I’ve been swimming in the sea of pretty that are these images by Sophan Theam Photography for, oh, about two hours now. And I don’t plan on leaving this gallery of coastal goodness anytime soon. Seriously. Because this wedding is simply a dream come true for any ocean-loving soul, and really everyone else for that matter. See what all my gushing is about here.
From the Bride… Once we decided to marry in a private ceremony, we shared our plans with the family and received their full blessings. Both of our families are Florida natives of several generations, so the notion of an at-sea wedding was born of our shared love for the Gulf of Mexico. We invited only 5 guests, one of whom is an attorney of the State and dear friend. He graciously accepted our request to conduct the ceremony.
We connected with the owners of a 41-foot Morgan sailboat in Sarasota. The couple who own and operate the boat enjoy a great reputation for their services, which was well-documented online, but beyond this they were so friendly and happy to work with us to create our sunset wedding cruise. Their sailboat was immaculate and so comfortable. They’re also such interesting people with amazing stories about their lives, we loved spending this day with them.
I found our photographer’s name here on Style Me Pretty and was captivated by her work. She was the only person we called. I was thrilled to learn that she was available and up for the adventure of this non-traditional ceremony. We worried that a photographer would be hesitant to take their valuable equipment on open water – but Sophan shared with us nothing but excitement for the event.
I honored my family with “something old” by wearing an ivory shawl that had belonged to my paternal grandmother. My “something new” was a delicate crystal necklace from a friend. The groom’s sister honored their mother’s memory by providing my earrings as “something borrowed”. These earrings were worn by the groom’s mother at his sister’s wedding. The final detail of “something blue” was found in my glittery baby blue pedicure. There were a few other traditional wedding details; a beautiful white phalaenopsis cascading bouquet, a sweet little coconut cake and plenty of rosé champagne. Standing alongside the tall mast of the boat, we exchanged vows and rings just before sunset as our few guests watched from the bow. The wedding cruise had a taste of adventure and elegance, but was also relaxed and easygoing – a good reflection of our personalities.
The groom wore a navy and tan suit with a maritime flag bowtie. The dress was serendipity. Over a decade ago, I had tried on (and fallen hard for) an Amy Michelson design that I never purchased. Flash forward to a few weeks before we were to set sail, when I happened upon a photo of this dress on Pinterest. Another click brought me to the listing of this never-worn gown on a bridal resale site in my exact measurements, head to toe. It arrived at my door eight days before the wedding and fit me perfectly. I consider it a wedding gift from the universe.
My now-husband and I first met while we lived across the hall from each other in a historic Davis Island apartment building named “The Ritz”, so we thought it fitting that we spend the honeymoon weekend at Sarasota’s Ritz-Carlton. The lovely people who work at this resort, at their restaurant Jack Dusty in particular, went so far above and beyond in helping us celebrate the occasion. It was the cherry-on-top of our wonderfully romantic wedding weekend. We look forward to many returns for anniversary celebrations!
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Wedding Photography: Sophan Theam Photography | Venue: Key Sailing Sarasota | Flowers: Tiger Lily Flowers | Cake: Morton’s Gourmet Market | Groom’s Attire: Anchored Style | Wedding Dress: Amy Michelson | Hair + Nails: The Bobby Pin Gallery | Makeup: Lindsay Does Makeup | Accommodations: Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota