Laura & Christopher by Mandy Haynes

Laura & Christopher by Mandy Haynes

FLORIDA HOUSE INN

Photography by Susan Eason Photography

When Laura Foley and Christopher Pennella met in 2019, they quickly bonded over their love of teaching. Not long after, they were on a trip in Belize when Chris proposed.

“We’d rented a golf cart to tour the island, stopping at several beaches throughout the day,” remembers Laura. “I didn’t understand why it was so important to find one more beach before returning the cart, but we did, and we wandered down to the water. As I looked out at the view, he dropped down to one knee.”

This spring, surrounded by friends and family, Laura and Christopher became husband and wife, and the Florida House Inn was the perfect place for their wedding celebration. “We just love the Florida House Inn. Chris and I have had several dates there, along with the Green Turtle, which is adjoined. I always take my out-of-town guests there for brunch or cocktails, and we were so happy to share the setting with all our guests. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding, and their combination of beautiful oak trees with patio space was perfect,” says Laura.

April Foley, the mother of the bride, agrees. “The Florida House Inn has always been one of our favorite places. We love its charm, which personifies historic downtown Fernandina. The patio is lovely, and we knew an evening wedding at sunset would be beautiful there.”

For the rehearsal dinner, Laura and Chris booked a sunset cruise with Amelia River Cruises so they could share the beauty of Amelia Island and the surrounding area with their guests. They used a small local company called Breakable Hearts for some of the catering, and the family did the rest.

Heidi Higginbotham of Foxy Posh Events did the flowers and decorations. They chose Susan Eason Photography as their photographer, Bliss Cakery in Yulee to create the delicious wedding cake, and Salt Marsh Hospitality Group to handle all the catering for the wedding.

“We used as many local vendors as we possibly could, and everyone really went all out to make it a beautiful event. I’d like to say a special thank you to Megan Chism with Saltmarsh Hospitality Group. She went above and beyond to make everything run smoothly,” says the mother of the bride.

“We had guests come in from California, New Jersey, Germany, and Guam, so we decided on a Southern Coastal menu for the cocktail hour as well as the reception dinner. Guests gave high praise for the food and the service,” shares Laura.

Were there any surprises for Laura on her big day? “My favorite surprise was a scavenger hunt put together by the bridesmaids.” Guests used a Polaroid camera to follow written instructions found on Post-It notes inside a makeshift “photo-booth”. The photos are now hanging on the couple’s wall as a fun reminder of their special day.

The second surprise came before the cake-cutting ceremony, when the new couple found themselves separated from their cake with an unfolded bedsheet and presented with a teeny tiny nailcutting scissors to cut their way through. This is a German cutout-heart race, meant to symbolize a couple’s first challenge.

“We started cutting out the huge heart drawn on the sheet, then began tearing (which is apparently not allowed – we didn’t know!). Once the heart was cut out, Chris had to carry me through it. He was so afraid of catching onto and tearing my veil or tripping on the sheet, but we made it and survived our first challenge as a married couple!”

For their honeymoon, the couple went on a safari in Africa, followed by some island time in the Seychelles. “Chris and I are both science teachers and animal lovers, so we loved seeing all the wildlife in South Africa and Botswana,” says Laura. “We also saw Victoria Falls in Zambia, where Chris tried whitewater rafting for the first time. After the safari, we relaxed along the wide sandy beaches of Praslin Island, which looked like it was straight out of a postcard.”