After meeting at their college’s Ultimate Frisbee practice, it was all head over heels love and adventure for this Bride and Groom (minus a quick pit stop in the friend-zone). And that love was celebrated with a stunning Miami wedding by the sea. Crafted by RVL Event Design & Planning and Rodri Studio, it’s awash with classic details in the prettiest lavender shades. Pore through all the breathtaking ocean views and classic details behind this day so beautifully captured by Simply Sarah Photography, plus even more right here.
From the Bride… Joe, my now husband, and I have traveled around the world. We have been to Brazil, Morocco, Italy, Vietnam, Spain and more. We lived in a town in Miami called Coconut Grove where we had a tiki hut in our backyard. We have adopted pets together; I came into the relationship with a hedgehog, Charlie, and we adopted a beagle named Rosie and a fish too. But before all our grand adventures, first came a Frisbee.
Joe and I met at ultimate Frisbee practice in 2009 at the University of Miami, where we were both students. It was casual friendship at first sight. We shared many mutual friends, attended the same parties and played in Frisbee tournaments as far away as Las Vegas together without knowing what was in store. Even after our respective graduations (his in 2009 and mine in 2011), we continued to hang out as friends as we began our careers in Miami. We went on our first date in April 2012 and have had non-stop fun ever since. Falling in love with Joe was the easiest thing I ever did, which was helpful when we had to uproot our lives and move to New Jersey in 2015 for Joe’s career. When the time came to say goodbye to our Miami friends, we knew we had to do so in a big way. While running around getting ready for the going away party, Joe asked me to come help him with something in our backyard. Underneath the mango trees and next to our tiki hut, Joe asked me to marry him – or at least I think he did, because I immediately started crying after he got down on one knee. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more special and happier way to end our time in Miami. Miami was a natural choice for our wedding. It’s the city where we met and grew as a couple. Also, since I grew up in Detroit, MI and Joe in Fairfield, CT, our family and friends are geographically scattered. After about 10 months of long distance planning (shoutout to Ilse from RVL Events for making this possible), our hard work came to fruition. Our wedding day was a whirlwind and I couldn’t possibly choose just one favorite memory. Aside from getting to marry the love of my life, several standout moments include: a group of manatees hanging out in the water during our ceremony, the touching speeches given by Joe’s parents, doing the Jewish hora at the reception, and dancing with all of my friends and family who traveled from all around the US and even Europe to celebrate with us. I’ve never felt so loved as I did on that day and I will carry that feeling with me for the rest of my life! My biggest piece of advice to brides and grooms who are planning a wedding: don’t feel pressured to do every ‘wedding’ tradition under the sun – choose the ones that are special and fun for you. We skipped several traditions like bouquet/garter tosses and cake cutting, but the parent dances and hora were a must! At the end of the day, do what feels right for you both. Also, if you can afford it, hire a planner or at the very least a day-of coordinator. I would have lost it if I had to do all the last minute planning/confirming/coordinating myself and I was so thankful that on the day of the wedding, my only job was to have fun and let my planner, Ilse, know what Joe and I wanted to drink.
I would highly, highly recommend my photographer, Simply Sarah. I was very nervous choosing a photographer sight unseen and I was even more nervous that the first time meeting her would be on our wedding day. However, my fears were totally unfounded and after 15 minutes with Sarah and her husband — I felt like I knew them my whole life! They were professional but still very fun and easy going. She got our photos back very quickly, so we were able to look through them and reminisce about the best day of our lives while we were on our honeymoon!
Photography: Elizabeth Lanier Photography | Event Planning & Design: RVL Event Design & Planning | Floral Design: RodriStudio | Wedding Dress: Watters | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Caterer: Paella | Hair & Makeup: Jolure | Band: Bay Kings Band | Wedding Venue: Deering Estate