Christmas Wedding at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Oxford Exchange, Tampa, Florida

WEDDING DATE We got married on December 4, 2020.We loved the idea of a Christmas wedding! Plus, there's a better chance for good Florida weather in December!

THE PROPOSAL I knew something was going on because Jon planned a whole day for us - starting with all of my favorite things (a workout at Camp Tampa, breakfast at Nekter, a mani/pedi, and dinner in St. Pete). We walked around Vinoy Park to kill time before our dinner reservation, and that was where Jon proposed. He then surprised me by having both of our families at dinner to celebrate!

WEDDING PLANNING MANTRA Planning a wedding during the pandemic was so emotional - especially the two weeks leading up to the wedding when over 20 guests cancelled. Jon kept reminding me to focus on the people who were still confirmed and how excited we were to have those people coming to celebrate us. We also reminded each other that God was in control and that we were still going to have a wonderful wedding regardless of the last minute cancellations.

FAVORITE MOMENT FOR ARIONNA: There were SO many incredible moments. I loved the whole process of getting ready in the morning with all of my favorite girls - we had people stopping in our room all morning checking in, bringing mimosas and food, and we had Hallmark Christmas movies playing... it was relaxing and fun! Also, waiting in the back room of the church with my bridesmaids right before the wedding was so special (my last moment before being married!). I felt completely at peace, which is surprising because all week I was so nervous about walking down the aisle.

FAVORITE MOMENT FOR JON: Spending time with my family and groomsmen at home before heading to the church was very special and I really enjoyed that. However, nothing tops the excitement I felt when seeing Arionna walk down the aisle at the ceremony. Many parts of the day were a blur but I will never forget that moment.

FAVORITE MOMENT FOR BOTH: The grand entrance into the reception was amazing! Having all of our friends and family cheering us on and officially being welcomed as husband and wife was incredible. One of our absolute favorite moments was my (Arionna) dad's speech at the reception. I don't even have words for it, but it pretty much brought the whole room to tears.

THE DRESSES This was the most difficult part of planning - I was SO indecisive and felt so much pressure to pick one right away. I went to one store with three of my bridesmaids and tried on only four dresses and ended up purchasing one of them. I immediately regretted it and luckily the store had an error with my purchase and ended up cancelling it. I went to a different store by myself a week later and tried on over 15 dresses. I narrowed it down to five and then went back a week later with my cousin and picked one. I wanted to wear all of them! My favorite part of my dress is the train! I loved the lace detail of it.

BEST ADVICE Do not stress about the small details! I spent weeks designing and organizing the decor for our entrance table and I never even made it to the entrance to see how it looked! And get a coordinator - she was an absolute lifesaver and handled everything flawlessly. I never had to think about anything.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUR DAY Dream come true.

JON SAYS … Arionna amazes me every day. There are so many qualities that I love about her. I'm in awe of how caring and thoughtful she is. Her drive and ambition is inspiring. She also makes me laugh every day. I am so excited about the bright future ahead of us.

ARIONNA SAYS … Jon is the best partner - he never complains about anything and always looks for ways to serve me. He is even-tempered, intelligent, funny, caring, and handsome. His love for his family makes me so excited for us to start our own family.

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