A Whimsically Rustic Florida Farm Wedding

Joycelyn and Richard first met in 2012 at Bethune Cookman University. After being new inductees into their sorority and fraternity, both lines were asked to host a party together. They called it “Fire and Ice.” Well, little did this pair know that it’d be the start of their own fire and ice. During a pre-game party for the Alphas and Deltas, Richard served as the greeter at the door of the party. He welcomed in all of Joycelyn’s sorority sisters, but when Joycelyn entered there was a different welcome. Richard walked her in as if he had known Joycelyn for years. He later went with his Fraternity brothers but he always found his way back to where Joycelyn was standing. Joycelyn had noticed him watching her all night and she wasn’t sure if she should give her number to him when he finally built enough courage to ask for it. However, Richard didn’t stop until he received her phone number. Eventually, Joycelyn gave in as Richard walked her and her sorority sisters to their car after the party like the perfect gentleman he is. That fateful walk to the car became the beginning to Jocelyn and Richard’s fire and ice. Six years later and this passionate duo were joined as one with a rustic wedding at the Shiloh Farm Church and Barn in Tallahassee, Florida. Check out their whimsical day, captured by Leo Creary Photography.

Bride’s full name, age, and occupation: Joycelyn Rhoquel Riley Carter, 31, Kindergarten Teacher

Groom’s full name, age, and occupation: Richard James Carter, 27, Network Engineer

Place of residence: Quincy, Florida

Wedding date: June 2, 2018

Wedding location: Shiloh Farm Church and Barn, Tallahassee, Florida

Wedding theme: Rustic

Honeymoon Destination: We have not had the opportunity to go on a honeymoon due to us moving and starting our new lives together in the same state after living in two different states for five years.

Engagement story:

The proposal started out as Joycelyn’s thirtieth birthday bash. Joycelyn and her friends had been planning her birthday party for months but her friends and Richard had been planning something much more. Halfway through the party, Joycelyn was asked to break the pinata. She was blindfolded and they turned her in circles. She hit the pinata three good times and when the blindfold came off Richard was down on one knee with a beautiful ring in his hand. Richard had a huge smile on his face and Joycelyn was left speechless. Richard held her hand ready to ask the big question and Joycelyn stood there with tears in her eyes ready to say yes!

What makes your love special?

Our love story is special because of how we’re able to not make the distance between the two of us a factor. We lived in two different states for five out of the six years we were together. There are many miles between Florida and Tennessee, but it was not a problem for us to see each other. We would schedule our visits. There were never those, “I’m coming to see you” visits. The most challenging thing was not being able to experience every big moment and holiday together. But when we were together, we made them special. Every moment was special from the car rides to the dinner dates and even the simple moments of we played our favorite card game, UNO. We are the type of couple that likes to make every moment count.

Your most memorable moment:

The best moment of our wedding day was sharing our personal wedding vows. As we shared our true feelings with each other, our entire family and friends were able to witness this special moment that we’ll never forget. The most memorable moment was when the storm knocked all the power out during the reception. The DJ had everyone on the dance floor and the barn went completely dark! Luckily, no one panicked, everyone simply enjoyed each other’s company until the lights came back on twenty minutes later.

From the Bride:

Breathtaking! Our day was full of storms and showers but with all the love that was in the atmosphere I didn’t even notice the rain. The showers only meant that there will always be a great amount of growth in our marriage. I was so ecstatic that it didn’t trouble me that more people showed up than invited and there was no more room in the chapel. Or that my guests saw the reception barn before my wedding party. The day was simply perfect! Nothing could take the smile off of my face. Nothing could take away that feeling of walking down the aisle to my husband, the man I love and will spend the rest of my life with. I have always heard others say “marriage is a beautiful thing,” and well, on June 2, 2018 I know exactly what that means!

From the Groom:

Our day started out with showering rain, which meant to me our marriage was going to be pouring with love. It was an out of body experience! The love we received from our family and friends was astonishing. I would describe the night before like the first day of school, anxious to see my beautiful wife and friends that came to witness our union. I felt accomplished because of the communication and coordination we spent last 11 months, along with the traveling and living in other states. It was a great testament to what’s to come for our marriage.

Wedding song:

Our wedding song was “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton. We chose this song because it reminded us of how bittersweet our long-distance relationship was. Richard lived most of our relationship in Nashville, Tennessee, while I was in Daytona Beach, Florida for two years and Montgomery, Alabama for three. The traveling back and forth to see each other was so hard, but each visit to Tennesse was special and well worth the cross-country drives.

Favorite wedding detail:

The food was our favorite wedding detail. Everything was cooked to perfection, better than what we even imagined. Nothing was out of place. The servers were also amazing and very polite. Originally the food count was for 150 people but close to 200 people showed up at the wedding and reception. Vicki, with Cruton & Co, was able to accommodate all of our guess plus leftovers.

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?

The one thing that we are most looking forward to as a married couple is longevity. When making the decision to get married, a couple of our first thoughts were that this is forever, and forever is a very long time. The love we share is something t
hat we are not willing to just give up on.

Advice for a Bride and Groom on their wedding day:

Our advice for anyone on their wedding day is to relax and enjoy the moment. Don’t look at all the things that are going wrong because something is going to go wrong. Just look at all the things that are going right. Think of the reason why you’re there.

Congratulations to the happy couple! We wish you many years of wedded bliss!