Jessica + Koren Step Into The Limelight | The Ringling | Sarasota, FL

March 18, 2021 Rebecca Zoumberos

Get to know Jessica & Koren…

How/when did you meet each other:

Jessica and Koren met on the first day of Physical Therapy school. They became close friends when they started commuting together to Anatomy Lab. They spent hours studying together, and Koren would save Jess a seat in class and bring her snacks on their breaks. Neither Jess or Koren had intentions to date initially, however after three months of friendship, they grew close and have been together since!

How did he propose:

Koren and Jessica and their close friends were at the 2019 X-Games in Aspen to celebrate Jessica's birthday. While they were skiing, Koren and Jess took the lift to the top of the mountain where Koren got down on one knee and proposed! Koren admits that he was terrified of falling and losing the ring the whole day. Jessica was so excited that she skied down the mountain screaming "I'm engaged!"

What do you love about each other:

Jess: I love that Koren is adventurous, he is caring and generous, he always sees the best in people, he brings a sense of humor into every situation.

Koren: I love Jess’s selflessness, drive, sense of humor, patience.

Interests/hobbies you enjoy doing together:

Skiing, hiking, camping, paddle boarding, trying new foods/beers, traveling, biking and hanging with family and friends

Describe the overall story for your wedding:

We wanted to have a weekend full of activities for our guests to enjoy and spend time with us the whole weekend. We are kicking off the weekend with a catamaran cruise, then rehearsal dinner, then wedding and then Beach BBQ the day after the wedding. We value quality time very much and wanted to celebrate with everybody we love over the whole weekend.

Inspiration for your wedding location and theme:

Koren’s family is from Florida and my grandparents are comfortable with Florida so we decided to do it there. We originally were planning our wedding to be overseas as many of our family lives internationally. We decided to keep it in Florida to make it easier on our local guests. I still wanted to have international influence and for that reason I chose the Ringling as it has a Venetian style.

Their wedding day was magic! The Ringing never ceases to amaze us… and it was the perfect background for Jessica & Koren’s romantic, classic, elegant and simply gorgeous wedding. We LOVED being a part of each part of their day, from First Looks to that stunning sunset on the terrace.

Jessica & Koren, thank you so much for having us! We wish you both ALL the happiness in the world.

Lead Photographer | Dafne Spencer
Associate Photographer | Kara Lerchenfeld
Assistant Photographer | Chloe Dennis