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April 23, 2010 Wedding

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:57:37 +0100

We did a fun wedding on April 23, 2010. It was for Nicole and her fiance. You don't know how tickled I was to being doing a carriage service for a bride that shared my name. Silly, huh?

Nicole was very sweet and showed us her location. It was to be at the couple's home, which was a beautiful place. They had a large workshop in the back, which they decorated for the reception. There was a pond in their backyard that they had the ceremony beside. We were asked to bring the bride and her bridesmaids to the ceremony and then ride the bride and groom back up front for pictures. Her colors were ocean blue and white. I had a lot of fun decorating for this one. This wedding was unique as it was our first Friday wedding and our first in St. Augustine, FL. What a fantastic day with lots of love, fun people and beautiful weather. Enjoy the pictures!

Eagle Harbor Christmas Parade 2010

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:55:04 +0100

We were invited back to Eagle Harbor in Fleming Island, FL to take Santa on his tour for their annual Christmas Parade. It was another beautiful parade and everything went very smoothly. Santa and his elf greeted the kids and residents of Fleming Island with well wishes. We got to follow behind a fire truck, which was neat. There was another Santa driving an antique truck, a float of the nativity, which was neat and many more. It was a lot of fun and everything went so smoothly. We were glad to be a part of it and help Santa make his grand appearance down at the Waterfront Park.

Here's a picture of Big Ben and I waiting. Ben is sticking his tongue out. :)

Middleburg Lighted Christmas Parade

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:44:58 +0100

On the evening of December 4th, 2010, we joined in the fun of the Middleburg Lighted Christmas Parade. It is something that we have always wanted to do and now had the chance. So, after much decorating and lights being put up, we set off to the parade. Of course, who were we going to have ride in the carriage? We put in a call to the Civic Association of Middleburg, who put on the parade and found out that Santa Claus needed a ride. Seems his sleigh doesn't work so well on asphalt. So we volunteered.

Setting up, we were greeted by many other horse enthusiasts including some other horses that drove. Of course, they were all pint-sized. Here is a picture of Big Ben, our Percheron draft horse, meeting Chomp, a miniature horse. Aren't they adorable?

When the sun went down, our lights came on and we set off to the cheers of the largest crowd of people that I have ever seen. There were hundreds of kids attending. Santa joined us along with a few of his little elves. Santa was met with cheers from the children. There were a lot of floats this year and a herd of horses being ridden/driven. We had the spot of honor at the end of the parade. We had a lot of fun that was for sure. Seeing so many people smiling was very worthwhile. Here's a picture of the evening with Santa:

Anniversary Ride December 17, 2010

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 07:09:10 +0100

A little while ago, I received an e-mail from a gentleman by the name of Chris with a proposal of a carriage ride that just melted my heart. Chris is in the army and has been stationed in Korea for the past year away from his family. He'd gotten leave time approved to head back stateside to visit with his wife and daughter. Well, it's his third anniversary coming up with his wife and he wanted to do something really special and romantic for her. His idea was to make it a surprise for his wife Karol and have us pick them up at their hotel to take them to a nice restaurant for dinner. Well, that just tugged at my heart strings since my husband Mike just got out of the Navy. I knew that I really wanted to help make this happen for them.

So after much planning and a fun meeting, we were ready. We pulled up to the Hampton Inn to find Karol all smiles. We took a leisurely stroll down to the Melting Pot, where they had a fabulous fondue dinner. While they were eating, Mike and I were outside with Big Ben getting all the lights set up on the carriage for our evening ride back to the hotel. When darkness came, the carriage was aglow with many little white lights. The lights outlined the undercarriage of the carriage, the wheels, handrails and the hearts of the Cinderella pumpkin top. It was so beautiful! After their dinner, we picked them up once more and strolled back to the hotel beneath a starry sky. The weather was perfect. Not too hot nor cold. Very lucky for December but we're grateful. The evening was a wonderful success and a beautiful memory.

April 17, 2010 Wedding

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:28:31 +0100

On April 17, 2010, we had our very first home-town wedding in Middleburg, FL. Amanda and Shane were married at their family farm just up the road from our house. Amanda and Shane both ride horses. So having a carriage in their wedding was just perfect. It was a beautiful wedding with the ceremony set up on a hill overlooking Black Creek. There was a pretty wedding arch wrapped with Sunflowers. Each of their saddles were set to either side of the arch. There were chairs for guests and hay bales for extra guests to sit on in the back.

We picked up Amanda, her bridesmaids and the ring bearer bringing them to the ceremony. After a moving ceremony, the party began with a live band and lots of food. Big Ben, Mike and I offered carriage rides to their guests during the reception as a source of entertainment. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and a lot of fun. Congratulations to both Amanda and Shane on tying the knot. They'd been engaged for eight years.

Here's a picture of Amanda and her wedding party.

April 3, 2010 Wedding

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:09:39 +0100

We do a lot of surprise weddings for brides. This wedding was one of the most memorable for us. It was early Spring and we were contacted by a rather excited mother-of-the-bride. She wanted to have our carriage service as a surprise for your daughter's wedding. The location? NAS Jax. It appeared doubtful that we may be able to make it happen since it was on the Navy base but after much checking into with command, we got the green light to go ahead.

The result was simply beautiful. Her daughter Tammy was delighted with the carriage ride as she's a horse-back rider herself. So the surprise was perfect. We picked her up outside of the cabin, where she was getting ready, and took her down at a brisk trot toward the Officer's Club. Tammy was married on the banks of the St. John's river in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony.

We took the happy couple on a quick getaway afterward. This allowed them some quiet time as man and wife before we headed back over to the Officer's Club for the party to begin. What a great wedding!

Of course, there's the happily ever after. :)

November 13, 2010 Wedding

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:32:01 +0100

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we traveled down to beautiful New Smyrna Beach, Florida for Dan & Carol's wedding. Dan had contacted us for his wedding from his own love of horses and wanting to share that with his new bride and family. Beautiful weather greeted us as we were setting up. The ceremony was held at sunset, which excited me because this called for the carriage to be lighted. So brand new lights came in the mail for Mike and I to decorate the carriage with. When you are traveling on the road with the carriage at night, it is our opinion that the more lights that you have on your carriage making you more visible, the safer that you'll be. So, Mike and I had fun putting a lot of lights on!

At sunset, we picked up the lovely couple shortly after their wedding ceremony and photo session. We traveled at a leisurely pace toward their reception site, the American Legion. Amid Tiki torches and applauses, Dan & Carol were welcomed to their reception.

We stayed at the reception offering rides to their wedding guests.

Here are some close up details of the carriage lighted.

We had originally planned to travel down Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach, FL. To our surprise, there was an antique car show going on that had closed down the whole street. Good thing there were plenty of alternatives routes that we could take. Here are some pictures of the car show and the lighted Christmas palm trees!

Congratulations to Dan & Carol!

Christmas Parade

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:36:51 +0100

On December 19th, we had the pleasure of bringing Santa through Eagle Harbor in Fleming Island, FL for their annual Christmas parade. Now, I know what you're thinking. Santa rides in a sleigh, right? He does but as you may have guessed, it doesn't snow that often in Florida. So wheels on the road are much better than sleigh runners in this case. So, Santa hitched a ride in our sleigh to say hello to all the good little boys and girls in Eagle Harbor and wish them all the best!

Quincerasas

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:27:34 +0100

On March 6th 2010, we helped a beautiful girl take that important step in her life of becoming a woman. William contacted us about helping celebrate his daughter's Quinceanera. It was a beautiful day and we were ready. We picked up the lovely young lady and took her on a short ride before she made a grand entrance to her 15th birthday party at the Beach Plaza Ballroom in Jacksonville, FL. Her dress was a pristine white with a very full skirt, which went well with the white horse, carriage and red & white roses. Her father helped her down from the carriage amid the cheering and smiles of friends and family. It was a beautiful moment that we will remember always.

Valentine's Day

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:15:29 +0100

We were contacted by TJ for a wonderful surprise for his wife, a romantic Valentine's Day ride through beautiful Ortega of Jacksonville, Florida. So, of course, we were interested in such an exciting present for his wife. We decorated the Cinderella carriage with white roses and got Big Ben all cleaned up. It was still just a little chill in the air enough for a couple to snuggle outside and enjoy themselves.

We waited for the couple just outside of Ortega. They arrived and TJ had his wife keep her eyes closed until just the right moment when he told her to look and see the carriage decked out and waiting for them. After much laughing and many smiles, we set off on our journey.

Here's a picture of TJ and his wife. :)

We saw beautiful homes in Ortega and wonderful old trees that swept across the road. Even Big Ben had fun showing off.

Besides the fun of it being a surprise, my favorite part of the ride was crossing the Ortega bridge. Big Ben did it like a pro with no trouble at all. We had a lovely view of the water, boats, ducks and of course, the Jacksonville skyline. What a fantastic ride!