Nostalgic Lakeside Estate Wedding in Central Florida

Kelly Sullivan (28 and a pediatric nurse practitioner) and Benjamin Darden (28 and a sales representative), who met in high school but reconnected through mutual friends years later, both took inspiration from their loved ones and their family’s history for their wedding day’s design. “The wedding was dreamt up to honor and respect the couples that came before us,” Kelly says. After entering the venue, which Kelly says reminded her of her childhood spent on the lake, guests passed a welcome table of old family photographs and scrapbooks. The couple said their vows with their families positioned around them as opposed to their wedding party. Later, Kelly and Benjamin capped off the night by inviting each generation of their family to dance to their favorite love songs, from Ray Price to Conway Twitty. 
Kelly and Benjamin decorated using grenery and grasses in order to highlight the natural scenery of the Cypress Grove Estate House.
“I could never picture my bridesmaids in dresses,” Kelly says. Instead, her gals wore black jumpsuits and heels. “Their outfits were one of my favorite things about the wedding,” Kelly says. A lakeside scene of cypress trees decorated Kelly and Benjamin’s save-the-dates. Kelly and Benjamin cut into a naked buttercream cake topped with tufts of greenery and made from Kelly’s great-grandmother’s legendary lemon cake recipe.
Kelly and Benjamin chose “More of You” by Chris Stapleton, whose music the pair bonded over early on, as well as a shared love of classic country music. The bare wood of the farm tables struck a rustic note alongside garland runners and dark linens. The couple showed guests their assigned seats with a minimalist vintage typewriter font. String lights hung from oak trees added a glow to the reception.