Jenna and David were first introduced by their best friends, and fell in love at the Iowa State Fair. Five years later, they returned to the scene of the crime, where David proposed in the pig barn – the spot that started it all. After much discussion about the big day, the couple settled on an intimate destination wedding in Fort Lauderdale with just their family members by their side. They exchanged their vows on the grounds of a beautiful private residence and celebrated with a low-key reception, using the occasion to catch up with family and revel in their newlywed status.

Special thanks to Enuel Viera for sharing all the photos from Jenna and David’s special day with us.

fort lauderdale wedding

Jenna, 31 & David, 43

Fort Lauderdale, FL 

Wedding Date: November 22, 2014

Number of Guests: 20

Wedding Cost: $20,000

Wedding Ceremony Location: Destination wedding at private home in Ft. Lauderdale 

Wedding Reception Location: same 

pale mixed flower wedding bouquet

fresh flower covered wedding cake

black and white portrait of bride

Fort Lauderdale outdoor wedding ceremony

groom kissing bride on cheek

bride and groom kissing under tree

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

Wedding planning can get stressful and the bigger the guest list the more overwhelming the planning seemed to be. We didn’t want to stress, we wanted to relax and enjoy the process. The idea of having just our family with us fit perfectly into our vision for our wedding day. We both come from small families so it was easy to keep it simple and small.

portrait of bride holding bouquet

bride portrait from the back

What are some of the challenges that you faced planning an intimate wedding? 

We wanted to keep things simple. Thankfully we had an amazing wedding planner, Soco, to remind us that our wedding could be simple and have a personal touch. Our biggest challenge was probably keeping in mind that just because we were going small and intimate didn’t mean we couldn’t include aspects that a large wedding would have. 

Florida wedding portrait

bride and groom portrait under tree

bride and groom portrait

bride resting head on groom's shoulder

bride and groom kissing

Was it difficult to pare down the guest list? 

Not at all. We knew if we started adding our friends to the guest list, our guest list would be over a hundred. Since we wanted to go for the intimate feel, we promised each other only family would be invited and stuck with it. When we started the planning process, it was hard at first thinking our closest friends wouldn’t be there with us. Luckily we have great friends that were still involved in the planning process and thanks to Facetime we got to see each other on the big day! We wouldn’t change a thing.

bride and groom portrait against ivy wall

bride and groom portrait against ivy wall

Did you have any ‘issues’ with the small guest list from friends and family? If so, how did you address them? 

No issues, thank God.

Fort Lauderdale outdoor wedding ceremony site

Chiavari chairs set up for ceremony

groom waiting at the altar

bride walking down the aisle with her mom

outdoor Florida wedding ceremony

What were the highlights of the ceremony?

Our guitarist, Lenny Batista, played the sweetest most romantic song, Love Someone by Jason Mraz, toward the end of our ceremony that he mastered especially for us. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful moment at the perfect time.

bride and groom holding hands during ceremony

bride smiling at groom during ceremony

groom smiling at bride during ceremony

bride and groom during ceremony

bride and groom first kiss

bride and groom being presented as husband and wife

What were the highlights of the reception?

Our reception was low key and celebrating with our family was very special to us.

wedding reception table setting

wedding menu

pale pink and white wedding centerpiece

rose and ranunculus wedding centerpiece

chiavari chairs with wooden Mrs. and Mr. signs on the back

table with 3 small wedding cakes

small wedding cake with flowers

What was the best thing about having an intimate wedding? 

All of my (bride’s) family lives thousands of miles away and we don’t get to see them but a couple times a year. It was the perfect opportunity for us all to catch up and be together which rarely happens.

bride and groom making reception entrance

bride and groom smiling during reception

bride and groom cutting the cake

What advice do you have for couples who are considering an intimate wedding? 

Don’t leave things out or dismiss ideas because you aren’t having a big ceremony or reception. You can still do everything you want and have the relaxed and simple wedding of your dreams.

bride and groom portrait at night

Vendors:

Wedding Planning: Socorro Alicea at Ever After Wed 

Florist: Bella Lilly Studio

Photography: Enuel Viera Photography 

Catering: Hugh’s Culinary

Cakes: Gigi Mamma Cakes  

Hair & Makeup: Raquel Brito Beauty Rush by Raquel

Officiant: Reverend Michael Calderin

Venue: Private residence in Fort Lauderdale

Music: Lenny Batista  

Dress: Mori Lee

Shoes: Badgley Mischka