Kristin and James

Site Staff,

November 11, 2011
Villa Martoccia, Longwood
Photographs by Jill Porter

Kristin Mazza calls it the “proposal that almost wasn’t.” Her boyfriend, Jim Barnett, had planned to take her to The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes for a weekend getaway to celebrate Kristin’s birthday. He figured the occasion gave him the perfect cover to surprise her with a marriage proposal while the two dined at Norman’s, The Ritz’s gourmet restaurant. But the plan nearly didn’t happen when Jim, 55, a senior estimator for PCL Construction, was stranded in Clovis, New Mexico, on a business trip because his connecting flight out of Charlotte was canceled due to an ice storm. “He phoned me at work and calmly said five words, ‘GET. ME. OUT. OF. HERE.’ I didn’t understand why he was so insistent on getting home quickly,” says Kristin. She found a flight into Orlando with a connection in Salt Lake City. The problem was it left in four hours out of Albuquerque, nearly 300 miles west of Clovis. Driving at 100 mph, Jim made the flight. The next day, Kristin, 46, a real estate consultant with Keller Williams, found out why Jim was so insistent on getting back to Orlando. While at dinner, he presented her with a homemade birthday card that read, “Will You Marry Me?” They were married on 11-11-11 at Villa Martoccia, a friend’s estate home in Longwood’s Sweetwater Club.

"Although it was the coldest night in November, we were embraced by the warmth of our family and friends, our pastors, and each other.”
-Kristin

 

DETAILS
Theme: Autumn, with a color scheme of browns, oranges and golds 
Wedding Planner: Kristin organized the entire event
On Choice of Venue: “My dear friend Victoria Martoccia is a luxury custom homebuilder in Orlando, and her estate home far exceeded the beauty of many of the venues Jim and I visited. It was perfectly suited for the outdoor evening wedding we both wanted—elegant, yet personal.” 
Bridesmaid: Morgan Mazza, 23, daughter of the bride
Groomsman: Frazier Barnett, 29, son of the groom
Guests: 150 
Most Memorable Moment: For Jim, it was the limo ride back to The Ritz-Carlton. “It was the first time that we really got to be together, alone, since becoming man and wife.”
Gown: Ivory peu de soie with crystal beading, Alfred Angelo
Photographer: Jill Porter Photography, Orlando 
Caterer: Arthur’s Catering, Altamonte Springs
Cake: Publix at Sweetwater-Hunt Club, and dessert room by Arthur’s Catering
Florist: Springs Florist, Longwood 
Lighting: Ben Lawles at Kaleidoscope Event Lighting, Orlando, in shades of orange and amber
Stationer: Weddingpaperdivas.com
Entertainment: Matt Shenk, guitarist/vocalist and Nicholas Culp of Goin’ Native records; soloist Anna Marie Culp
First Dance: “I’ve Got a Crush You” (Linda Ronstadt)
Officiants: Pastor Blake Lorenz of Encounter Church, Orlando, and Pastor Nathan Swenson-Reinhold of St. Stephen Lutheran, Longwood 
Honeymoon: 11-day river cruise through the south of France and a three-day excursion to Nice and Monaco

 

The bridal bouquet with petite roses, seasonal berries, wheat and hydrangea
 
The wedding invitation
 
Kristin and her daughter, Morgan Mazza, share a quiet moment before the ceremony
 
Kristin designed the orange silk/natural branch floral arrangements for each table
 
Villa Martoccia, home of Kristin’s friend, Victoria Martoccia, and site of the wedding
 
The candlelit ceremony, conducted by the couple’s pastors, took place in front of a massive stone fireplace with a roaring fire
 
Soloist Anna Marie Culp sings an Italian love song during the ceremony
 
Friends and family gather around the outdoor fire pit
 
The bride and groom cut the cake
 

 

This article appears in the June 2012 issue of Orlando Magazine.
Categories: Real Weddings