Kellie and Austin tied the knot during their Sweet Pete’s Candy Shop wedding in Jacksonville, Florida. These two sweethearts are sweet on candy and music, the perfect combination for a fun wedding theme!
My couple actually met back in 2013 during Halloween through mutual friends. It was almost as though fate had planned for them to be together, as they had crossed paths multiple times through travel trips and their moms even attending high school with one another. After dating for a few years and knowing there was no other sweetheart for him, Austin proposed to Kellie one day before Halloween in St. Augustine at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Of course Kellie said “yes” and the wedding planning began!
Our day started off with getting ready shots of Kellie and her girls at a hotel nearby. While Kellie was having finishing touch ups of makeup and hair completed, we trolleyed her dress down to the lobby for some dramatic shots below the chandelier. Back upstairs, the girls were toasting to our bride’s impending nuptials and ready to head over to Sweet Pete’s for the ceremony and reception.
Sweet Pete’s was originally opened in 2010 by owner Peter Behringer. The shop took notice by the locals and news, and before long Sweet Pete’s moved to the historic Seminole Club. The candy shop is one of the largest candy shops in the United States, scaling three floors and over 23,000 square feet. Similar to Kellie, I also have a pretty big sweet tooth and the abundance of cotton candy, lollipops, homemade chocolate, bubblegum, and every other candy imaginable was extremely hard to resist!
We headed over a few minutes early to Kellie and her girls, to give Austin a letter from Kellie. It was an incredibly sweet surprise that he wasn’t expecting. I just love a little love letter prior to the ceremony taking place, as it is a nice reminder of how much my “to be’s” love one another and are excited for their walk down the aisle. Prior to the ceremony beginning, the two said a prayer during their ‘first look no look’ where Kellie was hidden from Austin behind a curtain.
Their intimate ceremony was beautiful and followed by some pretty adorable family portraits on the porch of Sweet Pete’s. Their wedding party was goofy, silly, and ready to party so we let them go ahead to enjoy cocktail hour, while we captured some adorable candy shop newlywed portraits. Kellie and Austin were cracking up while I put in special requests to the lovely crew at Sweet Pete’s for a ginormous lollipop and traditional pink cotton candy.
After newlywed portraits and their reception entrance, the two enjoyed dinner with all of their friends and family. During the night, Austin had a little surprise for Kellie and before dancing began pulled up a chair for her to sit in. With love in his heart and fabulous vocals, he sang a sweet love song to Kellie that brought tears and joy to everyone’s eyes. Dancing commenced after their love song and our night ended with a super fun streamers. Wishing these two an incredibly sweet life together!
Venue: Sweet Pete’s Candy
Jewelry: Kate Spade
