I have to say that this wedding was one of the ones that I was looking most forward to, because of the location. I grew up coming to the Florida Keys for Thanksgiving vacation and other vacations along the way. My family always stayed at the La Siesta Resort. I did notice they are also doing weddings there at La Siesta - so I'll have to reach out and let them know I do day of coordination in the Florida Keys as well! Plus how cool for a wedding day, Tuesday, 2/22/2022!!
Anyways when Vicky reached out to me for day of coordination, we chatted on the phone and found out we are both identical twin. She is from Ohio near where my husband is from! We got along super well and she hired me for day of coordination for her Florida Keys wedding at the Islander.
Her wedding was a little unconventional as they didn't hire a professional photographer. They did formal portraits up in Ohio because they just wanted to enjoy the day and the time at the cocktail hour with their friends and family. So all these photos were taken with my IPhone.
They shipped all the decor to a friends house in Florida and then brought it down to the Islander where we took care of all the setup. We set up all the centerpieces, the ceremony arch, and all personal items. She had told me about the arch before and knowing how the wind is down in the Keys. I grabbed two cinder blocks and threw them in my car before we left home. Thank goodness I did - because there is no way that arch would have stayed up - we brought fabric along as well to cover those cinder blocks. This is one of the big reasons you want to hire an experienced day of planner for your Islamorada wedding or anywhere wedding. We know what to look out for and we come prepared. I cannot tell you how many items I used in my emergency kit that day!
Their ceremony was on the North Point, cocktails on the Great Lawn, and reception on the Tarpon Terrace. Thankfully the weather was pretty perfect. There was a slight spit of rain during the reception - but so slight that no one even moved. We just cut the cake early to be sure it didn't melt. It was just a perfect wedding at the Islander.
Vicky's sons walked her down the aisle and Vicky's daughter was her Maid of Honor and walked the couples' dog Lacey down the aisle. the DJ officiated the ceremony, where they took turns every other sentence to read their vows to each other, which were super cute and personalized. Bubbles flew in the air when they were pronounced as husband and wife and took their recessional walk. As day of planners in the Florida Keys, we are there to make sure all the bubbles get handed out and we give instructions to the guests. We took care of setting up the memorial table, the sand ceremony and their whole arch.
From there, I organized some short family photos and then took the couples for a few portraits around the property of The Islander. After those pictures, the couple enjoyed cocktail hour and then it was time for the Grand Entrance. When everyone was introduced in, the buffet dinner started. After everyone ate, we did toasts, the traditional dances, and then it was party time!
The cake was made by The Key Lime Pie Lady who couldn't be any sweeter! The cake topper was beautiful and tore at my heart strings with the dog with the angel wings. The top layer of the cake is lemon, middle vanilla, and bottom chocolate. Let me tell you it was one of the best vanilla cakes I have tasted. Light and Airy and not too heavy or overly sweet.
Finally, the last two events of the night - the bouquet and garter toss. The bride's daughter caught the bouquet - she really went for it too!! The bride forgot her garter - but no worries, we have an extra in our emergency kit, so we pulled it out for her and away they went with the toss. The rest of the night was enjoying the open bar, perfect weather, and some dancing.
All in all, it was a perfect day for a wedding at the Islander in Islamorada. I really loved doing a wedding in the Florida Keys and hope to do so again very soon!
Day of Planner Florida Keys: Hakuna Matata Weddings & Events
Venue: The Islander
DJ/Officiant: The Islands DJ - Jay Floyd
Cake: The Key Lime Pie Lady
String Lighting: Keys Audio
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