Shades of Blue From Florida and Peru: Justin & Ricardo's Virginia Park Lodge Wedding

Featuring dapper style and gorgeous vibrant décor!

Allow us to bring to you an amazing summer wedding day full of intimate details and sentimental affection. From Florida to County Cavan, our real wedding couple, Justin and Ricardo, brought their vibrant vision to life and we are thrilled to be able to showcase the beauty through your screens. There was a Disney movie-inspired memorial table, and every important detail—including the groom's style, décor, blooms and wedding cake—was accentuated with a sea of blue hues. Now that the love has been documented by Annie and Kevin Kheffache's camera, let's see their day bursting with joy unfold below!

white roses flowers
waitress lays out table setting chairs ceremony
groom looks out towards garden through window
groom and groomsmen cheers with glasses of champagne

The love story of our real wedding couple Justin and Ricardo began in Florida way back in 2011. Friday nights were normally spent at home watching movies, and Ricardo had been thinking about returning to Colorado. But as destiny would have it, on that fateful Friday night, Justin was also out for a night on the town at Matty's Bar in Wilton Manors, Florida, as was Ricardo. It was a night that would forever change their lives. Justin explains: "After locking eyes a few times across the bar, Ricardo made his move.  The more time we spent together the more we discovered a mutual love of so many things; family, travel, great food & wine, Coldplay, and the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. And the rest is history!"

grooms opens letter from groom card
groom opens letter card

Moments before the wedding, the couple choose to do a romantic exchange of love letters. Such an emotional and poignant memory captured to cherish forever.

groom in blue suit helps with getting ready by female friend
blue suit detail flower brooch groom getting ready as he smiles

As for the proposal, their mutual love for passion brought them across the world, across five continents to the stunning Cape Town, South Africa, eight years later. It was here Ricardo decided to make Justin his one and only forever love. "The setting was a beautiful mountaintop vineyard at sunset in the wine country town of Franschhoek. We were surrounded by friends and family. I, of course, said yes!" said Justin.

groom is wedding ready he is all smiles
groom in blue suit is wedding ready

For their wedding day look the dashing grooms both choose modern elegant blue suit jackets, paired with tweed waistcoats and fresh-toned ties, finalizing the look with buttonholes bursting with wonderful wildflowers. The perfect attire choice for a sun-filled summer wedding!

groom mother and father pose for a photo in the garden
groom mother and father pose for a photo in the garden they walk on the grass
groom groomsmen and family members all hugging

Nature and its elements served as the inspiration for Justin and Ricardo's wedding theme. The outdoor ceremony took place amongst the picturesque gardens on the grounds of Virginia Park Lodge, County Cavan under the summer sunshine.

alter table wooden covered in flowers and candles two chairs for the grooms
alter table wooden covered in flowers and candles

Here comes the grooms!

grooms stand in front of steps to garden and smile
grooms smile at table to alter covered in white flowers roses
grooms sit in white chairs at alter setting with celebrant giving speech

The couple walked hand and hand down the aisle to Gian Marco Zignago’s “Hoy” made popular in English as “Wrapped” by Gloria Estefan and walked out as husband and husband to “Something Just Like This” by Coldplay and The Chainsmokers.

grooms laugh at alter during ceremony
grooms laugh at alter during ceremony with celebrant holding microphone giving vows
grooms exchange wedding bands/rings
grooms about to sign the marriage certificate they smile at table

The couple included a handfasting ritual during their dreamy Irish outdoor wedding ceremony. It is one of many beautiful ceremonies, and certainly one of the most popular. Hand-fasting is a symbolic unity ritual in which a couple stands face to face as their hands are tied together - hence the phrase, tying the knot! As your hands are bound, you can recite words that express your commitment to one another.

grooms are bound by ribbon bridesmaids and witnesses
grooms are bound by ribbon celebrant in background
grooms stand in front of guests clapping for them

The newlyweds traveled all the way across the pond from Florida accompanied by 120 of their nearest and dearest. Priorities from the beginning were to find an intimate venue and good food, and a venue halfway across the world on the Emerald Isle stole their hearts. They said: "We knew it was going to be a destination wedding from the beginning. We wanted to have a summer wedding and Florida summers can get very hot. We knew choosing a great location that our guests would enjoy was very important. Of all the incredible places we have visited, we felt such a close connection to Ireland with its amazing vibe, history, and enchanting beauty. We knew it was the perfect location to celebrate our special day."

grooms kiss at the end of garden setting
grooms exit wedding ceremony by jumping in the air
guests clap for the happy grooms as they smile

The new Mr & Mr!

grooms and women hug
waitress holds tray of champagne prosecco
guest male in red suit with red bowtie holding aperol spritz cocktail
grooms cheers with champagne/prosecco with mother family members
man in blue suit takes polaroid picture
grooms cheers with glasses of champagne/prosecco

After the ceremony, the couple and their guests gathered on the lawn for champagne. cocktails and canapés.

mother and son groom hugging in courtyard
mother and son groom holding hands in courtyard

Time to shine the spotlight on the beautiful mothers of the groom. Both are dazzling in blue-toned hues mixed with lace, and embroidery, and above all smiles beaming with pride!

circular flower bed at alter

Heading into the reception space, guests were greeted by the most exquisite moongate decorated with overflowing foliage and draping florals making for one pretty awe-worthy wedding display!

table setting orange candles dining room glasses and flowers
dining room table marquee interior cutlery
table setting menu gold decor
dining room table marquee interior cutlery

The tablescape of foliage dreams! Cascading floral arrangements took center stage on gold geo stands, surrounded with candlelight and personalized table names. Each guest was gifted with a favor, engraved with the couple's names and the Celtic knot, which symbolizes eternity and interconnectedness.

bauble decoration and wreath laid out on table
table setting orange candles dining room glasses and flowers table six

The reception room was twinkling with ceiling lighting and kissed with more vibrant hues and personal touches. "We envisioned a romantic, organic, and a little rustic look and feel for our wedding day. It was important to us to have a relaxed atmosphere where our guests could enjoy themselves. MartinaO Weddings did an outstanding job at making that vision a reality," they added. 

colourful table setup orange photo frames patterned table cloth
grooms stand in front of colourful banners and table setting
grooms at table setup photo frames
woman takes a look at photo in frame he gets emotional
grooms hold each other around waists as they look at colourful table setup

A colourful memorial table called an Ofrenda in Mexico and influenced by Disney's Coco, was set up for family and friends to honor departed loved ones. A truly lovely idea created with an abundance of love.

J&R initials on white wedding cake

Check out the drool-worthy wedding cake! Blue artistic detail meets gold leaf designs - one to be pinned straight to our Pinterest board!

grooms walk in the courtyard smiling one is holding glass of champagne garden setting
atmosphere shot guests marquee tents
grooms dance on the dancefloor

The couple chose The Virginia Park Lodge as it simply ticked all their summer wedding day venue boxes. They said: "Their staff is fantastic, the estate and its surroundings are beautiful, and they offer exclusivity of grounds for the wedding party and guests. It’s owned by renowned Irish chef Richard Corrigan, so the food was amazing!"

groom laughs at table
grooms laugh at table

When asked to share some worthy words of wedding advice, they simply told One Fab Day to 'Enjoy the process, expect changes to the plan, and take it all in because it’s over before you know it.'

grooms dance on the dancefloor together
grooms dance on the dancefloor together

Once the speeches wrapped up,  it was time for Justin and Ricardo to take to the dancefloor and share their first dance as husband and husband. The lovebirds danced to Teenage Dream, an acoustic version by Boyce Avenue.

groom dances with mother on the dancefloor
groom dances with mother on the dancefloor

A mother-son dance stands out as one of the couple's most memorable and intimate moments. The couple recalls the special memory: "We rehearsed and performed a dance with our moms that started with an Irish song to pay tribute to Justin’s Irish lineage and our beautiful location followed by a Peruvian song to represent Ricardo’s Peruvian roots."

grooms stand together holding each othergrooms walk along stony boardwalk to lake grooms walk along stony boardwalk to lake grooms touch forehead in front of lake setting
We are very thankful that One Fab Day was able to share Justin and Ricardo's amazing wedding day. We would also like to thank Annie and Kevin Kheffache for capturing and sharing the photos with us all.

Find more inspiration for your own summer wedding here or dive into One Fab Day's Wedding Venue Guide and take your pick from the range of breathtaking locations for your big day.

Recommended Suppliers

Suppliers 

Videographer //
House of Ren
|
Grooms Suit //
Joseph Abboud Custom
|
Flowers //
Flowers by Moira
|
Wedding Favours //
Kyrie Desgins
|
Rings //
Cartier
|
Band/DJ //
Jaker and Co.
|
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