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I’ve known Rhonda for about 10 years and have been shooting her family portraits, pets, special occasions you name it! Ronnie is amazing – you have to admire how much effort and time she puts into everything she does! So needless to say when it came to her wedding I was still blown away at the time, effort and endless energy she dedicated to planning this incredible day.
We first met Rhonda and Anthony as a couple a few months before their wedding for their “The Notebook” inspired engagement photo session (http://www.rebeccadavidson.com/blog/ronnie-anthony-the-notebook-inspired-e-session/). Firstly Rhonda gave me ‘homework’, she called me up and said, “You’ve seen the NOTEBOOK right?” I hadn’t… too busy editing wedding pictures 🙂 So off I went home to tell the husband we were watching the NOTEBOOK that night! 2 hours later, 1 less box of tissues and a very emotional husband, not sure emotional from the movie or missing the hockey game….! So now we meet for the photo shoot meticulously planned by Rhonda. What a stunning shoot it was!! Rhonda’s vision was unreal! – right down to the little dickie bow ties for the boys! The vintage car! The dresses! The old fashioned coke bottles! The bike! The flowers! The shoes! Her groom was more than happy to go along with it (how awesome is he?). Their love and chemistry for one another was obvious, even through the lens it was just beautiful to see these two so naturally pose with each other! I just love this shoot!
So you could imagine we were SO excited about their wedding day, knowing it would be just as much fun and as gorgeous as their e-session with them totally committed to one another and so in love! Their wedding took place at a private home in South Sound – talk about amazing!! These guys did a first look and it was SO worth it – we got so many beautiful photos of these guys and I just LOVE Rhonda’s reaction!! After the ceremony we all made our way out to Pappagallos (a fabulous Italian restaurant in West Bay) for the reception. It was a beautiful, intimate reception and you could definitely feel the love in the room!! 🙂 The decor was handled by Mary Ann of Celebrations absolutely perfectly! Great job Mary Ann you totally rock!
Here are some quotes we caught that day …. so cute …. 🙂
Rhonda about Anthony: “I love him so much, and I can’t imagine my life without him. My heart is complete because of him and the joy he has brought to my life. He’s everything I could ever want or need.”
Anthony about Rhonda, “She’s my everything and the light of my life. There are so many endearing qualities I love about her – her gorgeous smile, her captivating eyes, her loving heart. I am so lucky to have found her but even luckier that she chose me to be her husband.”
With Great Appreciation… (as expressed by the new Mrs. Verhoeven herself)
Bridal hair: Jeannie at Rock Gorgeous (Rhonda: Jeannie and the whole Rock Gorgeous team are amazing and totally dedicated to their craft of making women feel and look beautiful. Jeannie cracks me up every time I’m with her and we had so much fun working on my wedding hairstyle. I knew I wanted something classic, timeless, romantic and elegant – those were the words I described to Jeannie. Then it hit me one night! I thought of my husband’s celebrity crush, Kate Beckinsale, and after Googling her hair I knew a sexy side chignon would be perfect. Thanks to the very talented Jeannie, my hair was stunning throughout the entire day – pinned, tucked and sprayed to perfection – and will probably be featured in a magazine (well, it should be anyway!).)
Bridal make up: Tanja at Rock Gorgeous (Rhonda: I heard great things about “Tanja’s makeup” and was thrilled both she and my hairdresser worked in the same salon, making consultations and traveling time much easier for me lol! I told Tanja I wanted a natural, flawless look – again, more adjectives! On our makeup trial day, I came prepared with my bag of colors and liquids and together we matched hers with mine, creating the perfect palette for my skin. My reflection in the mirror took my breath away – who was that girl I wondered? I had butterflies in my stomach from the excitement of being princess for the day.)
Bridal gown: Sincerity Bridal (Rhonda: I came across a little bridal shop in Fort Lauderdale by accident after failing miserably to find my bridal gown on Miracle Mile in Miami – not to mention their outrageous prices! As soon as I walked in the store, I knew my gown was there somewhere. I had never heard of Sincerity Bridal before, but I fell in love with their delicate lace detail and romantic fabrics. When I returned home with my Sincerity Gown #3664, I googled to find that my dress was their “Gown of the Week” and fresh off of the runways. Lucky me!)
Groom’s tux: Black by Vera Wang (Rhonda: We decided on a Vera Wang tux from Men’s Warehouse after seeing a gorgeous grey suit in the window. I knew it would be perfect for my husband to be and would complement my soft pastel bouquet and his pink tie. He looked so handsome and was beaming, as was I to see him for the first time.)
Flowers and Decor: Celebrations Ltd. (Rhonda: This was a no brainer to me. I have always admired Celebrations’ work and couldn’t wait to meet with them. Mary Ann was wonderful and made my dream wedding come to life. I provided her with sample looks I wanted and she recreated them beautifully. The flowers were breathtaking, in soft cream, ivory and pink hues, so much so that all of my guests took them home afterwards and still talked about them for days after.)
Ceremony venue: Private South Sound home (Rhonda: We were beyond blessed to have a family so special open their doors to us. What an amazing venue and backdrop from which to exchange vows and to capture those special candid moments. We will forever be grateful to this family for making our special day so memorable.)
Reception, dinner and cake: Ristorante Pappagallo (Rhonda: This is my favorite restaurant on the island, and I’ve known Vico and his staff for years. The food is always delicious, the service impeccable, the ambience magical. They even made our beautiful cake! It was the perfect, romantic evening with family and friends, thanks to their special way of making every customer feel like their only one.)
Photographer: Rebecca Davidson – www.rebeccadavidson.com (Rhonda: I could write a book on how much I love Rebecca! She has been my photographer of choice for all of my special occasions. We even changed our wedding date several times to be able to secure her as there was no one else we wanted. She told our love story through her creativity and god given talent. I love how she captures those special candid moments without you even realizing it. Our photos are amazing and everything I could have ever dreamed of!)
Officiant: Desmond Whittaker (Rhonda: I searched for the most popular officiant on island and Pastor Whittaker was referred to us over and over. He performs hundreds of ceremonies and worked with us to customize the service and to add in our own special touches. His voice was strong and powerful (exactly what I wanted), yet soothing, which helped us to overcome our nerves!)
Amy Strzalko – A huge thank you to Amy who came as second shooter on this wedding and got some AMAZING pics! AMY you rock!!!!!!!!! thanks a ton!!