Hard Rock Daytona Boho Beach Wedding

Real Weddings

July 8, 2019

Julie & J.J.~ June 2019- Hard Rock Daytona Beach

What started out a conversation about shoes and an outing with friends, turned into the best boho beach wedding in Daytona Beach, FL! I met with Julie first with her parents in our house and their adorable cat. Even though their parents lived here, both J.J. and Julie lived in Ohio. Their wedding became the perfect destination wedding and it was a joy to be a part of it all!

How did he propose?! Was there screaming?

“J.J. proposed to me at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade (a hotel in a historic landmark) one of our favorite places in 2017! We had just attended a comedy show at Hilarities (one of our favorite things to do together) and had walked back to the Hyatt to hangout before meeting up with some friends. As we walked and talked, I noticed that J.J. was no longer walking beside me, so I stopped and turned around. There he was, down on one knee, holding a beautiful wooden ring box that he had gotten made for me specifically to conceal the ring until the perfect moment. It was so special and meaningful – I can remember the proposal vividly!”

I mean really?! How adorable are they? All of their family and friends were just as sweet when it came to their wedding weekend 🙂

Why did you pick the Hard Rock Daytona Beach?

“We picked The Hard Rock Hotel on Daytona Beach before it was even finished being built. We loved that it was close to where my family lives and right on the beach. We love the crisp, clean, and tasteful design/style of the hotel. This resort is modern, chic, and edgy. We loved the “vibe” there and felt like it was the perfect place for our boho theme. “

On wedding day, the weather was not cooperating with us which was not what our bride wished for. After much deliberation we decided to move the wedding inside. Thankful Hard Rock Daytona is a beautiful venue inside and out.

What inspired your wedding theme?

“We knew we had always wanted to get married as close to a beach as possible, whether it be on the beach or overlooking the ocean. J.J. and I wanted to pick a theme that was different than all of the themes we have seen. We love earthy colors, lace, vintage things, and the bohemian/hippie style. This is why we decided to go with a “boho” style wedding. Our colors were blush, navy, white, some gold accents, and lots of greenery. Since I had 10 bridesmaids (including my maid of honor), we decided to take the plunge and have 3 different colored dresses – blush, desert rose, and latte. It ended up looking amazing – better than we could have ever imagined!”

Tell us about the decor..

My parents helped us put together all of our beautiful centerpieces, flowers, special tables, and favors. My mom put together the flower arrangements, succulents, and sand for each centerpiece. She also decorated our wedding arch and wedding party table with greenery, macrame, and flower boxes. We used boho candle pillars and candles, wooden table numbers, and gold placemats/chargers. She also created all of the bouquets and boutonnieres for me, our bridesmaids, and groomsmen – they went perfectly with our theme and were absolutely gorgeous! We had a cake table, donuts table (with a variety of delicious donuts flavors from Donnie’s Donuts), gift table, guestbook/advice for Mr. & Mrs. table. My mom and I created a large personalized wooden “guestbook” for our guests to sign and The Hard Rock Hotel gifted us a white Squier guitar for our guests to sign as well.“

All of the personal handmade items that were handmade was definitely a WOW factor for the guests to enjoy!.

What was your absolute favorite part of the day? Does your spouse have a different favorite?

“J.J.’s absolute favorite part of the day was having his shoes professionally shined with his dad and groomsmen. J.J. found a professional shoe shiner to come to the hotel – he even brought his huge stand/chair into the lobby! Anyone who knows J.J. knows that this is SO him! My absolute favorite part of the day was my first look with my dad. My dad is still recovering from cancer and initially, we were unsure if he would be able to attend our wedding. I cannot describe the absolute joy and peace that I felt being able to have my dad there with me. Our first look was incredibly emotional, but so very special. I am so thankful for that moment with my dad and will always cherish it.

Another favorite part was our ceremony. J.J. and I shared short vows that we had written to each other. We also incorporated a sand ceremony, mixing white and navy sand, in a gorgeous macrame wrapped bottle that we have displayed on our mantle at home. One of our absolute favorite parts of the ceremony was the live music. We had a guitarist and electric violinist play a list of songs that mean the most to us.”

What is your best piece of advice for couples reading this?

“Try your best to soak up and enjoy each and every part of the planning/wedding process – it really does go by SO fast and will be over before you know it! Try not to sweat the small stuff. There will be moments where things do not go as planned, but everything will always work out and it may turn out even better than you had originally planned! One last thing… brides, before you walk down to your groom, stop at the end of the aisle for a few seconds, look around, and take it all in. I did this and I am so glad that I did!”

It was an amazing day from beginning to end. Despite the alternate decisions that had to be made, the love that filled the room was prevalent and overwhelming. For J.J. and Julie and their entire family to trust me with what is a very special day is something I will never take for granted!