January Wedding at the Lightner Museum

In many areas of the country, winter is not the best time of year to host your wedding day, but here in Florida, a January wedding is ideal!

For their special day, Ali and Matt chose a winter wedding. On January 20, 2023—right after the holiday season—they walked down the aisle at the Lightner Museum with 200 of their loving friends and family in attendance.

The couple opted for clean, classic décor with a neutral color palette, which perfectly matched their historic wedding venue.

Elegant white pipe-and-drape by St. Johns Illuminations created a romantic backdrop for the ceremony, setting off stunning floral arrangements by Tula Rose Floral & Event Design.

One of the best reasons to choose a January wedding in St. Augustine? Nights of Lights, the city’s annual holiday light display is still going strong. Thankfully, Bow Tie Photo captured some magical shots of the newlyweds surrounded by twinkling lights.

The Lightner Museum was originally built as a hotel in 1888 and we love that you can still see some of the unique architectural elements. The ballroom where they said “I do” was once the world’s largest indoor swimming pool. During the reception, the couple did their cake cutting on the mezzanine, which overlooks the area where the pool once was. Don’t you love their romantic cake by Creme de la Cocoa?

After dinner, it was time for everyone’s favorite part of a wedding: dancing! The Bay Kings Band brought the house down with an upbeat and lively sound that had everyone out of their seats.

For some extra fun—and some incredible pictures!—Ali and Matt made sure everyone had a dance floor prop. The light-up tambourines were a huge hit!

At the end of the night, guests cleared the dance floor, and Ali and Matt shared a private last dance, accompanied by only the band and their photographer.

We are always honored when couples choose the Lightner Museum for their special day. One of our favorite things about being a wedding venue is getting to see moments like these firsthand.

At the end of the night, Ali and Matt wanted to go out with a bang—literally! The couple opted for a cold sparkler fountain in addition to a magical sparkler exit. This fun special effect is a part of the Lightner Museum’s Party in the Pool upgrade packages!