Ashely and Curtis brought elegance and romance to one of St. Augustine’s historic wedding venues.

We are swooning over every detail of Ashley and Curtis’ wedding in St. Augustine, Florida. We especially love the idea the couple had to start their own wedding tradition. Ashley and Curtis used one of the most unique venues in St. Augustine as the backdrop for their wedding – The Treasury on the Plaza. It is located right in the heart of the city’s historic downtown. Read on to read the couple’s love story and how they made this magical venue their own.

How did you two meet?

Curtis proposed on January 29, 2017. Curtis arranged for a small family brunch at one of my favorite brunch spots – The Front Porch Cafe on South Beach. It’s not abnormal for us to do an impromptu brunch because anyone that knows me knows that I love a good brunch! I was expecting just my parents and sisters to be there; however, when I arrived I noticed that my childhood best friend was there along with my godchildren and her husband. Still, I did not think much of it. On our way out, my dad suggested that we take a family photo and Curtis offered to take it. As we were all posing, it appeared that Curtis was having difficulty with the camera so he asked me to come over to help. I walked over to see what the problem was and then suddenly he was down on one knee! The area stood still in silence as I stood there in shock since the entire place knew what was going to happen. He asked me to marry him and of course, after a few seconds of awkward silence and a reminder that I needed to provide an answer so that he could stand back up, I SAID YES!

Anything super unique about the big day?

The Wine Box Ceremony – In order to start a bit of a tradition for us, similar to jumping the broom, we decided to have a wine box ceremony instead. We prepared and placed personal letters to each other, along with a bottle of wine, into a wine box that was customized to have our wedding date and last name engraved. The wine we included is actually a local wine from a popular winery in St. Augustine, FL, where our wedding ceremony was held. On our first anniversary, we will read our letters to each other for the first time while enjoying a glass of the wine. Each year we will each write new letters and replace the bottle of wine to open on the following year’s anniversary. It will be our own tradition.

Where did you wed and why did you pick the venue/site?

We wed at The Treasury in St. Augustine, FL. We were a little torn about deciding on a city to get married in since our families were spread across multiple states. We decided that it was most important that the location be reasonable for both sides of the family (especially our grandmothers). Our grandmothers are not able to travel long distances and we wanted to do our best to make it as easy as possible for them. St. Augustine came to mind when we were looking at places in Jacksonville. Jacksonville was a halfway point between our families (Columbia, SC and Miami, FL). We decided to pop in on a beautiful venue that I had been eyeing for months. Once I walked into The Treasury, my mind was made up. We had to get married there! The city of St. Augustine was also significant to our relationship because while we were long distance, we met there to spend a weekend together.

Tell us about the wedding dress!

I found my wedding dress at the first bridal shop I visited. I would describe my style as “classic glam”. The dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, mermaid shape with a long tiered ruffled train. The bodice had lace overlay with hints of sparkle throughout. I wore my hair pulled to the side with curls and accented it with a rhinestone hair clip. I decided on a dramatic look with makeup: Full long lashes, gold sparkle eye shadow and bold red lips.

Describe the Groom’s and Groomsmen look.

The groom wore a classic black and white three-piece single breasted one button tuxedo consisting of black satin-striped trousers with interchangeable white tuxedo jackets. For the ceremony the tuxedo jacket of choice donned a black satin shawl lapel. For the reception, the jacket of choice sported a white peak lapel with black satin trim. His look was accented with gold via the black and gold leather custom bow-tie and black and gold watch. He decided to go with black velvet smoking slippers with pronounced tassels accented with gold trim for a touch of unique style. There were no dudes as we decided go solo without a bridal party.

What inspired your theme/style?

It was important to us that we had a modern and classic color palette. We wanted clean lines when it came to decor and nothing too busy. We decided on a black, gold, white with splashes of red as our colored. These are colors that we considered to be timeless and would look nice when photographed.

What inspired your reception style?

We wanted decor that was elegant, chic and incorporated a lot of candles. Our floral and event designer, Tessa, assisted us with picking out decor that fit what we were looking for. We decided on candelabras and votives in various styles and heights. All ceremony floral arrangements were used during the reception as well to make up the centerpieces.

What menu items did you serve?

Food was at the top of our list when we started planning our wedding. It was important that the food be something that we knew our guests would enjoy and nothing bland and boring. We decided on a caterer that was known for her twist on southern comfort food.

Where did you all go on your honeymoon?

We decided to spend our honeymoon at Lake Como in Northern Italy. We visited Lake Como, Florence and Milan. It was the most relaxing trip we have ever taken.

Any tips you would share with other couples getting married?

We recommend that couples getting married should highly consider getting an awesome wedding planner and consider getting the full package. Peace of mind is priceless and with so many little details that need to be taken care of, it’s best to let the experts handle it so that you do not drive yourself crazy.