Nicole and Brian’s beachy, Floridian South Seas Island wedding day, captured by Kristy and Vic was filled with the blush and sage details. Their sunset portraits set against the backdrop of the gorgeousSouth Seas Island Resort made the venue a no-brainer destination wedding location.
Having a beach wedding/ wedding with water was also important to the couple since Brian had proposed on an island in South Florida! Their dreamy lawn ceremony was followed by a glamorous wedding reception with rustic details. We love that Nicole planned to re-use some of their decorations in their home afterwards, which she kept in mind when purchasing decor.
South Seas Island Destination Wedding
Love Story: We met in college through mutual friends. Brian was majoring in Finance, and I needed help in one of my math classes, so we started to become closer as he helped me study. He was so patient with me, and I really appreciated his help. After about 6 months of being friends, we decided to start “officially” dating. We’ve been together ever since! Graduating from college was tough: we are both super driven and career oriented. Since graduating from college, due our jobs, we have moved (separately and together) to 6 different states! Finally, in 2016, Brian was able to move down to Fort Myers, FL and live with me!
Proposal: Before Brian moved down to FL, he planned a romantic getaway to Miami Beach, which is where he proposed. He told me he had a (very) early breakfast planned for us. When we started walking towards the beach, I knew something was up! Brian got down on one knee right as the sun was starting to rise over the ocean. He even hired a photographer to capture the moment! Of course, I said “YES!”
Beachy South Seas Island Wedding
For my wedding dress I knew I had to go to the one place that had everything: New York City. My grandmother and I both love the show, “Say Yes To The Dress”, so we HAD to go to Kleinfeld! My experience there was fantastic, my stylist was so nice and helped us stay within our budget. I knew my dress was the one when I put it on and my grandmother cried (she knew it was the one right away!). I wanted something with lace, a long train and a dramatic back. I got all 3! My dress was really beautiful and classic. The lace was a nude/ivory color which photographed amazingly.
Our bridal party wore Watters dresses in the color “Buff”, rented from “Vow To Be Chic”. I had them all wear the same dress since they were rented, which we did this to keep costs down for our bridesmaids because of the travel expenses. Their flowers were smaller versions of my bouquet, which we reused as table centerpieces.
My garden-style bouquet was large, organic and dramatic. It was made of seeded eucalyptus, ranunculus, roses and a variety of other blush/ ivory flowers. When they arrived the day of, I was overjoyed.
My groom wore a modern grey suit, a light grey tie, and brown shoes/belt. Our groomsmen wore grey suits, with brown shoes and belts.
The South Seas Island wedding ceremony space was on a lush green lawn overlooking the Gulf Of Mexico. Tip to any bride getting married by water – we did have a boat try to crash our ceremony. Our officiant had to yell at them to go away!
I walked down the aisle to “1000 years” by Christina Perry, played on an acoustic guitar.
We performed a wine blessing ceremony, where each guest touched a bottle of wine (putting their well wished into the bottle with their touch) we brought to the ceremony for us to drink on our first anniversary.
Our South Seas Island wedding reception building had a rustic but glam feel to it, which is why we chose the resort. Large white french doors overlooked the lawn and the Gulf.
The space also had an old fireplace, which we filled with candles!
Our sweetheart table had an antique sage green chair we rented behind it. For our seating chart, we used paint on a rustic window and decorated it with flowers. It turned out really pretty!
Guest Book Alternative: We set a gold terrarium up in our entrance room, and asked that guests write us a “wish” with the provided papers and pens, then place them in the jar for us to read later. We really enjoyed having handwritten notes from each of our guests!
Bride’s Wedding Planning Lessons and Advice:
- My biggest lesson was learning that I can’t do everything. I’m only one person and I wanted to enjoy my day! This is why I hired a day of coordinator! It was the best decision my husband and I made! She took care of the last minute details for us and kept me sane the day of!
- Pick a few places where you can splurge. I knew venue and photography was important to me, so we spent most of our money there. Honestly, a beautiful venue will take a lot of the work out of decorating for you!
- Decide on those “nice to have” things, and see where you land at the end. We waited until the end to find a day of coordinator and a videographer. We knew we could have a beautiful wedding without them, so we waited to see where our budget landed before hiring them to ensure we didn’t spend more money than we intended.
- Shop around. Don’t settle for the first person who quotes you.
- For certain items consider finding talented vendors with a smaller portfolio who are just starting out. They probably do great work and they will most likely give you a better deal.
South Seas Island Wedding Vendors: Venue South Seas Island Resort // Photographer Kristy and Vic // Bridesmaid Dresses Vow to be Chic // Dress Marisa Bridals Bought at Kleinfeld // Brides Hair Studio RK // Brides Make-up Marina Nicole / // Flowers Floral Artistry Sanibel // Cake Cakes by Karen // Music Thank You For The Dance // Decor Rustic Charm // Stationery Minted // Day of Coordinator Epic Events by Booth // Shoes DSW // Suits Jos A. Bank
