11.07.2008

{wedding week}: The Venue


So to celebrate the week leading up to our one year (!!!) wedding anniversary,
I decided to take a page in the book of Bryn, one of my favorite all-around bloggers. I will
be posting little tidbits and details from our November 17th, 2007 wedding
as the week progresses and before we head out for our Caribbean cruise!

I had to start with our amazingly gorgeous venue, The Ancient Spanish Monastery.
There was no way I was going to say no to this place! Ever since I was a little
girl I dreamed of getting married at the monastery. It was so beautiful and
different. It didn't feel like you were in Miami and that would probably
be because the monastery was relocated in wooden crates and rebuilt stone by
stone in the 1950's. The place is amazing.

Only a few short weeks after our engagement in late 2005, I hightailed it over
to the monastery to book a date. They were not available until 2007! I could not
believe it. I had to decide whether to get married on a Sunday or to make our
engagement a very long one. After sitting down with the hubs, we decided to wait
it out and booked a date in late 2007: November 17th to be exact. The monastery
was definitely more popular than I thought!

The day of the wedding, I couldn't have asked for a better setting. All our guests
raved that they did not feel like they were in the United States, much less Florida!
I did not do any uplighting or any heavy decor (I'll go into that later), I thought
the venue was beautiful on its own and did not need to be cluttered. And I think it
worked out perfectly!


We had our reception in the Cloisters.

And our ceremony outside at the stunning and underrated Loggia.


And here's what to expect for the rest of {wedding week}:
Today/Day 1 - Venue
Day 2 - "The Look"
Day 3 - Decor
Day 4 - Bridal Shower
Day 5 - Details
Day 6 - Rehearsal Dinner
Day 7 - Pro Pictures

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe that it has already been a year. I still tell everyone about your fairytale wedding! :)

Meli said...

Awww, thanks Bonnie!
I really cannot believe we are at the year mark - time FLEW by. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating our 10 year!

Amanda Roo said...

Wow. Your wedding was definitely what dreams are made of. Can't wait to see your updates! I can't believe you waited out that long for the venue. We got engaged in Dec. 07 and set the date for April 09.. but I got impatient over the summer and we ended up getting married on Nov. 1, 2008 haha

Meli said...

Aw, thank you Amanda! So sweet :)

I had the patience of a saint - I have to admit, sometimes it was very hard!