Lauren & Jordan by Dikcie Anderson

Lauren & Jordan by Dikcie Anderson

OYSTER BAY YACHT CLUB

Photography by Brooke Images

When Lauren Martino moved to Jacksonville from New York after graduating from nursing school, little did she know she would meet the man she would marry. Arriving in Jacksonville, she knew few people. She met Jordan Denby online. He was her first and only date!

The two lead busy lives. Jordan is an engineer/paramedic with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Lauren is a labor and delivery registered nurse at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville.

The couple chose Amelia Island for their wedding celebration because it was a perfect combination of feeling like home for the Jacksonville couple and a fun getaway destination. “We chose Oyster Bay Yacht Club for our wedding because of their incredible staff and their unique and beautiful venue, which allowed us to get married outdoors but also have a covered indoor reception option.” Oyster Bay is situated under majestic ancient oaks with expansive water views and it offers many different settings for exchanging vows and for the reception.

Lauren and Jordan were married on a September evening this year. It meant a great deal to the couple to be married by Brien Marx, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief. The cocktail hour and reception were held immediately following the ceremony. Guests enjoyed a charcuterie table station as well as a seafood table.

A special touch at the reception were the cocktail napkins with fun facts about the couple. A cigar station proved popular. Cigars could be enjoyed at the wedding or taken home as favors. Although the couple’s two dogs, Texas and Millie, did not participate, they were remembered fondly. Dog cookies from Amelia Island’s local dog bakery, Redbones Gourmet Dog Bakery & Boutique, were favors to take home by guests.

The wedding cake was created by Alleycakes in Atlantic Beach. It was champagne flavored with raspberry and cream cheese filling and white meringue buttercream frosting. Florals consisted of lush greenery with white and blush blooms. Floral details were added to the cake. Guests danced to the music of Who Rescued Who! The couple’s first dance was to “Joy of My Life” by Chris Stapleton.

The wedding coordinator and the bride became very close while planning the wedding. Ashton Hunter, weddings and events manager at Oyster Bay, with the assistance of Sarah Woodward, worked tirelessly to plan their perfect wedding. “Working in weddings is such an amazing job,” shares Ashton, “and then you come across a couple like Lauren and Jordan it reaffirms how lucky we are to do what we do!”

When Ashton faced the early delivery of her son, Elliott, she arrived at the hospital to discover that Lauren would be the delivery nurse and stay with her through the entire experience. “She was with me for one the most important days of my life, and I was with her at her wedding for one of the most important days of her life!” says Ashton.

The rehearsal dinner offered the wedding party and their guests a chance to enjoy Amelia Island’s historic district. The back patio at Cafe Karibo offered the perfect venue and showcased the charm of downtown Fernandina Beach.

“Our wedding was truly a meeting of North and the South, as Jordan’s family is from Jacksonville and mine is from New York,” shares Lauren. The couple savored the dynamics of the families coming together. Out-of-towners enjoyed activities suggested by the couple, like Gregor MacGregor’s Mini Golf, Mocama Beer Company, and Duck Pinz.

Three days after the wedding, the couple left for a ten-day honeymoon in Greece, where they visited the islands of Santorini and Mykonos and finished their trip in Athens. They are now settled back in their jobs with great memories of their Amelia Island wedding.