Scene Together: Couples on their Wedding Day

by Jacqueline Miller 

Rachel Palladino & Shawn Sanders

November 10, 2017 

If there is such a thing as the quintessential American couple, it just may be beautiful preschool teacher Rachel and handsome firefighter Shawn. 

Rachel is the daughter of Susan and Nick Palladino of Nashville, who are in the film and entertainment industry. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Rachel’s path would take her out of “Music City” to Sarasota where she has lots of family, including her aunt and uncle, Cafe Baci owners Denise and Roberto Mei, and her cousins Lea Mei Buchanan and Michael Mei. She now teaches preschoolers at Forty Carrots Family Center and loves every minute of it.

Shawn was born and raised in Sarasota, graduated from SCTI’s Fire Academy, and boasts a lineage that brings us back to old Sarasota. His parents are artists Rick and Diana Sanders. Shawn’s grandfather on his mother’s side was well-known Sarasota artist Bob Chase, who along with his wife, Jean, ran The Chase School of Art and Studio Gallery, which they opened in 1952. He and Jean were great friends with Marie Selby.

In honor of his dear friend Mrs. Selby, Bob, who died a few years ago at age 94, volunteered for many years at Selby Gardens, greeting visitors and telling stories of old. So when it came time for Rachel and Shawn to decide where to have their wedding, was there really a choice? It was held at Selby Gardens, of course! together together together together together together together together together

Rachel and Shawn were introduced through a good friend five years ago. While having dinner, her friend told her about someone she thought would be perfect for her. She showed Rachel a photo of Shawn and Rachel thought he was really cute. She told her friend to give Shawn her number. He called her two days later and the rest is history. Shawn proposed in December of 2016 while they were enjoying the morning on their boat. There was only one special witness to their pledge of love – their precious lab mix Sierra.

They married among family and friends and during the beautiful reception, best man Tyler Rodrigue surprised them by bringing in a firefighting ladder truck. The couple went to Sri Lanka for their honeymoon. together together together together together together together together together

Planners: Affairs in the Air and NK Productions with lead planner Rachael LaMagna; Flowers: Beneva Florist; Venue: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; Hair and Make-up: Brides by Kelly Anne; Catering: Michael’s on East; Dress: Blush By Haley Page; Photographer: Alisa Sue Photography; Videographer: Eric Welch; Officiant: Notary to go – Jen Moore; DJ: Fitz Otis; Ceremony music: IBEX productions; Invitations/all paper: Write-On Sarasota; Cake: Honeycomb Cakes; Transportation: Primetime Limos

Gabriele Vest & Justin Harris

November 18, 2017

She’s beautiful, charming and smart. He’s dashing, interesting and creative. When Gaby met Justin, it was love at first sight. For Justin, it was wait a minute (or a month), but inevitably their love was meant to be. 

The granddaughter of Dr. Gabriel and Mrs. Cora Massaro of New Port Richey, Gabriele was born in Rockville, Maryland, raised in a small town in Tennessee and attended the University of Tennessee. She moved to Sarasota to be with family, and worked her way up the ranks at Grapevine Communications, a top local public relations agency. She now serves as its vice president of business development. together together together together together together together together together

Born in Sarasota, Justin lived for nine years in Cape Town, South Africa, his dad’s homeland. At age 11, he moved to England, his mom’s homeland. After completing school, he lived for a year in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as a flare bartender (Gabriele says he’s still doing tricks in the kitchen!) and then found his way back to Sarasota. Justin designs and sells custom closets for California Closets and his mom, Nichola Derbyshire, now lives on Siesta Key. 

They met when Justin moved in across the hall from Gabriele’s downtown Sarasota condo building. She was smitten as soon as she saw him, but Justin had just ended a relationship and wasn’t ready to jump into another. They were always running into each other. Their friends started becoming friends, and the groups ultimately merged into one. They eventually went on a date and became inseparable. Six years later, the couple have a home in Lakewood Ranch and two fur babies – Lola and Huey. 

Their romantic engagement could be a Hallmark movie scene. They flew to England on a Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with Justin’s mom. They went for Christmas dinner a local event venue, where Santa arrived, visiting each table and giving gifts to the children. When Santa eventually made his way to their table and gave Gabriele a present, she was mildly confused, since only children were receiving presents. The thought of a ring never crossed her mind until, several layers of wrapping paper and boxes later, she was left with a ring box. She opened the box, snapped it closed and cried. Justin proposed, which she excitedly accepted. 

Gabriele called Selby Gardens as soon as she got off the plane. She knew that was where she wanted to get married; for her, there was no other choice. With more than 130 of their closest friends and family, they wed at the Selby Gardens gazebo, watched the sunset over the bay, enjoyed cocktails under the Banyans and danced into the night. Their wedding was everything they dreamed of.

One special touch Gabriele and Justin incorporated into their fairytale wedding is a tradition honoring Jason’s South African and English heritage. The ladies were encouraged to wear hats and fascinators to the wedding, which they excitedly did. 

The exhilaration of their wedding day didn’t end there. Gabriele had planned a very special surprise. Justin had always told her wanted a motorcycle, to which she would reply that he couldn’t get one until she got a ring. Making good on their joke, Gabriele had a 1987 (Justin’s birth year) BMW Cafe Racer custom built by Iron Thrills Motorcycle Co. in Fort Myers. Needless to say, he was shocked and thrilled. 

For their honeymoon, Gabriele and Justin enjoyed exploring, relaxing on the beach, and scuba diving in the beautiful country of Bali. 

Venue: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; Wedding Planner: Ashley Gruters, SRQtees; Photographer/Videographer/DJ & Photo Booth: Fairytale Productions; Caterer: Michael’s On East; Cakes: A Slice of Heaven; Lighting: Affairs in the Air; Florist: Flowers By Fudgie; Dress & Veil: “The Dare” by Hayley Paige from Calvet Couture Bridal; Makeup: Olivia Gibson; Invitation Design: Lisa Grasso, Grapevine Communications; Rehearsal Dinner: Louies Modern