A Traditional Wedding at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida

Carolina Ribas, a healthcare administrator, 27, and Jose Armas, a physician, 30, met on a fishing trip with a mutual friend and Jose’s family. It turned out to be a surprise blind date. The pair soon began dating and were engaged in Paris on Carolina’s first trip to Europe. Carolina and Jose were married a year and a half later in Coral Gables, Florida. “The theme and inspiration for my wedding was simple elegance,” says Carolina. The couple chose off-white and blush as their wedding colors. Carolina and Jose had a traditional church wedding at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Miami Beach, Florida. The altar was decorated with arrangements of white calla lilies. Carolina, Jose and thier 275 guests continued the celebration at The Biltmore Hotel with the couple’s cocktail hour and reception. An open bar and champagne were available as they entered the ballroom. The couple served a sit-down dinner that included grilled filet mignon, Chilean sea bass and extra virgin olive oil crushed potatoes as part of the entree. “In all the wonderful wedding events, I can’t really describe how laid back everything was, which is so true to us,” says Carolina. “I loved how we were always present and truly enjoyed ourselves.” A DJ and live band played during the reception as guests enjoyed dancing and a photo booth. The night ended the couple linked arm in arm with their guests, singing to a Zac Brown Band song. “It was something so touching because everyone we shared our night with truly meant a lot to us and that moment happened unexpectedly,” says Carolina.