2020-02-29-Novak-Wedding-467 (1).jpg — Your 21st Century Love Story

For the month of July, we are featuring our Lis Simon Bride Jessica who chose to wear our lovely Kyle Cheers to a wonderful life!

T H E L O V E S T O R Y

Paul and Jess met the 21st century way: through a dating app called Bumble. Paul’s profile picture was of himself standing next to the Price Is Right wheel. The photo and Paul’s good looks were the reasons she swiped right and decided to take the plunge and start up a conversation. Fittingly, her opening line was: “Were you really on The Price Is Right?” And that’s where it all began. After a few days of conversation. Paul decided to ask Jess on a date.

Paul took a piece of advice from a family member and took her to one of his favourite places and personal Sunday tradition: the local Chinese takeout, China Wok. He picked her up at 7:00pm for the first of what would many Chinese Sundays. It was a typical stormy summer evening, giving them an excuse to stay just a bit longer to avoid the rain. Jess was captivated by Paul’s blue eyes and the conversations they were having.It wasn't until the cashier asked them to leave in order to close the restaurant that they realized it was already 10:30pm

On the way home, conversations continued as they sat in the car. They didn’t say goodbye until close to midnight, with a date already planned for the next night to see Wonder Woman. And the rest is history, with many more Chinese Sundays and movie dates that followed.

T H E P R O P O S A L

December 27, 2018.

For the second year in a row, Paul and Jess planned a trip to Manhattan together while in town for New Years with Paul’s family. On the 27th of December, they decided to the explore the city and see new and old places together. They walked the High Line, visited the old UPS headquarters, ate a few slices of pizza, explored Central Park, had an Italian dinner, saw the Broadway show Waitress, and ended the night at the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree.

Walking towards the tree, Jess was already thinking about how wonderful the day was and not knowing what was in store just a few steps ahead. While taking their annual pictures in front of the tree, Paul got down on one knee and asked Jess if she would marry him. Unsure of how to form the word “yes” (or any words at all), Jess nodded profusely while grinning ear to ear.

T H E D R E S S

“The experience was so fun. I was ready to try on all different shapes and styles of dresses but knew in the back of my mind I wanted simple and elegant”.

T H E W E D D I N G & R E C E P T I O N

February 29,2020 at Hyatt Regency Downtown Jacksonville

Both the wedding and reception was held at the same venue. The couple included minimal decorations and put the focus on what was important to them: the experience. During the ceremony, the couple were wrapped in their fathers’ tallit (prayer shawls) while they received the priestly blessing from the Cantor (the officiant). They’ve also shared wine during the ceremony from a kiddush cup passed down through several generations. The reception was the greatest party they’ve ever thrown: a large dance floor, a fun DJ, an interactive photo-booth, and two fully stocked bars. The groom’s “Getting Ready Room” also featured a full barber shop setup to give all the men a clean cut, shave and style before the ceremony.

Highlights

“When Paul saw his groom’s cake for the first time.” It was a chocolate cake made to look like a Chinese takeout container of Lo Mein, surrounded by fortune cookies. The fortunes in the cookies were quotes from our favorite TV show, Impractical Jokers.

Preparations and Inspirations

“Instagram brought a lot of inspiration, but we relied heavily on our vendors for their creative input”. Paul and Jess wanted a simple, modern and elegant theme for the wedding. All of their favourite sports teams were orange and blue, and so they incorporated those colours. “A peach and sky blue also happened to match perfectly with the sunset”.

Honeymoon

The couple went to Kauai, HI

W O R D S F R O M T H E B R I D E

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. Save the date magnets are worth the extra! And guests don’t care about custom stamps on your invitation envelopes”.

Special thanks to:

“We met our photographers at a local bridal show, and found the rest through wedding wire and recommendations”

Bridal boutique: One Fine Day Bridal

Photographer: The Capps

Videographer: North Films

Planner: Coastal Coordinating

Florist: Parkers Events

Photo Booth: Chicbooth

Hair & MU: Bardot Bridal

Barber: Mr. Monk

DJ: Beachside Entertainment

Venue: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville