A Traditional Vintage-Inspired Wedding at the Epping Forest Yacht and Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida

Jennifer Gale (31 and a software consultant at IBM) and Brian Franco, (32 and a software consultant at Information & Computing Services, Inc.) became engaged 16 months after meeting through mutual friends at the University of Florida. After hours of talking, Brian proposed without a ring during one of their usual date nights. They picked out Jennifer’s Tacori engagement ring the next day. “It was all very romantic,” says Jennifer. The next year of their 18-month engagement was spent working with Design Studio South to plan their wedding. “We wanted to make sure the evening felt high-end and classic,” says Jennifer. “The color palette of navy, dusty pink, and gold really helped us carry this through.” With the 1920s as their inspiration, the couple chose vintage accents such as a tufted gray couch and navy and gold script signs as accents. After their first look, Jennifer and Brian drove to the Basilica of Immaculate Conception in a 1940s Fleetwood Cadillac for their traditional Catholic ceremony. “Even though our ceremony was an hour, it felt like 15 minutes. Savor every moment!” says Jennifer. The celebration continued into the Epping Forest Yacht and Country Club for an indoor reception and cocktail hour. “We chose Epping Forest Yacht Club, because the food and grounds were amazing; it is a very unique and historic venue,” says Jennifer. Their 110 guests enjoyed a cocktail hour filled with multiple stations of seafood, pasta and appetizers before moving into the DuPont Mansion’s East and West rooms for the reception. Each square table was set with ivory napkins, navy escort cards with gold script, gold candlesticks and colorful floral arrangements. After guests finished dinner, they were treated to a three-tier, navy wedding cake complete with gold detailing and cascading fresh flowers. Jennifer, Brian and their guests spent the night dancing to the couple’s band, Lucky Penny. “We chose not to take time away from the party for a grand exit, as dancing and singing with our friends and family was the best way we could imagine ending our night,” says Jennifer.