Model T | Historic Florida Wedding

Green Nature Themed Wedding: Laura & Nate | Outdoor Florida Weddings

Posted by edisonfordwinterestates On August 3rd

Laura & Nate’s green, nature themed, outdoor wedding at The Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida, was one their guests will be talking about for years. From the Model T getaway car to the tree trunk cake stand to the milk & cookie bar, this wedding was over-the-top fabulous! Check out these great photos from Luminaire Foto.

Outdoor Wedding Venue: Edison & Ford Winter Estates / 239.334.7419 / www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/events/weddings-receptions / weddings@edisonfordwinterestates.org

Indoor Wedding Venue: Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center / 239.333.1933

Wedding Photography: Luminaire Foto / 239.848.8926 / www.luminairefoto.com / karl@luminairefoto.com

Wedding Flowers: Libby’s Flower Shop / 239.278.1500

Wedding Cake & Grooms Cake: Yum Yum Cakes / 239.939.2253 / www.yumyumcakes.com / yumyumcakes1@yahoo.com

Antique Wedding Getaway Car: Model T Chauffeur Services / 239.694.3969 / www.modeltchauffeur.com / info@modeltchauffeur.com

Wedding Planner: Simply Exquisite Events / 239.994.2493

Wedding Chairs: Creative Events / 239.768.6393 / www.creativeevents1.com / info@creativeevents1.com

For a list of Preferred Vendors of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, click here.

Ceremonies, Real Weddings, Receptions, Uncategorized

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Intimate New Years Wedding: Amy & Bobby | Waterfront Wedding Venue

Posted by edisonfordwinterestates On March 18th

Amy & Bobby will forever mark the first day of the year as the first day of their marriage. With only a small gathering of their closest family and friends, they said their vows on the Ford Riverside Lawn at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. Even with an intimate affair, Amy & Bobby did not want to pass up the opportunity to personalize their wedding. In the photos below, taken by Carrie from Imagine Photography of SW Florida, Amy & Bobby have a “first glimpse” of one another in the Moonlight Garden before Amy and her father are delivered to the ceremony via Model T.

Wedding Location: Edison & Ford Winter Estates / 239.334.7419 / www.edisonfordwinterestates.org / weddings@edisonfordwinterestates.org

Wedding Photography: Imagine Photography of SW Florida / 239.370.6348 / www.imaginephotographyswfl.com / CarrieErcolani@mac.com

Antique Wedding Car: Model T Chauffeur Services / 239.694.3969 / www.modeltchauffeur.com / info@modeltchauffeur.com

Ceremonies, Real Weddings, Uncategorized

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A Classic Black & White Wedding: Amanda & Matt | Outdoor Florida Wedding Venue

Posted by edisonfordwinterestates On December 13th

Style and sophistication are the terms that come to mind when describing Amanda and Matt’s November wedding at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, FL. The couple glammed things up with a classic black and white color palette, a jaw-dropping vintage inspired gown (paired with a cathedral length fishnet veil), and an antique Model T getaway car. Jesse Netsch Photography was there to document the elegance.

Location: Edison & Ford Winter Estates / 239.334.7419 / http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/events/weddings-receptions/ weddings@edisonfordwinterestates.org

Photography: Jesse Netsch Photography / 239.691.6719 / www.jessenetschphotography.com / jnetschphoto@hotmail.com

Flowers: Libby’s Flowers / 239.278.1500 / www.libbysflowershop.com / muffy@libbysflowershop.com

Transportation: Model T Chauffeur Services / 239.694.3969 / www.modeltchauffeur.com / info@modeltchauffeur.com

Reception: Royal Palm Yacht Club / 239.334.2176 / www.royal-palm-yacht-club.com / rpycbqt@embarqmail.com

Ceremonies, Real Weddings, Receptions, Uncategorized

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Fort Myers Waterfront Wedding Venue | La Vie En Rose: Virginia & Cameron's Wedding

Posted by edisonfordwinterestates On April 15th

When looking through the photos of Virginia and Cameron’s March wedding in the Coconut Grove at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, “Pretty In Pink” is what comes to mind. There are elements that hint at an “Old Florida” theme and there are even a few references to birds, a play on Cameron’s last name, Byrd. But the theme most important to the couple when planning their big day was “Fun.”

Fun is definitely what they got when they hired wedding planners Kristi Edwards and Julie Johnson of Happily Ever After to make their dreams become reality. Below is the proof in photos taken by Luminaire Foto.

Click photos to enlarge:

: The girls had a great time goofing off while getting ready at Virginia’s parents’ home.

: Virginia’s gifts to her bridesmaids included pink satin robes with the girls initials embroidered, matching flip flops, funky sunglasses, and pearl necklaces.

: It was hard to resist references to our winged friends when the couple’s last name is Byrd.

: The pink and orange invitation suite featured tropical frangipani flowers.

: White hydrangeas and pink roses were tied to the chairs and the aisle was lined on either side with rose petals.

: A throwback to the laid back lifestyle of the old south, the rings were carried in on bamboo cane fishing poles.

: Virginia and Cameron chose Edison’s Coconut Grove overlooking the Caloosahatchee River and Thomas Edison’s Pier for their ceremony location.

: Virginia’s bridesmaids wore strapless knee length dresses in baby blue with ivory sashes. Their bouquets were bright pink and white roses.

: Cameron’s groomsmen looked especially dapper with their navy vests and baby blue ties. Their boutonnieres were white roses.

: Taking advantage of the exotic and oh-so-photogenic trees that populate the Estates, the bridal party is artfully arranged in the Lofty Fig.

: The Moonlight Garden is especially beautiful in March as the bougainvillea is in full bloom.

: Cameron sweeps Virginia off her feet in front of the Mysore Fig Tree on Henry Ford’s Riverside Lawn.

: Virginia and Cameron were whisked away in a 1926 Model T getaway car.

: The reception was pretty in pink with orchids, roses, and hydrangea centerpieces topped with jewel draped branches. The brown chivari chairs donned pink sashes and the tables were named after Florida birds.

: Mason’s Bakery created a classic white wedding cake adorned with pink roses.

: Virginia and her dad secretly took dance lessons and performed a choreographed routine to a medley of various tunes.

: What started off as a sweet slow dance to “Isn’t She Lovely” quickly morphed into a hilarious ensemble including “Walk Like An Egyptian” and “Cotton Eye Joe” (seen here).

: What could be more fun at a wedding reception than a photo booth?

Ceremony Location: Edison & Ford Winter Estates / 239.334.7419 / http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/events/weddings-receptions/ / weddings@edisonfordwinterestates.org

Ceremony Chairs: Creative Events & Rentals / 239.768.6393 / www.creativeevents1.com / info@creativeevents1.com

Flowers: Libby’s Flowers / 239.278.1500 / www.libbysflowershop.com / muffy@libbysflowershop.com

Transportation: Model T Chauffeur Services / 239.694.3969 / www.modeltchauffeur.com / info@modeltchauffeur.com

Wedding Planning: Happily Ever After / 239.433.4625 / www.happilyeverafter4u.com / happilyeverafter4u@comcast.net

Photography: Luminaire Foto / 239.848.8926 / www.luminairefoto.com / karl@luminairefoto.com

Reception Location: The Edison Restaurant / 239.936.9348 / www.edisonfl.com / liana@edisonfl.com

Wedding Cake: Mason’s Bakery / 239.334.4525 / www.masonsbakery.com / chrisk@masonsbakery.com

Invitations: The Paper Mill / 239.437.2252 / www.thepapermill-florida.net / loveis@thepapermill-florida.net

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Charles Edison and Carolyn Hawkins Wedding at the Edison Winter Home in 1918

Posted by edisonfordwinterestates On March 16th

by Rebecca Jones, Collections Information Specialist

Fort Myers, FL March 1918 – During the spring of 1918, Charles Edison, son of Thomas and Mina Edison, came to the family estate in Fort Myers for a much-needed rest. America was in the midst of World War I, and the Edison family was deeply involved on the home front. While Thomas Edison conducted experimental work for the Naval Consulting Board on a ship off the coast of Key West, youngest son Theodore was stationed on an uninhabited island, working away at a technical invention designed for use in trench warfare. Charles took on the responsibility of running the myriad Edison Industries during his father’s absence, quite an undertaking for a young man 27 years old.

During that time, Charles’ sweetheart of six years, Carolyn Hawkins, worked long hours assisting medical staff at Harvard University in preparing for oversees deployment at an army hospital. Charles asked his mother Mina if she would mind inviting Carolyn to accompany him to their winter home and get away from the hustle and bustle of wartime work. Mina agreed and the young couple arrived in Fort Myers at the end of March 1918.

On a moonlit night at the end of the Seminole Lodge dock overlooking the Caloosahatchee, Charles proposed to Carolyn by asking her, “Do you want a large wedding?” Apparently she didn’t, so the two decided to be married right away in Florida. Once they received Mina’s blessing, telegrams were sent to family members announcing their plans. Thomas Edison wired back, “If you have decided it must be done, then the sooner it is done the better. It can’t be any worse than life in front line trenches. Impossible for Theodore or myself to come.”

Once Thomas Edison’s blessing was secured, Carolyn purchased a white gown and flowers and the couple went downtown to get their marriage license. Many years later, Charles recalled acquiring the license with some amusement: “The night before Carolyn and I had attended a dance. There was a young man there who took a shine to Carolyn. He wanted to call on her. When we went to get the license, who should be the official to issue it but this same young man. Flabbergasted, he counted himself out of the running right then and there.”

On March 27, 1918, Charles and Carolyn Edison were married in the Seminole Lodge gardens in front of a camphor tree and a cinnamon tree with a large Japanese umbrella tree serving as a backdrop. A rug was rolled out from the house to a small altar lit with candles. Mina Edison gave the bride away while two household staff members served as witnesses. According to Charles, “Carolyn was as nervous as if the ceremony were being held in a cathedral.”

The wedding made front page news in the Fort Myers Press the next morning, wherein it was noted, “The marriage took place in the favorite spot of Thomas A. Edison. Under the palms and surrounded by the tropical foliage of Seminole Lodge, the place he loves best and where he throws aside his work and really plays.”

After the ceremony ended, the newlyweds decided to take a “honeymoon” and packed sandwiches up for a drive to the beach in the now-famous Model T given by Henry Ford to Thomas Edison in 1914. The couple planned to drive down to the Gulf of Mexico and catch a few fish to eat for supper back at Seminole Lodge. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were too thick to enjoy the beach, so the newlyweds decided to celebrate with an impromptu chocolate ice cream soda at Hunter’s Drugstore in Fort Myers. Charles remembered, “That was our honeymoon.”

Charles and Carolyn Edison were married for 45 years and visited the Edison Winter Estate in Fort Myers frequently.

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2nd Annual Tropical Florida Bridal Fair

Posted by edisonfordwinterestates On January 25th

Thank you brides, grooms, sponsors and vendors for coming out to the 2nd Annual Tropical Foridal Bridal Fair at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates this past Sunday! The show was a huge success with over 250 in attendance. Below are just a few photos of how much fun we all had!