European Inspired Wedding | Rollins College

Cody and Karina’s European inspired wedding at Rollins College was never going to look like anything else. They love Italy, they love Winter Park, and they wanted to get married in a church. The moment they found Rollins College, the search was over.

Their spring wedding at Knowles Chapel and Rice Family Pavilion brought together everything they love: faith, family, beautiful surroundings, and a dance floor full of people celebrating alongside them. One thunderstorm included.

When Polkbros Entertainment shared their amazing images, we couldn’t wait to share their European inspired wedding day!

Cody and Karina crossed paths at a real estate firm in 2021. She was already there when he joined, and the company put her in charge of training him. They connected quickly after that. Today, Karina is an ER nurse and Cody is in real estate, two very different worlds that came together beautifully on their european inspired wedding day.

Knowles Chapel sits at the heart of the Rollins College campus in Winter Park, and for Cody and Karina, it was an easy choice. The stone steps, stained glass, and brass organ made the space feel like stepping inside an Italian basilica, which is exactly the kind of European inspired wedding atmosphere they were after. The chapel’s second floor also gave their photographers a stunning vantage point to capture Karina coming down the aisle.

The Rice Family Pavilion, where the reception was held, is just steps from the chapel, making the transition between ceremony and reception seamless for guests. That short walk came in handy when a thunderstorm rolled through Winter Park shortly after the ceremony ended.

Dusty rose, blush pink, and rose gold for the bridesmaids, with gold accents throughout the decor. Karina spotted the combination online, fell in love with it, and it translated beautifully against the chapel’s neutral cream facade. It is a palette that works especially well for a european inspired wedding, where the architecture does a lot of the heavy lifting and the florals and gowns just need to complement it.

The Rice Pavilion’s ceiling has a distinct European character that tied the whole european inspired wedding aesthetic together seamlessly. The couple added a checkered dance floor and custom C&K light-up letters near the DJ booth, bringing a personal touch to the elegance of the space.

Before the ceremony, Cody’s groomsmen gathered to pray over him. Before walking down the aisle, Karina and her dad shared their special handshake, a tradition just between the two of them. At the reception, she and her dad surprised guests with a choreographed dance. And when the DJ played the YMCA, it was intentional: Karina’s grandfather, who passed away in 1997, loved that song, and their family plays it at every wedding in his honor.

A european inspired wedding with a thunderstorm thrown in the middle is a true test of a vendor team. Cody and Karina’s passed with flying colors.

The ceremony was everything the couple hoped it would be, a celebration of faithful love inside one of Winter Park’s most stunning spaces. Then the storm hit.

Shortly after the ceremony ended, a large thunderstorm swept through Winter Park. Their photography and DJ team at PolkBros had umbrellas ready and moved quickly to keep the couple and bridal party comfortable. Most of the bridal party photos had already been captured before the ceremony, so the team shifted to portraits once the couple was safely inside, making full use of the chapel’s beautiful interior. None of the moments that mattered were lost.

By the time the reception got going, the storm was behind them and the dance floor stayed packed for the rest of the night.

Cody and Karina came to PolkBros Entertainment the same way a lot of couples do: through friends. Several of Karina’s bridesmaids had used PolkBros for their own weddings, and she had seen firsthand what they brought to a wedding day. As Karina put it, “We had so much fun at those weddings that I knew, early on, you guys were the one!”

For their European inspired wedding, the couple booked PolkBros for photography, videography, DJ/MC, and lighting.

They ended up booking a bundle of services called the Perfect Package which includes:

Knowing they wanted to soak in every moment, they also added an extra hour of photo and video coverage, which turned out to be a smart call given how the thunderstorm reshuffled the portrait timeline.

Photographer Jake kept the day on track through the storm, capturing bridal portraits inside the chapel when the outdoor plan shifted. MC Tyrone kept the reception moving seamlessly, which mattered with a guest list as large as Cody and Karina’s.

Their advice for couples planning their own day: