Classic Vintage Wedding at Casa Feliz

Isabel and Dominic celebrated their classic vintage wedding at Casa Feliz, a beautifully restored 1930s Spanish farmhouse in Winter Park, Florida.

When we saw their amazing images, we reached out to this amazing couple for all the details that made up their special day!

Tell us about how you chose your ceremony and reception venue.

Casa Feliz was only the second venue we toured, and in my heart, I think we knew it was the one, but it was so early in the process that we toured several more after. However, every single other venue we just kept comparing back to Casa and the natural beauty it had.

Truly, stepping into the grounds of Casa Feliz feels like you’re transported to Spain; the Spanish influence of the architecture and charm that comes from it being a historic venue is palpable and adds to the magic.

It is a special place, and we knew it was the place we were meant to begin our forever! We also loved that it translates to “happy house,” which is what we hope to have in our marriage as we grow our family over the years!

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind our day? Did you have a specific theme, style, or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

I wanted our wedding to be intimate, easy-going, magical, and just absolutely joyful and fun! I am an old soul at heart and wanted to pull in vintage elements while still keeping things very romantic and simple to not overshadow the venue itself.

We went with a grayish lavender, cream, and olive for our color palette, which worked beautifully for the time of year and our venue. Because Dominic and I both come from different cultural and religious backgrounds, we chose to keep the ceremony non-denominational and just very personal to us.

We read our own personal vows during the ceremony and then had the traditional vows for the ring exchange and promises to each other.

We also did a first-look, which, if you are on the fence, I cannot recommend enough! We didn’t do anything crazy, just spent a few private moments taking in all the emotions of the day together, and I will cherish that part of our day.

What were the personal details of the wedding that are a great reflection of you as a couple? What were some of your favorite parts of your classic vintage wedding?

I loved every aspect of our wedding. One of my favorite little details was the custom-made cake topper we got as a gift from my mom, which was an exact replica of our dog, Pebbles!

We also incorporated Pebbles into our bar sign, which was another hilarious personal touch that my Photoshop-loving husband added.

All of our floral arrangements, from the center pieces to the ceremony decor, were handmade, flower by flower, by my mom and grandma Carol.

We used all silk flowers from Hobby Lobby and saved money and had fun in the process of creating these pieces by hand.

Another favorite detail of mine was our playlist; every song was either hand-picked by Dominic and me or was sent in as a request from our guests on their RSVP cards.

It made the night so fun because everyone had a song to sing or dance to! Dominic’s favorite part of the night was definitely our grand exit with a bubble machine and leaving in a vintage Cadillac!

Let’s talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

All of our decor was DIY! Our entire wedding was a true labor of love, from the florals done by my Mom and Grandma using silk flowers, to the signage done by my husband and I, we made every piece with love and car.

We thrifted mirrors from Goodwill and painted them for our welcome sign and seating chart, used battery-operated candles and thrifted tea light holders for our memory table, and so much more.

We worked on perfecting everything for more than a year, so seeing it all come together on wedding day was such an incredible memory, it was magical!

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your classic vintage wedding day?

Walking down the aisle to my new husband!! I have dreamed of that moment for my whole life. As a writer and hopeless romantic, that is the happily ever after moment, and I honestly can’t even describe how perfect it was.

I just remember standing with my dad and hearing the music start, and it was like slow motion seeing all our loved ones and then seeing him, and he was tearing up quite a bit, it was just a feeling of pure joy and love.

What was the most important lesson you learned while planning your classic vintage wedding?

I learned to enjoy being a bride and being engaged! It goes by soooo fast, it is unreal. I wish I would have let myself pause and enjoy the process more because once wedding day arrives it is over in a blink.

One piece of advice I did receive prior to wedding day that I am so thankful for was to just relax and be present on the day. I was able to just let go of all my stress and enjoy this special day we had spent so much time dreaming about.

I felt so in the moment and am able to look back on so many memories with my husband now because I remained in the moment.

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

My biggest piece of advice that we did and I am so grateful we did is to stay together on wedding day/throughout wedding weekend!!

Dom and I never left each other’s side, and because of that, the day really felt like ours, and all of our memories are the same, so it is fun to reminisce together.

I also would say just enjoy this time, it is fleeting, so take it all in and let go of the stress and turn it into excitement because this is the start of something you have probably dreamt of your whole life! Let it be amazing and joyful:)