makes your day a standout day.”
