Wedding Weekend in Florida!

Last Wednesday, Dan and I flew out to Jacksonville, Florida, for Lauren Vriezema’s wedding.

This was a trip that we were looking SO forward to because those who know us, know how close we are with the Vriezema family. We have a special bond with each member of their family and Brenda even carried our children. Since moving, we have missed them incredibly because we have a bond with them that is like any other. So when Lauren had asked if I would like to be a bridesmaid, I right away said yes and I knew we would find a way to get down there.

We had a hard time finding a decent price on plane tickets – we were thinking about driving, which would’ve been a 25 hour drive. Yikes. One day I thought I would just double check and sure enough, Delta had created another flight – tickets were almost half the price. I right away booked them and so we flew! Minneapolis (which is the closest large airport) is about 2 hours away, but really it all went pretty smooth.

This is what last Wednesday morning looked like as we were heading to airport – gorgeous!

We got into Jacksonville, Florida around 2pm. We rented a car and headed up to Amelia Island where we were staying. The Vriezemas had rented 2 condos and we were able to stay with them, which we were so excited about!

The Sterks tend to attract weird weather – well, this trip was no different. Tropical storm Andrea came through while we were there and sure enough, a Tornado Warning even presented itself Thursday night. Some say there was a tornado in Fernandina Beach even. Thankfully we did not see it.

Despite all the wind and rain, there were still some gorgeous mornings! The ocean was just a short walk from our condo

Brenda, her mom, and Lauren putting together our bouquets – they were gorgeous!

Dan ironing the table cloths

We were able to take some time to relax while getting pedicures Friday afternoon before the rehearsal. It was a pretty busy weekend with getting all the wedding and reception decorations and plans in place, but it was a blast! Time with them was what we wanted!

At Fort Clinch after the rehearsal dinner – all the bridesmaids (and bride)

Fort Clinch – this was one place I wanted to go while in Florida – the drive up to the fort is unlike any other – spanish moss just dangling over the road. So I was so excited to hear that the rehearsal dinner was there because then we didn’t need to make a special trip!

Saturday morning (wedding day!) we all put our make-up on together. It was fun to get some make-up tips from the Vriezema girls!

Off to the salon we went to get our hair done. I LOVED how my hairstylist did my hair! Plus, it stayed in all night!

For pictures, we headed to where the reception was. The owner’s house/land was where we took our pictures. I fell in love with this house! Maybe a little big, but I love the wrap-around porch, the white house with black shutters, the landscaping, everything. It was beautiful!

Inside the house, the beautiful bride got ready. As you can see, Lauren was all smiles with her mom (Brenda) right along with her.

Lauren and I

I can’t express in words the love I have for these 3 women – Tracie, Lauren, and Brenda. Love them SO MUCH

Thomas and Lauren exchanging rings

Reception time! Brenda and Tim had brought fun hats along for the reception so here we all are, having a blast. I am in the yellow top hat to the right

Below are me and the bridesmaids (Tracie was the maid of honor) – missing them ALL! They are ALL so beautiful on the outside, but all the more on the inside as well. I was so blessed to spend a long weekend with such godly women!

Whitney and I

Miranda and I

After church on Sunday, we headed to the beach for the afternoon. It felt good to just relax for awhile before we had to fly out. This was my first beach time and it was GORGEOUS out! Got a little burnt though, which isn’t fun. For some of my skin, that was the first time it had seen the light of day since last summer, so even some good ole spf didn’t do enough. Dan had fun throwing a frisbee around with Nathan Wier (Tracie’s husband) – it was rather windy so that is why it was entertaining!

Dan and Nathan decided to try and get to the sandbar where the waves were crashing pretty hard – they finally got there!

It started to rain a little Sunday afternoon so we headed to the pool instead. Brenda, Tracie, and Nathan sure look relaxed!

It was such a wonderful weekend! We now know why we were looking so forward to it! We had a great time catching up with the Vriezemas, seeing old friends, and being with people who mean so much to us. It is a little big of an adjustment being in Minnesota temperature-wise! It was in the 70s yesterday, but I was cold at times – it is crazy how quickly our bodies adjust to the temperature! It was in the high 80s or 90s the whole time (and humid) so the great white north was an adjustment :). So thankful for such an awesome weekend and what a blessing it was to see two godly people (Lauren and Thomas) unite in marriage and serve Him through their relationship!