SHIPS OF THE SEA MUSEUM WEDDING
AMY & ZACH
October 04, 2013
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Ships of the Sea Museum
The moment Amy locked eyes on the Ships of the Sea Museum, she knew her hunt for the perfect Savannah wedding venue was over. The venue combined everything the destination couple had envisioned - lush gardens, years of maritime history and nautical artifacts, plus accessibility for their out-of-town guests. With the help of the Posh Petals & Pearls team, Amy & Zach were able to transform the grounds of the museum into an enchanting October evening adorned with a navy color palette.
Photography: Mark Williams Studio // Planning & Design: Posh Petals & Pearls // Florist: Mark Williams Studio // DJ: DJ Geebo // Bridal Shop: Modern Bridal Shop (Orlando, FL) // Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid (Jacksonville, FL) // Groom & Groomsmen’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse // Bar & Catering: Cape Creations Catering // Rentals: Savannah Special Events by Ranco // Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas // Cake: Publix // Hair & Makeup: Savannah Make-Up and Skincare Professionals by Lynn & Co. // Officiant: Rev. Joe Wadas// Rehearsal Dinner: 45 Bistro // Rings: International Diamond Center
Tell us how you met: We worked together at a restaurant and live music venue. Amy was a hostess and Zach was a bartender. As soon as Amy became single, Zach made his move and asked her on a first date, which we spent at Walt Disney World.
Proposal Details: Zach took Amy out to brunch, and afterwards, we strolled down to downtown Winter Park, where we live in Florida. There is a breathtaking rose garden with beautiful blooms and shrubbery in the central park. Zach had planned to have the ring set up on a bush, so it was there waiting as we walked up. As Amy opened the box, Zach got down on one knee and asked to spend our lives together. Instead of a normal ring box, he hid the ring inside a small statue of a giraffe, which is Amy’s favorite animal. Of course she said yes! He had a friend secretly film the entire proposal. Then we met up with friends and family to celebrate with champagne!
How did you select your date + venue: As soon as we were engaged, we selected our date. The next Friday one year away was October 4, 2013. Zach said Amy has to “keep it simple for him with 10-4!”. Amy always knew she wanted to be married in a garden. We visited Savannah because it is centrally located between our hometowns of Birmingham, AL and Winter Park, FL. As soon as we visited Ships of the Sea, Amy fell in love and we were set! The garden was exactly what we envisioned, and we could not have selected a more perfect venue. Also, both of our grandfathers served in the Navy, and we knew that they would have loved Ships of the Sea with all of its history and nautical relics.
The Gown: Amy found the gown at a close-out sale at a bridal shop in Orlando. We had the gown altered to mimic a much, much more expensive dress, and it turned out perfect!
The Hair + Makeup: Savannah Make-Up and Skincare Professionals by Lynn & Co. Amy’s hair was ½ up, ½ down with curls.
The Accessories (Shoes, Jewelry, Veil): Amy wore a pearl necklace that her grandfather gave her grandmother for their 25th wedding anniversary, which Amy’s grandmother passed down to Amy on her 21st birthday.
Bridesmaids Attire: Bridesmaids wore long navy dresses from Bella Bridesmaids in Jacksonville, FL. Amy gifted handmade earrings and bracelets to the girls as part of their bridesmaids’ presents.
Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Groom and Groomsmen wore light gray suits from Men’s Wearhouse with white shirts and navy ties. Zach gifted the groomsmen personalized navy Converse sneakers embroidered with their nicknames.
Ceremony Site + Details: Ceremony took place in the Scarborough Garden behind the Ships of the Sea Museum in Savannah at 6:00 pm. Amy was walked down the aisle by her father to the instrumental song “Slow Dance” by Explosions in the Sky. Zach and Amy wrote their own vows for the ceremony. After “you may kiss the bride”, we walked back down the aisle to “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes.
Aesthetic + Color Palette: Color palette was navy with light green and yellow accents. We incorporated a lot of natural wood, creamy-colored flowers, wine corks, and candles.
The Décor: We really wanted a “secret garden” feel for the evening. We strung café lights across the Scarborough and North Gardens, along with a mix of high and low tables. Centerpieces were very natural tones that accentuated the surrounding garden.
The Food + Beverage: Guests were treated to a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres hour in the North Garden immediately following the ceremony, while the Scarborough Garden was flipped for the reception. For dinner, we incorporated our hometown cuisines and family favorites. Our signature cocktail was a blend of iced tea (a nod to Amy’s home in Alabama) infused with orange (a nod to Zach’s Florida upbringing). Zach’s family is originally from Maryland, so crab cakes were one of the hors d’oeuvres. The dinner consisted of Southern-inspired dishes like Shrimp and Grits, Honeycombs, a Potato Bar.
The Cake: The cake was from Publix and featured blue flowers. Amy’s mom surprised us with a cake topper that read “Best Day Ever!” We actually had to cut the cake an hour early because it was collapsing in the humidity! There was blue icing on everyone’s clothes by the end of the night! It was Amy’s “something blue”! ;)
Personal Touches: Amy’s dad built chalkboards for the wedding, and Amy (with the help of the wedding planners) wrote welcome messages and a list of the bridal party, instead of programs. Amy also personally collected all of the wine corks used for decoration (over 300), with help from the restaurant where she works. Zach created the specialty cocktail that we served, which was a blend of iced tea, citrus vodka, muddled mint, and orange slices.
The Flowers: Our florists, Mark Williams Studio, were absolutely a-ma-zing. Amy told the team what she envisioned, and they completely ran with the idea. It turned out better than anything we’ve ever seen on Pinterest! The team used lots of creamy ivory and light yellow flowers with green accents and navy ribbon.
The Invitations + Paper Details: The save-the-date and wedding invitations were designed on WeddingPaperDiva.com. The invitations featured the phrase ‘I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is Mine”. Both “Amy” and “Zach” mean “beloved” in different languages, and our nickname for each other is “Mine”, so these were a perfect detail for our big day!
Guest Count: We had 104 adults in attendance.
The Favors: We gave each guest a small jar of organic honey with a tag reading “Thanks for helping to make our day so sweet!” We also gave out drink koozies decorated with anchors (a nod to Ships of the Sea).
Late night snacks/special treats: We had all of our friends join us at the nearby Rail Pub in City Market to continue the celebration late into the evening.
The Send-off/Getaway Vehicle: Amy’s dad found a 1937 Packard, which was an absolutely perfect fit for the evening. Guests lit sparklers as Amy and Zach ran through the crowd. The driver had a bottle of wine waiting for us in the car, and we sipped and chatted as he chauffeured us around Savannah. Then he dropped us off with our friends to continue our celebration!
Best Piece of Advice for Brides-to-Be: Don’t stress about the smallest details! It’s great to have some personal touches, but if you take care of the major focuses – good food, music, drinks, and venue – the smaller items will fall into place. ENJOY the time leading up to your wedding and allow others to help you.
