Imani and Reed's Casa Marina Wedding
Jacksonville Wedding Planner
in Jacksonville FL
The Details
Venue: Casa Marina
Married In: Jacksonville, FL
Where Black Cat Energy Meets Golden Retriever Love
Casa Marina is one of Jacksonville's most iconic waterfront wedding venues, and honestly? It was the perfect backdrop for a couple as unforgettable as Iman and Reed. These two found me on Instagram, and from our very first conversation, I knew this was going to be one for the books! Iman describes herself as pure black cat energy - cool, intentional, and knows exactly what she wants. Reed? He's a total golden retriever.
Between two wildly successful careers, two different cultural backgrounds, and lives built out of town, they wanted a full-service wedding planner in Jacksonville to make their dream wedding happen. And that's exactly what my team and I did! Eighteen months of wedding planning, a curated vendor team built from scratch, and a two-day multi-cultural wedding celebration that was as bold and beautiful as they are.
Planning Services:
Jacksonville Wedding Planning
Wedding Rentals
Stationary Design
Two Days, Two Cultures, One Unforgettable Love Story
One of the biggest adventures the couple had was that they weren't just planning a wedding style - they were planning two. It was important to them to honor Iman's Pakistani wedding traditions and Reed's American wedding traditions. To do that, we decided to plan a 2-day wedding celebration. A Pakistani dinner and reception honoring Iman's heritage, followed by a traditional American ceremony the next day. Three separate guest lists. Two days of events. One vision. All for a couple who lived out of town. I've had the privilege of working with multicultural couples before, and I can tell you - there is nothing more beautiful than watching two worlds come together in one celebration.
Day one was all about the food! (As a foodie, you know I was so excited about this one!) We started with a social hour in Casa Marina's ballroom. We transformed the space into an evening of Pakistani tradition, with authentic cuisine, a stunning stage, and choreographed dancing under the stars that had every single guest on their feet. It was colorful, beautiful, and so much fun. Everyone was in full celebration mode, and it set the mood for the wedding weekend perfectly.
A Traditional Pakistani Wedding Welcome Dinner
Day two brought a completely different kind of magic. It was finally time for my black cat and golden retreiver to say 'I Do'. After 18 months of planning and tear-worthy entrance from the bride, Iman and Reed exchanged vows in an American ceremony accompanied by live cello and harp from String Theory Music (because yes, we do things with intention around here!).
The black and white color scheme with punchy fuchsia accents carried through every detail, with a gorgeous mix of faux and fresh florals from Faithful Florals Jax and Magic in Bloom that were as sustainable as they were stunning. Cocktail hour kicked off with an espresso martini tower...and let's just say nobody was going home early. Every detail was planned to give their guests a true experience, from the coup tower to the lace details on Iman's dress - all curated to match the vision perfectly. We also designed their save-the-dates, wedding website, hotel blocks, and invitations for both days, so every guest experience felt cohesive from the very first piece of paper they touched.
And Reed? He closed out the night the only way a golden retriever would...with a full burnout exit in his favorite car. Iconic!
An Elegant Casa Marina Wedding Ceremony
Day One
Day Two
“ It was the wedding we had always dreamed of. ”
Our wedding day(s) would not have gone the same without Ashlyn! We had roughly 50 moving pieces to pull together over 2 days of back to back celebrations and everything went flawlessly! We even had a snaffu less than 2 weeks before the wedding with a vendor dropping out and she managed to find a replacement and get us right back on track. Plus, on the actual wedding days she was invaluable - no request my wife or I had was too small and all our concerns immediately became hers until they were resolved. On top of how she treated us, the final events were beautiful! It was the wedding we had always dreamed of.
- Reed
What did our couple think?
- Planner: Red Velvet Collective
- Wedding Venue, Catering, Bartending: Casa Marina Hotel
- Photographer: Jenna Neal Photos
- Content Creator: A Little Journal
- Hair and Makeup Artist: Boss Makeup Artistry
- Live Music: String Theory Music
- Wedding DJ: RJM Entertainment
- Florists: Faithful Florials & Magic In Bloom
- Wedding Rentals: All About Events & Red Velvet Collective
- Cake: Kimberly's Cakery
- Officiant: The Love Knot
- Paper Goods: Minted
- Stationary Design: Red Velvet Collective
We couldn't have done this without our amazingVendors
