Every detail had fallen into place. Their months and months of planning had finally paid off with a dazzlingly beautiful fall day, brimming with all the DIY and personalized details Molly and Oscar had conjured up. There was Molly’s broach bouquet, adorned with pins from both sides of the family. There were the wonderful treasure chest place card holders, the rustic fall centerpieces carved from pumpkins and flower baskets, the screen-printed-by-hand (by Oscar’s hand, I should add) wooden wedding invitations.

And then . . . there was nothing more to do but celebrate the end of the planning and the engagement (complete with their beautiful Ponce Inlet engagement shoot) and the beginning of a lifetime together. Molly and Oscar’s gorgeous wedding was set against the backdrop of the lovely Tavern and Chapel In the Garden. I’d been there before as a guest, but this was my first time photographing a wedding at Tavern and Chapel, and it was a treat, especially inside Agatha’s Cottage. I was pretty crazy about Molly’s broach bouquet — and pretty crazy about finally getting to photograph a broach bouquet! Especially one with as much meaning as Molly’s, with broaches and pins from so many special ladies in her life and in Oscar’s life. And can you spot the Disney pin that was special to Molly and Oscar?See the underside of the bouquet? That lace came from Molly’s mother’s wedding gown. Then there was Molly’s veil, which had also been her mother’s veil, and which Molly had trimmed with lace from her mother’s wedding gown. As Danny and I were capturing all Molly’s sentimental details, Molly and her girls were getting primped to perfection.Molly, her mom, sisters, and the other bridesmaids headed upstairs to help Molly into her gown. And Molly, you looked gorgeous.Before we took Molly outside to see Oscar, we made time for a quick first look with Dad — which is always a precious part of the wedding day.Meanwhile, Oscar and his guys were getting ready inside the Sunshine Express — yes, you read that right. At Tavern and Chapel In the Garden, while the girls hang out inside the sweet Agatha’s Cottage, the guys have run of a train car. I don’t know about you, but I think that is seriously fun! Grooms might not have dreamed of their wedding day from childhood the way brides often do, but is there a man in the world who didn’t want to play on trains when he was a kid?!Once Oscar was spiffied up and Molly was ready, Molly’s sisters helped her outside, carrying her princess-worthy train as Molly made her way through the garden to where Oscar was waiting for her, just outside the chapel where they were going to begin their new life together.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: First looks are priceless. Here’s why. There is nothing in the world more beautiful than unreserved happiness.Once we wrapped things up with the soon-to-be-weds, we got some quick pictures with the bridal party. The groomsmen were looking good.And so were the bridesmaids! I loved the way the orange lilies popped against the violet dresses. By the way, the bridesmaids all created their bouquets themselves . . . which Molly said was, in fact, harder than expected.After family portraits, it was a quick stroll to the chapel . . . and Molly and Oscar’s new life together.It makes no differences whether a bride and groom chose to have a first look earlier in the day — when a bride walks down the aisle, it is an incredible, quite literally life-changing moment for the couple. I love it every time.With the ceremony complete, it was time for a party! But first, of course, a few more pictures. Molly wanted to have fun with her bridal party. Fun was exactly what she got.But they could look pretty glam when they wanted to. (Again, Jose, your hair rocked this shot.)The newlyweds do “glam” pretty well too, don’t you think?Oh, totally swoon-worthy!

We slipped inside the Tavern with Molly and Oscar to check out the spectacular fall setup. Even better: These two had DIYed it. Almost every last bit of it. And it was simply perfect.Surrounded by all that prettiness, Molly and Oscar shared their first dance as Mr. and Mrs.And then came some of the sweetest parent dances I’ve ever seen. It’s such a joy to see a bride and groom who love each other. It’s also a joy to see parents who adore their all-grown-up kiddos.Dinner was . . . incredibly delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. (Great call on the pasta, Molly!) Since Molly and Oscar first met at Disney when they both worked there, then later got engaged at Disney, it was only fitting that Minnie and Mickey made a couple of appearances.As usual, I neglected to get a piece of cake (so sad!) but I did get in on some of the action on the dance floor. . . .Oh, and then there was the photobooth — also a DIY project pulled off by Oscar. But the photobooth lost its props partway through the night . . . when the props migrated to the dance floor and everything got a little crazier! Yes, Moscar had a very raucous singalong to “Don’t Stop Believing” that rivaled anything I’ve ever seen at a wedding.Of course the night had to come to an end (even though most of the wedding party was headed out on the town for their afterparty) and we waved goodbye through a curtain of bubbles.Want to see even more? You know you do! Watch Molly and Oscar’s slideshow (in HD for best viewing quality).

Molly and Oscar, or Moscar, as it were — we had a blast with you two at your wedding! We hope you loved every minute of you special day, and every minute of your honeymoon cruise! Our wish for you two is that you’ll look back on your wedding as the happiest day of your life, but that your life will get happier and happier as the years go by!

~ Laura + Danny

Vendors:

Venue: Tavern and Chapel In the Garden
Wedding Gown: Maggie Sottero
Shoes: Nine West
Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff
Hair and makeup: Unbridaled Beauty
Groom and Groomsmen’s tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse
Flowers: DIY: By the bride and Bridesmaids
Catering: Chef Papa’s
Cakes: Publix
DJ/Guitarist: James Duchon
Officiate: Wiley Lowe
Venue Coordinator: Katie Hunt at Tavern and Chapel In the Garden
Photobooth: DIY by the groom
Photography: Laura Yang Photography