Behind the Timeline: A Ritz-Carlton Orlando Wedding
There are some weddings that stay with you long after the final song plays, and Alexis & Bradley's wedding at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes will forever be one of those for us.
Having the opportunity to coordinate a wedding at one of Orlando’s most iconic luxury properties was such an exciting milestone for Golden Hour Events, and our "Golden Girlie", Lead Planner Kayla, was there every step of the way.
For this wedding blog, we wanted to do something a little different and take you behind the scenes of what a wedding day looks like through the eyes of your Lead Planner. So, we’re handing the blog over to Kayla to share Alexis & Bradley’s day from her perspective!
From Kayla:
As Alexis & Bradley's Lead Planner with Golden Hour Events, I had the opportunity to step into their pre-planning process and learn all of the little details that would make their wedding day feel completely theirs. From building a timeline down to the minute and coordinating an incredible vendor team to navigating a Florida storm, a 14-piece band, and even a horse-drawn carriage... let's just say there were a lot of moving parts!
But seeing all of those pieces come together was exactly what made this wedding so memorable.
Planning a Ritz-Carlton Orlando Weddings: It's All in the Details
One of my favorite parts of being a Lead Planner is taking everything a couple has spent months dreaming about and figuring out exactly how all of those details will come together.
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando is a beautiful, and HUGE, property, which made having a detailed plan even more important. Throughout the pre-planning process, I worked closely with Alexis & Bradley, the Ritz-Carlton team, and their vendors to create a timeline that accounted for everything from vendor arrivals and setup to family photos, ceremony cues, entertainment, reception transitions, and their grand exit.
By wedding week, I knew their day inside and out. Of course, you can plan for just about everything... but you can't plan the weather.
When Florida Weather Has Other Plans...
Now for a little wedding-day story time!
The outdoor ceremony for Alexis & Bradley's Ritz-Carlton Orlando wedding was an absolute vision in white. A gorgeous reflective white aisle led toward a raised white ceremony platform surrounded by classic white florals, glowing candles, and The Ritz-Carlton's beautiful outdoor grounds and fountain as the backdrop.
Everything was ready. And then... Florida decided to be Florida.
A not-so-little storm rolled through right before the ceremony, and suddenly we had a decision to make. Rather than rushing forward and risking the florals, candles, and beautiful ceremony design everyone had worked so hard to create, our team worked alongside the Ritz-Carlton and vendor teams to adjust the ceremony timing and protect the setup.
Guests grabbed their umbrellas, vendors adjusted their timing, and everyone worked together to keep the rest of the wedding moving.
And then came the best part: the storm passed, the sky opened up, and what came afterward was absolutely worth the wait.
Alexis & Bradley were able to say I do surrounded by their family and friends with their beautiful ceremony design intact and one pretty incredible Florida sky above them.
For me, this moment perfectly sums up wedding coordination. It's not about promising that nothing unexpected will happen. It's about having a team that knows how to communicate, adjust, and keep everything moving when it does.
From “I Do” to the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Wedding Reception
Once Alexis & Bradley were officially married, it was time for the next transformation!
Inside the newly renovated Plaza ballroom, our Golden Hour team worked alongside the Ritz-Carlton and vendor teams to ensure every moving piece of their reception came together exactly where it needed to be. The timeless white floral design continued throughout the ballroom, paired with glowing candles and gorgeous gold details that added warmth to the space.
Ritz-Carlton Orlando Wedding Reception | Plaza Ballroom
I especially loved how the crisp white look of their ceremony carried into the reception space. Even though they were two completely different spaces, everything felt intentional and connected.
And then there was the dance floor…
A custom white dance floor featured an oversized "A&B" monogram that tied beautifully into the clean white design from their ceremony. But it definitely didn't stay that pristine for long!
A Dance Floor Worth Dancing All Night On
Waiting nearby was a 14-piece live band ready to bring the party. And they absolutely did!
Once the music started, the room completely came alive. Watching Alexis & Bradley dancing, laughing, and celebrating surrounded by their favorite people was one of those moments where I could finally stand back for a second and watch everything we had spent so much time planning actually happen.
While our team was still keeping an eye on timing and communicating behind the scenes, Alexis & Bradley were doing exactly what we wanted them to do: being completely in the moment.
And then... a Horse & Carriage
One of my favorite details from Alexis & Bradley's planning process actually came at the very end of their wedding day. We helped the couple find a horse and carriage that would be waiting for them after their grand exit.
Sounds simple, right? Not exactly.
We needed the carriage to arrive, get into position, and be completely ready while guests were simultaneously being released from the reception and directed outside for the sparkler exit. The timing had to be just right.
As the final song came to an end, our team began getting guests outside and into position. At essentially the same time, the horse and carriage arrived and began setting up. Then the sparklers were lit.
Alexis & Bradley ran underneath a tunnel of sparklers surrounded by their family and friends - with their pup right beside them.
And waiting for them at the end? Their carriage.
From the guests' perspective, Alexis & Bradley simply finished their last dance, ran through a beautiful sparkler exit, and found a horse-drawn carriage waiting to whisk them away.
From the planner's perspective? There were about a million tiny logistics happening to make those few minutes feel that effortless.
What Being Their Lead Planner Meant to Me
Alexis & Bradley's wedding will forever hold such a special place in my heart.
There is something incredibly rewarding about spending so much time learning the details of a couple's wedding and then watching the timeline you've stared at for hours suddenly become real moments.
The ceremony you've planned around becomes the place they say "I do". The dance floor you've talked about becomes the place they're dancing with the people they love most. And that little line on the timeline that says "Grand Exit" suddenly becomes your couple running underneath sparklers toward a horse-drawn carriage.
That's what makes being a Lead Planner so special to me. There are countless decisions, conversations, timeline adjustments, and moving pieces happening behind the scenes throughout a wedding day. But our couples shouldn't have to think about any of them.
Getting to do exactly that for Alexis & Bradley at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando was an experience I will always be grateful for.
Your Only Job? Enjoy Your Best Day Ever.
Thank you, Kayla, for such a great run through of what it was like to plan out Alexis + Bradley's beautiful wedding day at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. At Golden Hour Events, wedding coordination is about so much more than simply following a timeline. It's about knowing your wedding inside and out, communicating with the people bringing your vision to life, anticipating what comes next, adapting when the unexpected happens, and making sure all of those moving pieces come together so you can actually experience the day you've spent so much time dreaming about.
Alexis & Bradley, thank you for trusting Kayla and the Golden Hour Events team with such a beautiful day. Rain clouds, reflective aisles, candlelight, a 14-piece band, sparklers, and a horse-drawn carriage included...we'd do it all over again.
If you are looking for a Day of Wedding Coordinator, Month of Wedding Planner or for more planning help, you can share your wedding details with us here and we'll take care of the rest!
Vendor Team:
Wedding Coordinators: Golden Hour Events
Photo + Video Team: The Beloved Collective
Hair & Makeup Team: LeJeune Artistry
Violinist: Claudia Sar Violin
Vocalist: Tiffani Casey
Live Musicians & Entertainment: C'Nergy Music
Ceremony Speaker + Mic: Brocato Entertainment
Florist: No. 1 Flowers by Jo
Ceremony Rentals + Dance Floor Wrap: Orlando Elite Decor
Rentals [Champagne Wall + Reception Rentals]: Gala Rentals
Photobooth: CirClarity Moments
Horse & Carriage: Misty Blue Acres
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