A Traditional and Multicultural Wedding at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne-Oceanfront in Melbourne, Florida

Stephanie Day, a software engineer, 25, and Vincent Galbo, also a software engineer, 28, had a traditional wedding with multiple themes. Accents resembling a beach theme as well as moose and butterfly decorations were used throughout their wedding. The couple used shades of blue as their wedding colors to tie the themes together. Before they attended the event, Stephanie and Vincent’s 175 guests sent in their RSVPs and notes to the soon-to-be-weds through a wedding website the couple coded from scratch. “Reading the comments from people was very entertaining, and very touching as well,” says Stephanie. They had a church wedding that represented both of their religion and cultural backgrounds as well as their reception by the beach. During the reception, guests were given a choice of pecan chicken, beef tenderloin, macadamia-crusted grouper, a vegetarian option or a children’s meal for dinner. Along with the couple’s DJ, friends and family members were entertained with a surprise traditional hula dance performance by the bridesmaids. Stephanie and Vincent also had a photo booth, advice cards to be opened on their first anniversary and activities for the children. “The kids really loved ‘Draw a picture of Stephanie and Vincent’ and ‘Draw a picture of Stephanie and Vincent's kids,’ says Stephanie. “We got some pretty entertaining responses and they were fun to read afterwards.” The couple’s wedding site was also incorporated into the celebration. “We had the DJ ask trivia questions (with prizes) to see if guests were paying attention when they visited our website,” says Stephanie. Their guests were given an option of “love” cork coasters, chocolates or white seed bombs to plant as their wedding favors.