Beautiful Destination Wedding in Islamorada

This beach wedding right here is the stuff poems are made of. Caitlin and Zach made their way to Islamorada, a Florida island, for a destination beach wedding to rival all others. With Gianny Campos doing camera duty, Floral Fantasy arranging incredible floral designs, and Island Life Events making sure everything went off without a hitch, it’s no wonder this day turned out as beautiful as it did!

From the bride, Caitlin: Our wedding day was everything that we wanted it to be and so much more! From the beginning Zach and I agreed that we wanted our wedding to be an intimate, laid back, and fun celebration with our closest family and friends. Our top priorities were delicious food, plenty of alcohol, and a DJ that would keep everyone on the dance floor all night. Zach gave me free range on the décor and logistics – scary! I envisioned a private oceanfront venue where we could have the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in one location. I have so many special childhood memories vacationing with my family in Islamorada and I knew it would be the perfect destination to share with our family and friends. I got to work researching every small resort and private residence for rent in Islamorada (luckily it’s a small island). I found Sea Ranch Estate on a photographer’s website and it was almost too good to be true. It had everything we wanted and we could stay there the entire weekend. Once we decided on the venue, everything fell into place.

During the planning stages it was difficult to describe my wedding vision because I loved so many different styles. I started with a list of everything I loved and made a vision board with inspiration pictures – coral and pink peonies, natural fiber table runners, mismatched candleholders and vases, wood tables and chairs, vintage lounge furniture, gold accents, delicate ribbon, modern calligraphy, and glimmering bistro lights. One by one we came up with personal details so that the entire day would feel unique to us. I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of the song that was playing when Zach proposed. One of my best friends read a poem that was also read during my sister’s wedding ceremony. We wrote our own vows. The bartenders served his and hers signature drinks. Our amazing calligrapher created custom invitations, signs, place cards, programs, koozies, and more. The DJ played lots of Taylor Swift at my request!

Planning a destination wedding is no easy feat. It can be stressful and difficult to coordinate, especially if you are a procrastinator like me. Our Coordinator, Liz at Island Life Events, was an absolute saint and we could not have pulled it off without her! She endured numerous emails, texts, and last minute decisions like a pro. She was knowledgeable about Islamorada, put us in touch with the best vendors, and handled everything that we asked for and more. We were beyond lucky when it came to our vendors. Every single person was professional, laid back, hard working, caring, accommodating, and talented. Our wedding day was more fun, special, and beautiful than we ever imagined. When I first saw everything set up I could not believe my eyes! Everything came together and our photographer Gianny Campos captured every moment and detail with perfection. Zach and I are forever grateful for everyone that was a part of our wedding day. It was the perfect celebration of our love for each other and we will cherish the memories forever!