Claire and Pablo celebrated saying I DO at The Columns at Avon by the Sea. This venue offers ocean views and a historical coastal feel. “My inspiration for the day was to elevate the natural colors of the seasons. I used a lot of greenery in my bouquets and centerpieces and had my bridesmaids wear burgundy which was then tied into the floral arrangements as well. I also love the dark wood of the columns so I wanted to use a lot of candlelight to help create a romantic atmosphere for our reception.” – Claire and Pablo shared. Within walking distance to the beach, this venue has so many great locations for your wedding photos. “The Columns has a breathtaking staircase as soon as you walk into the vestibule which I knew I needed to take advantage of. I worked closely with Ron & Scott from Bespoke Floral & Event Design on how we can make that the focal point of the reception and capture the guests as soon as they walk in. We relied heavily on using flowers, greenery, and candles throughout all the rooms in The Columns to help bring my vision to life.”
What was the most anticipated moment of your wedding day?
“We decided not to have a first look so for both of us of seeing each other for the first time as I walked down the aisle was what we looked forward to most. We kept it traditional and separated after the rehearsal dinner, he slept in a different hotel room the night before and I had shared a room with two of my best friends. So the anticipation was definitely high!”
Claire wore a beautiful detailed Stella York wedding dress. “My mom and I went to Seng Couture the weekend of Mothers day on a whim to take a look (I had already bought a dress at this point). I just wanted to be sure I made the right decision. The moment I put this dress on my heart sank because I knew I had a tough call to make. I walked out of the dressing room and my mom immediately began to cry, a reaction I did not get from the dress I already owned. After a few minutes, and a lot of pictures later we purchased the Stella York dress!”
Styled by Kate Litterer of KateCutMyHair, Claire wore her hair in a half-up half-down look with loose curls. She accessorized her hair with a diamond hairpiece on the back to hold some of her hair up. Claire’s makeup was done by Andreia Coragem of Dreia Cosmetics, who styled her to look naturally beautiful.
Pablo wore a Kenneth Cole suit from Men’s Wearhouse, brown shoes, and a burgundy tie from The Tie Bar. “For Pablo’s look, I knew I didn’t want a pure blue suit. We went to Men’s Wearhouse and took a walk around their showroom with a tie I had purchased from The Tie Bar that matched the color of the Birdy Grey (Cabernet) bridesmaids’ dresses to see which color suit would complement the burgundy well. We decided to go with a grey-ish blue. Our colors were classic fall colors!”
Details? Yes please!!
The bouquets designed by Bespoke Floral & Event Design were made of ivory, blush, pinks, and burgundy flowers with hints of greenery mixed in. “I didn’t want a bouquet too large that would cover my dress in photos as I walked down the aisle. My dress was so detailed and I didn’t want that to get hidden behind a massive bouquet!” Her florist delivered the most beautiful bouquet! “It was so beautiful and EXACTLY what I had envisioned, Bespoke Floral & Event Design incorporated burgundy florals to tie my bridesmaids’ dresses in so it all matched.” Florals were everywhere throughout the venue as well! A handful of tables had arrangements of greenery with champagne-colored roses, burgundy dahlias, and other flowers in hurricane glasses with pillar candles. The smaller tables had smaller centerpieces with bud vases, rose petals, and mercury votives. Claire and Pablo’s wedding invitations were designed and printed by Minted. Designed beautifully with shades of blush pink, ivory, and burgundy. The design on the invitations matched all the details and the color scheme of their wedding perfectly!!
“I did do a few DIY projects for the wedding. We had framed a lot of our engagement photos and memories of us throughout the years to display. For our guest book table, I got wooden letters C & P and painted them green and white which fit the theme of the night. We also had a memory table for our loved ones that we filled with our favorite pictures. Pablo’s family is from Brazil and due to Covid restrictions they were not able to attend so I also had a lot of photos his mom had taken while she was here visiting a few years ago and displayed them as well to make it feel as though they were there celebrating with us.“ Claire and Pablo had such sentimental and beautiful details!
Wedding advice from Claire and Pablo:
“Be patient with your vendors during this crazy time. COVID wedding planning is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced but you have to remember that while you are planning your most special day, they are working with 10, 15, 20 other couples at the same time! And don’t lose focus on what the importance of the day is – you and your future spouse! Remember to try and carve out some time to be alone together to talk and regroup and say I love you! Pablo and I hired a separate car (Santos VIP Limo) from the rest of our bridal party to take us from the church to where our photos were being taken to be able to be alone before the craziness of the reception.”
We LOVE this advice!! Always make sure to carve out some time for the two of you to have some alone time together. So refreshing and so so special!!
Congratulations Claire and Pablo! Thank you for choosing Limelight Entertainment to photograph and be a part of your wedding day!!
