These Space Coast couples hosted memorable celebrations that were personalized, unique and special to celebrate saying “I do.”

Sara & John Russo – 11.16.2013

Both bride and groom grew up in Melbourne Beach, attending the same elementary and high school together. But it wasn’t until connecting after college and living back in Brevard County that the two fell in love. The couple became engaged in December of 2012 in South Beach and married on November 16 of the following year at the Foosaner Art Museum, Florida Institute of Technology. A 12 by 8 foot painting of a Montana landscape by artist Theodore Waddel served as the backdrop for the ceremony; the couple even met the artist at the opening of the exhibition and were able to let him know they’d be saying “I do” in front of his masterpiece. Sara, the curator of education at the museum, was hesitant at first about the musem as a possible venue, “but it didn’t take long to realize it was the perfect space for the celebration we wanted,” she said. The reception, which took place at the Renee Foosaner Education Center, included live music by The Friction including the bride’s brother on drums.

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Jeanna & Russ Wood – 3.21.2014

Russ and Jeanna became friends first through the bride’s sister. Although Russ would attend family events and Jeanna’s high school volleyball games, the two did not become interested in one another until Jeanna came home for a visit from UCF for a wedding that Russ was the best man in. After Russ proposed in Orlando after 28 months of dating, the couple began planning their perfect day. Both ceremony and reception were hosted at Heritage Isle Clubhouse on March 21. “We liked the fact that none of our friends had been married there before so the memory would be unique to our families and us,” Jeanna said. The couple’s theme inspired by their last name, Wood, was carried out throughout the ceremony and reception. The backdrop of the service was a handcrafted 7 by 18 foot wood wall and center pieces were made out of tree slices with décor positioned on top. Many of the elements from their wedding will be incorporated into their home. All of the food at the reception was gluten-free prepared by Edible Art Catering. The gluten-free carrot cake was made by Goodie-licious.

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Heather & Dawson Sandvick – 01.04.2014

It all started with a “wink” on Match.com for Heather and Dawson “DJ” Sandvick. As both were single parents, they found it difficult to meet people. After they talked, they discovered they had much in common and decided to go on their first date on Valentine’s Day in 2009. A week after that a chance meeting at the Brevard Zoo with their children confirmed the couple was “meant to be.” They were married on January 4 on Cocoa Beach. The reception following was located at The Tides Ocean Lounge. “Besides loving the beach and being grateful to live so close to the beautiful ocean, we wanted everything to be super intimate, simple and minimal,” Heather said. “By choosing not to get hung up on the fussy details, it allowed for the focus to be on what really matters, our amazing family and friends who celebrated with us.” After the service, guests were invited down to the water to make a wish and throw a shell with the couple’s names on it, into the ocean.

 

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Christine & Beau Bowin – 11.23.2013

A chance encounter in Daytona at a NASCAR Pepsi 400 race in July 2007 led Christine Blair and Beau Bowin to true love. “We both were there with friends and not really NASCAR fans,” Christine said. “We found out we both lived in Jacksonville and were working in the same field. The rest is history.”  The big day for the couple occurred on November 23, 2013 at Paradise Cove in Orlando. The site was the perfect fit for the couple who love being outdoors and traveling to tropical destinations. The ceremony took place lakeside under palm and cypress trees. Beau and his groomsmen arrived by ski boat to start the ceremony, while the bride opted for a traditional entrance. The casual but elegant reception had no seating chart and a Caribbean styled buffet with a whole pig on a spit. Those that work together, stay together as Beau is the managing member and attorney at Bowin Law Group and Christine is the office administrator of Bowin Law Group and the owner of Florida Virtual Paralegals.

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Alison & Dennis Sherbak – 12.02.2013

After a long distance, coast-to-coast relationship for nearly five years, Dennis asked Alison to marry him on New Year’s Eve in St. Petersburg. Alison, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential and Dennis, satellite launch operations for Boeing, met in Cocoa Beach while Dennis was here on a business trip. Within two weeks, she flew to Los Angeles to visit. “Dennis flew to me almost every or every other week, sometimes getting up at 4 a.m., flying back to LA working all day or arriving on my doorstep at 6 a.m., after an all-night flight,” Alison said. “Love can make you do crazy things.”   After a ceremony at the courthouse on December 2, the couple took a lavish honeymoon to Bali and Singapore for two weeks in January. “It is a fairy tale story for me to have met the man of my dreams at age 54,” said Alison. So many people our age are struggling to find love but this shows it can happen when you least expect it and to never give up.”

To see more details from this day, visit our digital edition here.