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

September 19 2018
The sparks flew for Cole and Nick one fateful night at a mutual friend’s New Year’s Eve party. Truth be told, both admit to not wanting to attend the festivities, but the two tell us that when they...

September 18 2018
Two weeks before Mike graduated from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts, he met fellow student Taylor, who was wrapping up her freshman year. After six years of dating, the two had a thriving...

September 17 2018
So we’re back to the offices after having evacuated Charleston due to Hurricane Florence. While we’re thankful that the Lowcountry was spared devastation, it’s obviously bittersweet relief given so...

September 12 2018
From a flying groom (you’ll see) to a floral installation of 875 tulips (yep, we’re totally serious), our Instagram page was certainly filled with excitement during the month of August. As a little...

September 11 2018
Hot times calls for haute trends. From custom newlywed crests to one cutie of a bar-on-wheels, here are our top five takeaways from the current issue of Charleston Weddings magazine. Click here to...

September 10 2018
The Wedding Row: Tell us about the beginning of you as an item. Emily: In 2014 I was home from grad school and I went to the gym. That’s where I met Justin–a new guy who had just moved from...

September 7 2018
A last-minute opening at Carlos Hernandez’s autumn photography workshop at Lowndes Grove Plantation led to today’s minimalist and moody post shot by Rachel Craig. Her big takeaway from the styling,...

September 6 2018
Lindsay and Andrew, who both grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, first met at the Charleston Animal Society’s Firefighter Calendar Debut party and auction. Yep, you read that right. A PG-version of a “Magic...