1. Real Weddings

Ashley & Mike: An Outdoor Wedding in St. Petersburg, FL

Ashley first spotted Mike while attending an internship fair as a graduate student -- Mike was manning the booth for his employer. Ashley scored an in

Ashley first spotted Mike while attending an internship fair as a graduate student -- Mike was manning the booth for his employer. Ashley scored an internship, with Mike as her supervisor. I was in love from day one, but of course I couldn't tell him that, says Ashley. She was hired as a full-time employee, and eventually the two became friends and then were romantically involved. The Bride Ashley Malagon, 27, corporate division manager for a PR firm The Groom Michael (Mike) DePaolo, 30, senior account manager at an ad agency The Date November 3 Years later, Mike surprised Ashley with a proposal at home, and the two started planning a wedding near the bride's hometown. We knew about half our guests were coming from out of town, and we wanted to give them a true Florida experience, says Ashley.

Ashley and Mike's ceremony programs explained the Jewish traditions incorporated in their ceremony and also tied in the wedding style with pink print.
The bride wore white peep-toe heels from Cynthia Rowley.
Guests found the round reception menus -- which also boasted a pink rhinestone -- tucked into napkins at each place setting. The reception tables were set with clear chargers with a gold beaded edge for Ashley and Mike's reception dinner.
Our band was Southtown Fever, and they kept the party going all night long, says the bride. Ashley and Mike kicked things off with the band's rendition of Sea of Love.
Ashley and Mike's wedding cake was a four-tiered confection covered in tiny sugar flowers. Each tier was infused with a different flavor. Guests could also sample the groom's cake, which was made to look like a Titleist golf ball.
Ashley's bridesmaids carried pink bouquets that made for a burst of color against their black dresses. The arrangements included orchids, hydrangeas, roses, and mini calla lilies.
Ashley held an all-white bouquet of cymbidium orchids, mini calla lilies, and stephanotis. During the ceremony she also carried with it a prayer book that had been in her family for four generations.
Orchid leis hung from the chandeliers above the tables, and votive candles also contributed to the romantic feel of Ashley and Mike's reception.
Pink floral pomanders hung from the gold chiavari chairs lining the aisle at Ashley and Mike's ceremony. A pale pink aisle runner was scattered with rose petals.
Ashley and Mike married in the Vinoy's tea garden, standing beneath a huppah made from the talises (Jewish prayer shawls) of the bride's male family members. We had a Jewish ceremony, complete with Mike stepping on the glass! says the bride.
Ashley and Mike's guests found their seats with escort cards handwritten in pink calligraphy. Like many of the other paper products, each was embellished with a single pink rhinestone.
No two tables were alike when it came to the flowers, Ashley explains. Each table boasted three arrangements of different pink and white flowers of varying sizes. Orchids, hydrangeas, roses, pink ginger, and calla lilies were among the blooms included.