Tented
Lighting | Creating an Atmosphere
The Perfect Napkin Fold for Your Wedding
Sunset at Cypress Grove Estate
Summer Floral Inspiration
THE Ceremony Backdrop

While the Grove House may be the hidden gem of Cypress Grove Park, the Estate House is by far the crown jewel 😉 While it has many features that set it apart, often our couples are drawn to the venue because of the lakefront gazebo. Nestled on Lake Jessamine, with the sun setting behind you, so many couples have exchanged forevers underneath the gazebo. The space can be personalized and dressed up to fit every style, color or theme you are hoping for, making it a picturesque ceremony backdrop.
The Gazebo
Standing beautifully even on its own, our couples do love to enhance the space with floral, draping or personal features to create a one-of-a-kind ceremony backdrop. Need some inspiration of your own? Take a look at some of our favorite ways to dress up the gazebo!

Draping
Looking for a simple way to create a soft and romantic feel? Add some draping! It’s a popular addition for most our couples and you can choose from a variety of colors and style it like curtains or wrap it around the posts. White draping pairs beautifully with our garden chairs and those can be accented with hints of greenery and floral as well!

Floral + Other Decor
When it comes to floral, we’ve seen couples pair arrangements for a symmetrical look, while others opt for a statement piece in the center or side of the gazebo. Looking for more drama? Add aisle décor or chair swags! Lanterns and glass votives down the aisle add a little extra something to the space, while a runner of foliage along the back of your chairs gives the space definition.
Hoping for something one of a kind? Incorporate key elements from your culture, your faith or the latest trend you can’t get out of your head! These brides took the space from a blank canvas and elevated it to be as unique as they are!


The gazebo remains a transformative space on the Estate House grounds and is yours to enhance how you please. Some couples choose to have it stand on its own. A clean, white slate surrounded by sun-kissed water and Spanish moss-draped trees. It’s a one-of-a-kind setting that is truly one of the most romantic places to say “I do”. Can you see your forever starting here?
Xoxo,
Alecia
The Grove House | A Hidden Gem at Cypress Grove Park

Always dreamed of hosting your celebration in a quaint southern cottage with a lakefront view? Just a short, drive past Cypress Grove Estate House lies the Grove House, a charming venue for intimate events. Equipped with a welcoming front porch and fenced-in water, garden the Grove house is sure to delight your guest!
Let’s explore one of Cypress Grove’s best-kept secrets!
Beckoning from the front porch are classic white rockers, just waiting for you to take a seat, kick back, and relax! If you can make it past the breathtaking views of Lake Jessamine and the soothing sounds of nature, you‘ll enter into a surprisingly versatile event space. Complete with tables, chairs, and even a kitchenette, the Grove House features all the basics of a great event room. The main event space, known as the Valencia Room, boasts lots of windows, allowing lovely natural light into the space. It also features a nook perfect for showcasing a dessert or gift table!

The Grove House is ideal for birthdays, bridal showers, and other social gatherings, and it even allows for outside catering! The neutral color palette allows you to personalize the space, but still boasts enough character to stand on its own.

The Deets
Included in the hourly rental of the Grove house are nine 48″ tables, three 8′ tables, and 50 banquet chairs (linen not included). Two private restrooms, a refrigerator and freezer combo, and a kitchenette (perfect for food prep and storage) are all included in the hourly rental of the venue. The space even features a backyard water garden, a great place to set up a bar or cocktail tables to expand the space.
We’d love to see the creative ways in which you’ll utilize the space! Contact our team to book your tour today!
Xoxo,
The RW Events Team
Rainy Day Weddings | Planning Ahead
You’ve planned. You’ve prepared… but have you really? The best way to prepare for rainy day weddings is to plan for a 100% chance of rain and take advantage of the setting, especially at unique all-outdoor venues, like Cypress Grove Estate House.
Rainy day weddings are often the biggest fear you’ll face, but it’s also the luckiest! It’s said to be good luck, signifying that your marriage will last. After all, a knot that becomes wet is hard to untie, so apply this towards your marriage and it’ll be just as hard to unravel!

So what can you do to prepare for rain on wedding day?
- Check the forecasts. Weatherman predicting some showers? Why not give out umbrellas?
- Keep your guests in the loop. Share normal weather conditions on your wedding website and let guests know ahead of time you’ve reserved an all-outdoor venue.
- Work with your vendors. They prepare for rain just like you do so they’ll be paying extra attention to the forecast and you!
- Use the lighting to your advantage! Photographers often prefer overcast days, plus it gives you an excuse to cuddle under an umbrella (there’s a reason some of the best kissing scenes in the movies take place in the rain). Just think about Allie and Noah – how romantic! The Notebook has set expectations high 😉
- The best advice for your rainy-day insurance plan? Reserve a tent!


Reserving a tent ensures every little detail you planned, plus your guests, stay dry and comfortable. I like to think of tents as an outdoor ballroom that create a lovely backdrop! Clear tents allow you to view the surroundings you fell in love with and white tents give photographers the perfect blank canvas! Which is your favorite?

Reserving your tent ahead of time gives you the peace of mind needed to ensure that if a rain shower does sneak into the forecast, you don’t have last-minute anxiety about reserving something. And while rain on your wedding day is never the plan, the reality is, it happens. And if it does, staying positive and knowing you’ve prepared will be a sure way no stress creeps in on your special day. If it does rain, tents can be dressed up and personalized, and let’s be real, absolutely stunning!

Xoxo,
RW Gals
Getting Ready | The Estate House Bridal Suite
Getting Ready Moments at the Cypress Grove Estate House

The Cypress Grove Estate House Bridal Suite, aka the room of perfection! Where bridal portrait dreams come to life and every bride gets to dress in the delicate and romantic room of her dreams. Natural light floods the space, highlighting each unique piece of antique furniture curated to complete the room. The fainting couch has to be my personal favorite spot ? Between the mirror adorned walls, provincial fireplace, and delicate floral accents, you will find endless photo opportunities along with the ideal spot for getting ready on your big day!

Let those closest to you share in the getting ready experience and assist with the final touches to make your bridal look complete! You won’t want to fasten those shoes yourself, ladies! If you ask Mom, Grandma, your sister, best friend or whoever may be sharing in the moment with you, this will be the most special to them! The suite becomes the backdrop as you transform into the bride you’ve always dreamed of being. Just wait until your fiancé sees you! Better yet…wait till Dad sees you! Cue the tears!

The first look with dad gets me every time! There is something so incredibly special about a father or a special man in your life seeing you as a bride for the first time. His little girl is all grown up and the tears are from a place of happiness and joy as well as a slight sadness knowing he now has to share you. The bridal suite may be the perfect backdrop for fun moments, but the room also holds so many incredible memories such as like the one shared above, the make the room the true treasure of the house.
Not to get too emotional on you but it’s so true! Then again, prior to seeing dad, you must show your girls just how incredible you look, after all, they have been your biggest support, oohing and awing from the time to first went shopping to seeing the dress arrive on wedding day.
Pop some bubbly, snap a pic for the gram and celebrate the love you share as a group of friends!

And who could forget about the little details or private moments that you’ll be so thankful to have captured? Insert all the heart eye emojis!

Aside from the inevitable incredible images, our brides love that there is a private space all to their own on wedding day. Especially with the sunroom located adjacent for hair and makeup, the space remains cool and calm and makes for the perfect escape when you need a moment to retreat and just breathe. The day will absolutely fly by despite the getting ready part dragging on. Why not celebrate and surround yourself with the ladies (and gents) that support you in the ideal feminine and delicate space fit for any bride!?
Can you picture it? Slipping into the gown you’ve always imagined. Reading a note from the one you love just moments before heading down the aisle….yea, I’m the hopeless romantic on the team here, but if you’re gushing over the room as I do, come and see for yourself just how beautiful the suite is!
Xoxo,
Alecia
Bridal Portraits at Cypress Grove Estate House
Bridal portraits are some of the most important images of your wedding. The day will fly by, but your portraits will last a lifetime. Portraits capture the emotions and unseen moments and give couples a life long reminder of the bond they share.

Every venue has those picture perfect locations for portraits, but there’s just something so magical about shots captured at Cypress Grove. Maybe it’s the southern charm and the lakeside sunsets ?

“Golden Hour” at Cypress Grove is ? For those of you who aren’t up-to-date on their photography lingo, golden hour is that time just before the sun fully sets, when the light is soft, glowy, and oh so romantic! It’s the perfect time to capture images on the tree-lined drive or along the shores of Lake Jessamine.

Oh, and not all of your bridal portraits have to be focused on you as a couple. Take some time to get shots on your own, like the image of our bride above from Miranda Grey!
Xoxo,
Kim
Hidden Gems of Cypress Grove
Y’all know we love a good portrait, especially those that show off our gorgeous Estate House and stunning grounds! There are SO many hidden gems around Cypress Grove that create beautiful backdrops for those picture perfect, and let’s be real, cheesy romantic moments we all love! Have you had a chance to stroll thru the park recently? Take a scroll through some of our favorite hidden gems here at Cypress Grove !
The Rose Garden


Private moments and quick kisses can always be found in our Rose Garden. Nestled on the front lawn, the garden boasts vibrant blooms creating our very own secret garden. Special shout out to Orange County Parks & Recreation for keeping our roses blooming year round ? Need a great first look spot? Look no further than the Rose Garden!
The Sun Room

Our Sun Room is often bustling with bridesmaids getting dolled up. Once the time comes for the quiet before a ceremony, you’ll find our brides basking in the natural light, often taking a peek at her groom through the window. It’s actually my favorite room inside the Estate! Do you see the gorgeous lighting!? It also gives our brides the chance to overlook all the event spaces and watch the big day unfold. There is nothing quite like a room reveal to see your hard work in action, but imagine watching your guests react to the beauty of the water behind the gazebo or seeing your groom take a walk down the aisle.
Around the Grounds

Around the Estate you’ll find various settings for that perfect photo opp! The Garden Trellis, Archway, and Bridge are all private spots our couples venture to… can you blame them?

We all know the grounds are surrounded by cypress trees and moss dripped oaks, but if you are destined to capture all the dense greenery surrounding Lake Jessamine, the options are endless! The various flora and fauna are ever-changing and reflect the season of your big day! You should see the magnolias blooming right now!

Need the perfect backdrop for your wedding! Come visit us at Cypress Grove! Where the possibilities are endless and always beautiful!
Xoxo,
Alecia
Lakeside Garden Wedding // Real Talk with Jessica + Trent
How did you meet?
Trent and I met working at the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the summer of 2016. When we met I really only wanted to be his friend but one night he asked me to go to Taco Bell with him after work and the rest was history… 🙂 We got engaged on Panama City Beach in December 2017 and I knew I didn’t want to wait long to get married. September 22nd was our date and even a 10 month engagement felt like the longest!

Were there any traditions you wanted to incorporate?
It was very important to me to find little ways to honor my parents and grandparents. I wore my mom’s earrings she wore on her wedding day, my grandmother’s bracelet she bought when she was visiting my mom when she was in college, and then in my shoe was a “six-pence” that my grandma wore on her wedding day, my mom wore on hers, and now I’ve worn on mine. I’ve always had the best examples of love in my life and honoring them was important to me. We also had Trent’s dad marry us, a dream we had had since we first started dating.


What made you choose Cypress Grove as your venue?
I had been researching venues way before we got engaged and found pictures of Cypress Grove on Pinterest. I was over the moon when I found out it was in Orlando. I always wanted an outdoor wedding and the amphitheater was absolutely dreamy. The first day we visited, I never wanted to leave. Trent always commented on how romantic it felt and when you were there you totally stepped away from the busy Orlando life.

Were there any challenges you faced in the planning process?
The biggest challenge we faced was whether or not to rent a tent. I was digging my heels so far into the ground on renting one. I fell in love with Cypress because of the outdoor amenities. Renting a tent and potentially have the wedding under the tent crushed me. We ended up renting a tent because this is Florida, rain is inevitable and I trusted the team to make it look just as beautiful underneath if it needed to be. My wedding was during hurricane season and it didn’t rain a drop on the day!

Any tips you’d like to share with engaged couples?
Do everything together!! Trent was with me for every single meeting. First visit to the venue all the way to our final meeting for floral. We talked everything through and he helped me find so much peace throughout the process. Also, we made a super last minute addition to have a photo booth and it turned out to be one of the best activities for our guests. It was a great way for us to look back at the night through our guest’s eyes.
Last tip ? if you’re wondering if you should have a wedding planner you ABSOLUTELY should. Wedding planners have different packages to meet your needs but I wouldn’t have been able to have the wedding of my dreams without our planner, Bonny. She took every little dream I had and made it a reality. Wedding planners know the industry and think of things that you probably haven’t even thought of.
We absolutely loved working with Cypress Grove Estate House. The staff was so friendly and truly made our day more beautiful than we could’ve ever imagined.
Xoxo,
Kim
Portraits // Sweet Moments
Portraits are a big part of the story-telling process when it comes to weddings; they capture the essence of who a bride + groom are when they’re around each other. Do you swoon over those romantic images of a bride’s veil flowing in the wind while the couple is looking deep into each other’s eyes? Or do you picture yourselves laughing and playing with each other? Figuring out what style works best for you two ahead of time and making sure you’re on the same page with your photographer will help prep everyone involved prior to the big day!
Xoxo,
Sarah