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Good Morning lovelies!  Running a bit behind today, but never fear, I have pretty for you to feast your eyes on!  Heading down south, we are treated to the vintage feel wedding of Kelly Foster & Gene Harley.  This wedding was truly a family affair with various family members greatly helping out our bride with everything from sourcing (over 3 states!) mix matched china, bottles, & various knickknacks to a hand made scrapbook and my personal favorite, a stunning brooch bouquet made by Kelly’s cousin, which by the way, was her first time making one!  Kelly offers some wonderful commentary throughout regarding her wedding & a few words of advice for future brides to be!

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

“My mother, other family members and myself spent a lot of time shopping for and making different things for the wedding.  All of the teapots, jars, bottles, and decorations were bought from all over three different states.  We went to so many different antique shops, roadside stands, and even some rather scary places to find all of the vintage pieces.  No two things were alike on my tables and I wanted every table to be different.  Because my theme was vintage, roses were instanly my first choice.  I knew I didn’t want the tight roses, so my florist used garden roses.”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

“I didn’t use real flowers in my bouquet because my cousin made my brooch bouquet, which was amazing.  She gave it to me on my wedding day and it left me speechless, I had never seen anything so beautiful.  Many of the brooches used were from my great grandmothers and grandmothers.  My friends and family found other brooches along the way, and it was very special to carry.”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

“I (Kelly) knew from the beginning that I wanted a vintage themed wedding and different from the ordinary.  Our venue, The White Room in St. Augustine, went perfect with our theme.  It not only is in the heart of the nation’s oldest city, it has so much charm and definitely the vintage feel.  I chose my colors, sky blue, blush and cream, because I thought they were romantic, elegant, bright, and charming.  The colors together were so soothing, and when guests walked into the reception area, I wanted it to feel like they had just stepped into a tea party or garden.  I knew that when I walked into the reception, I wanted it to feel airy and happy, not dark and drab.  I know that is just how I felt.”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

“My mother made our guest sign in book using photos from throughout our relationship.  She left room for guests to sign around the photos.  It was very special and it made it very personal, something that no one else will ever have.  Another special touch was we used wooden hearts throughout the ceremony and reception.  We hung them on the mason jars that lined our wedding aisle and put our intials on them.  We tied smaller ones to the ringbearer pillow and the flowergirl basket.  We put one on each bridesmaid bouquet, with the girl’s intial.  It was a small touch that added so much.  As for my cake, it was my favorite thing.  It was a simple cake with detailed flowers made of icing and a ribbon made of icing at the bottom.  It looked so charming.”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

We asked our bride what was her favorite moment!

“Wow, that’s a tough question…picking one moment that was my favorite is almost impossible to do.  There were so many moments that stand out in my mind.  The time I spent getting ready with my bridesmaids and mother, the “first look” with my husband (seeing each other before was the best thing), riding to the ceremony with my two dads, walking down the aisle seeing my husband smiling at me, seeing my mother smile, walking back down the aisle as husband and wife, entering the reception and hearing everyone cheer for us, our first dance, dancing with my dad and stepdad, eating our awesome fried chicken dinner, dancing all night, hearing everyone cheer as we left the venue and waving wands in the air, hearing all the kind words from random strangers as we passed by, looking at our rings on our left hands, becoming a stepmom to my husband’s son….the list goes on and on.  So I guess you could say my favorite moment was 2/24/12!”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

“We chose to get married in St. Augustine for several reasons.  For one, it is in the middle.  Gene was born and raised in Savannah, GA and his family and many of friends live there.  Kelly was born and raised in Sanford, FL and her family and many of her friends live there.  So we thought it would be easy for everyone to meet in the middle.  Also, we have vacationed here several times and fell in love with the city.  Not only is it the oldest city in America, it has so much to offer.  There are unique places to eat, fun places to shop and a variety of activities to keep you busy.  When we were thinking about a place to say “I do” we both said….St. Augustine.  It will always be a special place to us as we begin our journey as husband and wife here.   We also hope that our guests will want to come back and enjoy the city long after our wedding.”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

“What’s a love story without a happy ending? Our marriage is our happy ending to the search for the perfect person. Our marriage is also the exciting beginning of a life together full of memories and love. We met a couple of years ago and after being friends for almost a year, something changed and we ended up falling in love.”
“We like to say we were meant to be, especially since it took us a long time to find each other. Sometimes the wait is worth it, especially when the wait brought us together. It’s hard to find someone who believes in you, cares deeply about you and would do anything if it meant making you happy. That’s us and we are blessed that this time our timing was perfect.”

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

Kelly Foster Gene Harley WeddingTonya Beaver Photography

From the Bride:

“So many people helped with the wedding.  My mother did so many of the DIY projects, she is so talented and I was so blessed to have her.  She made our guest book, designed the layout for all the tables (to include visiting the venue several times to stage how things would look), she made all the ribbon wands people used as we left the reception,  she helped make gift bags, she made the ringbearer pillow, she sanded and painted the windows we used as decorations…the list goes on and on.  She paid attention to every little detail and because of that our wedding was as beautiful as it was.  She was awesome.  My aunt helped my mom with many of the projects and the shopping for all our teapots, teacups, jars and bottles.  She made many trips to Savannah (that’s where I live) with my mother so we could do wedding stuff.  My cousin made my brooch bouquet.  It was her first time making one and it was absolutely perfect.  My uncle made our wedding altar, which blew me away when I saw it.  He is so talented.  So many other family members and friends helped during the planning process and offered their time and skills.  Also, so many of them helped during the wedding week and day of.  Without the support, love and dedication of the close people in our lives, I don’t think our wedding would have been as perfect as it was!”

“Things are never perfect.  The night of our rehearsal my stepmother fell coming down the stairs off the rooftop.  She hit her ribs so hard when she fell, she ended up being rushed to the emergency room that night.  Needless to say she spent the wedding day in the hospital.  It was heartbreaking, but we got through it.  My husband came up with an awesome idea…one of the groomsmen let her use his iPhone to watch the wedding live.  We used his wife’s phone to connect via Facetime and she was able to see many of the events, including our first dance.  So we made do, and we brought her flowers and wands and other goodies to her at the hospital the next day.  We made it work, and we went with the flow.  Good came out of that though; doctors discovered she had a heart attack and her arteries were blocked.  Had she not fallen, the next heart attack could have been worse.  I do have one piece of advice for both brides and grooms…enjoy the moment.  Someone told me that during my wedding day, to take time to just stop and look around and take it all in.  Boy was she right.  There were times during the day I would stop, look around and enjoy the moment.  Those moments are still in my memory and I’m thankful for them.  Once the day is over, you’ll realize just how fast it went by.  Those precious moments are what you have to remember and they will never be forgotten.”

Vendor Love

Ceremony & Reception Venue: The White Room
Wedding Dress Designer: Allure
Shoe Designer: Coloriffics
Hair Stylist: Tiffony Simpson
Music: Carlton McGee
Florist: A Fantasy in Flowers
Caterer: The White Room
Baker: Sugared Bliss
Photographer: Tonya Beaver Photography