An intimate vintage inspired affair has SMP written all over. Especially when Alyssa Morgan Photography is behind the lens of a fabulous destination fete filled with old world glamour. From the gold stars adorning the dance floor, to the Hemingway favors, endlessly elegant touches honored their love and make this fete simply unforgettable.
From the beautiful Bride… Our favorite part of the day wasn’t necessarily the ceremony or the reception, but the people who were there to share the day with us. For both George and I, we truly believe it’s the people that make the party and we were absolutely blown away that our family and friends genuinely had just as much of an amazing time as we did. Being that it was a destination wedding, the guests who chose to celebrate with us weren’t in attendance simply because they were invited, but because they wanted to be there. Looking back we still feel so overwhelmed and blessed by how much love and support we had from our friends and family, and that the people in our lives truly love and support us so unconditionally. We pinch ourselves every day when we think of how lucky we are.
George and I were big fans of the show “Boardwalk Empire” and always knew we wanted a vintage feel to our wedding. We also knew that we wanted to keep the wedding as intimate as possible, and create a scenario where our guests would have just as amazing of an experience as we would, which is why we decided to do a destination wedding in Key West, Florida. I had visited Key West with my mother years prior to our engagement, and the charm, intimacy, and rich history of the location had always stayed with me. So after George proposed, I just knew it was the perfect place to share the personal experience of our wedding in combination with a great experience of place and retreat for our guests.
We rented out bed and breakfasts for our guests to keep the quaint and unique essence of the island and being that it was Key West, it only seemed right to add a little “Hemingway” flair to our wedding. George and I both love the book The Old Man and The Sea, and have fond memories of reading it together while on vacation in Aruba. And although Hemingway isn’t exactly the ideal example of good marriages (haha), we felt this was still a great way to connect our memories from Aruba and our love of Hemingway’s writing with the historical essence of Key West.
Taking this inspiration further, we modeled our wedding off of the lavishness of of the 1930’s, the prohibition era (there’s that Boardwalk Empire influence again), and Ernest Hemingway’s lifetime. We chose gold as our color and went with heavy greenery instead of an abundance of flowers. With all the green it just felt more tropical, and had a little bit of a ‘hidden garden’ feel. We modeled one of our signature drinks after a recipe Ernest Hemingway used himself and loved to drink. Finally, we gifted each of our guests with books by Hemingway.
Looking back at the beauty and overall feel of the day, the whole weekend in fact, it felt like the perfect compromise between what people expect from a wedding and expressing who George and I truly are as a couple. It was magical!
From Destination Wedding Studio... I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And it’s these things I’d believe in…” When Lillie’s maid of honor shared this Gatsby quote, she captured the essence of this bride perfectly.
Lillie is an artist in her own right and immediately I knew that we were going to have fun planning and designing her wedding. In collaboration with the bride’s mother, who was fabulous, we took Lillie’s vision and detailed it as much as possible to truly capture the essence of the 1930’s while never forgetting what a wedding should be about: family, friends, traditions and love.
From the gold stars above to the Hemingway book for each guest, Lillie and her mother searched endlessly to find just the right touches to not only honor Lillie and George as a couple but to honor from there they came. From the first day I met them until the very last song, Lillie and George were and still are unforgettable.
Photography: Alyssa Morgan Photography | Event Planning: Destination Wedding Studio | Floral Design: Milan Events | Wedding Dress: Jenny Packham | Cake: Amazing Cakes And Creations | Invitations: Minted | Ceremony Venue: St. Paul's Episcopal Church | Reception Venue: Casa Marina | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Groom's Attire: Timmy Tuxedo | Boutique: Everthine Bridal Boutique | Bowties : Bowtie Boutique | Music: Brian Roberts