Miami Heat



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Miami Heat | A Sunshine State couple brings the heat to their al fresco wedding at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

Andrea Gomez & Daniel Cardenas
March 21, 2015
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

 

Leave it to Miami natives Andrea Gomez and Daniel Cardenas to balk at Charleston’s cool season: “It was in the mid-60s—that’s chilly for us!” Andrea laughs. The readings had their fellow Floridians donning furs as the sun set on Magnolia Plantation & Garden’s spacious back lawn, an oft-overlooked spot that had stolen the bride’s heart. “It was a blank canvas and felt so secluded,” she explains. While décor-wise, she and Ooh! Events opted for understated pieces that complemented the natural beauty, the festivities were anything but mild. It may have been cool, but between her mom’s famous habanero-pineapple jam (jars of it served as escort cards) and his mom’s sizzling moves (she and Daniel performed to “Uptown Funk”), guests were fanning themselves all night long. 

 

Top Tips
Take It from the Cardenases ...

• Spell check! Daniel “outsourced” his luxury hotel room rose petal proposal and ended up asking Andrea “Will Yuo Marry Me?”
• Call in family for wedding favor help. The bride’s aunt supplied dozens of her company’s “Chiqui’s Chocolates” sampler boxes.
• Create outdoor “rooms” using arbors, greens, and curtain sheers.
• Hosting an outdoor fête before spring strikes? Pick a venue with cold-weather  blooms, like camellias.
• Advise the female guests to wear heel guards, wedges, platforms, or flats for lawn parties.
 

Vendor List:

Wedding design and coordination, furniture, rentals, linens: Ooh! Events, www.TheArtofCreating.com/OohEvents

Ceremony and reception venue: Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, www.MagnoliaPlantation.com

Photography: Clay Austin Photography, www.ClayAustinPhotography.com

Florals: Out of the Garden, www.TheArtofCreating.com/outofthegarden

Catering: Fresh Foods Market Catering, www.FreshFoodsMarketCatering.com

Cake: Ashley Brown Cake Design, www.ABCDCakemake.carbonmade.com

Bar Service: Squeeze On Site, www.Squeeze-Onsite.com

Silverware: Polished, www.PolishedTabletop.com

Stationery: Nunez Stationary Printing, www.NunezPrinting.CarlsonCraft.com

Bride’s gown: Inbal Dror, www.InbalDror.co.il

Beauty: (hair) Swish Charleston, www.Swish123.com; (makeup) Charlotte Laystrom, Ooh! Beautiful, www.TheArtofCreating.com/oohbeautiful

Groom’s Attire: Dolce & Gabbana, www.DolceGabbana.com

Groomsmen Attire: Hugo Boss, www.HugoBoss.com

Favors: Chiqui’s Chocolates, www.ChiquisChocolates.com

Cigars: Fletcher Cigar Company, www.FletcherCigars.com

Music: (ceremony & cocktail hour) Charleston Virtuosi, www.CharlestonVirtuosi.com; (reception) Epic Charleston, www.EpicCharleston.com

Transportation: Low Country Valet & Shuttle Co., www.LowCountryValet.com; Carolina’s Executive Limo Line, www.CELimoLine.com

After-party location: Halls Chophouse, www.HallsChophouse.com

The Wedding Row

July 29 2019
Happy Monday, friends.  We are sitting down with our cup of coffee and with lovely Kelly, the owner of Paper Meets Pearl, a one-stop shop boutique wedding and event planning company based in the...

July 26 2019
It’s confirmed: Heather and Chuck absolutely let the dogs out. The pet lovers (and now newlyweds) met back in Gainesville, Florida, while in veterinary school. Chuck was getting his PhD in animal...

July 25 2019
These days, it’s pretty common to meet your S.O. on a dating app, but Tanya and Joe met in real life, sans any electronics. Can you believe it? While checking out a new store opening in Crown Town (...

July 24 2019
Back again, but this time it’s official! We fell hard for Abby and Grant’s love story back when we shared their engagement session a few months back. For a refresher, their romance began when Abby...

July 23 2019
Not everyone is fortunate enough to meet their future spouse as early as middle school, but Caroline and Robert sure lucked out. Although these two grew up together, they only began dating after...

July 22 2019
Alicia and Cameron, Maryland dwellers, may not live in our zip code but they certainly know how to throw a shindig, Charleston-style. We will get to that bit later but for starters, how about a...

July 18 2019
Now this is a wedding story full of fun, food, and … fish. (Wait for it. You’ll see.) Arkansas natives Elle and Miles met in college and dated for four years before this groom seriously reeled in a...

July 17 2019
After meeting online and sensing that this could be something special, Carolyn and Jeff found themselves falling head-over-heels IRL. Four years later, the duo vacationed in Grand Cayman for the Ritz...