Whimsical, Colorful Key West Garden Club Wedding With Love Birds Regan and Dan
Are you ready for a very colorful, whimsical garden wedding? I know I was. First when I met Regan she saw my underwater images at one of the restaurants in Key West and decided to call me when she got engaged to Dan! We created underwater photos for her wedding invitations and had so much fun doing it.
To see them printed made me super excited and happy!
Her wedding date was set for a year later but unfortunately some events happened so it had to be postponed. When I got Regan's email that her and Dan were finally planning their wedding again, I knew it was going to be an unforgettable event!! I was right!
We immediately felt like part of the family and it was very hard to select just some of the images for this wedding blog.
Key West Garden Club aka West Martello gave us many options for the perfect wedding backdrop with lots of greens and ocean colors.
I asked Regan a couple of questions for the blog.
1. How did you two meet, who proposed and how?
It's the 4th of July weekend 2013.... I had just moved full time to Key West that March. Dan was living in Ohio and a friend suggested a trip down to Key West for the 4th and they thought, why not!. Meanwhile, Dan's younger brother Matt had just started dating my younger sister Jourdan. Dan remembered Matt's girlfriend's family lived in Key West so, he figured he might want to invite Matt and his girlfriend (my sister) to come too. I didn't know many people yet so, when my sister called to say, she and her new bf (plus his brother and friends) want to come down for the 4th, I was stoked! It turned into a group trip and everyone came over to our parents house to swim and that's when Dan and I met. The group adventured around Key West all day but we found ourselves sitting next to each other watching the fireworks glisten over the Atlantic by nightfall. That's why we say we saw fireworks when we meet... it was literal and figurative because we fell in love that weekend!
Fast forward to March 2017.... Dan and I lived together in Key West and had taken on a major project of renovating our own piece of paradise here on the island. After months of working on the house night and weekend we were ready to move in! We were stressed and exhausted but excited for our first night in our new home together. We were sweaty from moving all day, looked a mess and dead tired when Dan pulled the scooter over at the nature walk that overlooks the Beach. He said, "lets just take a moment and watch the sunset and unwind before we head home and start unpacking. I was in a daze and up for any procrastination! We walked to the end of the deck and he just hugged me from behind while we watched the sun start to set over the Atlantic. I was so tired I almost didn't register that he has started saying how excited he was for us to start this new chapter together. He continued with more sweet sentiments and I felt him move away from me so I turned to look at him and he was teary. I went numb and all sound faded away as he lowered to his knee. I could see his mouth moving and a stunning ring presented in a driftwood box. A few seconds went by and then I said, "That box is awesome!". Now, we were both flustered and I quickly said, "I mean, YES!. Of course, I'll marry you! and the ring is perfect!". We both giggled and hugged and continued to cry tears of happiness as we held each other watching the sun fade beyond the horizon.
2. Why did you choose Key West Garden Club for your wedding venue?
We both love plants, nature and the garden club is one of our favorite spots on the island for both the surreal magic of the grounds and incredible views looking out onto the Atlantic! We knew we wanted to get married there and it was better than we ever dreamed!
3. What was your inspiration for the wedding?
We are both laid back islanders now so we wanted the night to incorporate a Boho Beach feel. We wanted a relaxed environment that brought everyone together for a whimsical, tropical night by the water.
4. Describe some of your favorite moments at the wedding.
Our vows.... we were so nervous to speak such intimate feelings in front of our family and closest friends but once we were up there everyone else faded away and we connected in a moment more meaningful and surreal than we could have ever expected!
Dinner....we remember looking down the long head table at our family, friends and the magical scene created with decor, lights, lush gardens, and the exquisite sunset feeling so blessed in this ethereal moment.
Toasts.... my dads toast left me speechless. The feelings he shared were incredible
5. What advice would you give to other brides?
Write your own vows.... we were both nervous and put ourselves under a lot of pressure to make sure we said what we wanted to share with each other but that moment was so incredible and more special than either of us expected that we will likely go back to it time and again through the hardest and happiest situations throughout our life together.
6. What are your future plans? Honeymoon? If you had a honeymoon, tell me what you loved the most.
We left that weekend for Italy. I planned the wedding and Dan planned the honeymoon..... it was perfect! We each poured so much of our selves into planning these events for each other that they both exceeded our expectation! We bounced around the country but Venice and Florence were our favorite cities We were both in awe of the history come to life through the architecture. Yes, the food and wine are an incredible as everyone says! We will definitely go back to other cities and continue the adventure.
To see them printed made me super excited and happy!
Her wedding date was set for a year later but unfortunately some events happened so it had to be postponed. When I got Regan's email that her and Dan were finally planning their wedding again, I knew it was going to be an unforgettable event!! I was right!
We immediately felt like part of the family and it was very hard to select just some of the images for this wedding blog.
Key West Garden Club aka West Martello gave us many options for the perfect wedding backdrop with lots of greens and ocean colors.
I asked Regan a couple of questions for the blog.
1. How did you two meet, who proposed and how?
It's the 4th of July weekend 2013.... I had just moved full time to Key West that March. Dan was living in Ohio and a friend suggested a trip down to Key West for the 4th and they thought, why not!. Meanwhile, Dan's younger brother Matt had just started dating my younger sister Jourdan. Dan remembered Matt's girlfriend's family lived in Key West so, he figured he might want to invite Matt and his girlfriend (my sister) to come too. I didn't know many people yet so, when my sister called to say, she and her new bf (plus his brother and friends) want to come down for the 4th, I was stoked! It turned into a group trip and everyone came over to our parents house to swim and that's when Dan and I met. The group adventured around Key West all day but we found ourselves sitting next to each other watching the fireworks glisten over the Atlantic by nightfall. That's why we say we saw fireworks when we meet... it was literal and figurative because we fell in love that weekend!
Fast forward to March 2017.... Dan and I lived together in Key West and had taken on a major project of renovating our own piece of paradise here on the island. After months of working on the house night and weekend we were ready to move in! We were stressed and exhausted but excited for our first night in our new home together. We were sweaty from moving all day, looked a mess and dead tired when Dan pulled the scooter over at the nature walk that overlooks the Beach. He said, "lets just take a moment and watch the sunset and unwind before we head home and start unpacking. I was in a daze and up for any procrastination! We walked to the end of the deck and he just hugged me from behind while we watched the sun start to set over the Atlantic. I was so tired I almost didn't register that he has started saying how excited he was for us to start this new chapter together. He continued with more sweet sentiments and I felt him move away from me so I turned to look at him and he was teary. I went numb and all sound faded away as he lowered to his knee. I could see his mouth moving and a stunning ring presented in a driftwood box. A few seconds went by and then I said, "That box is awesome!". Now, we were both flustered and I quickly said, "I mean, YES!. Of course, I'll marry you! and the ring is perfect!". We both giggled and hugged and continued to cry tears of happiness as we held each other watching the sun fade beyond the horizon.
2. Why did you choose Key West Garden Club for your wedding venue?
We both love plants, nature and the garden club is one of our favorite spots on the island for both the surreal magic of the grounds and incredible views looking out onto the Atlantic! We knew we wanted to get married there and it was better than we ever dreamed!
3. What was your inspiration for the wedding?
We are both laid back islanders now so we wanted the night to incorporate a Boho Beach feel. We wanted a relaxed environment that brought everyone together for a whimsical, tropical night by the water.
4. Describe some of your favorite moments at the wedding.
Our vows.... we were so nervous to speak such intimate feelings in front of our family and closest friends but once we were up there everyone else faded away and we connected in a moment more meaningful and surreal than we could have ever expected!
Dinner....we remember looking down the long head table at our family, friends and the magical scene created with decor, lights, lush gardens, and the exquisite sunset feeling so blessed in this ethereal moment.
Toasts.... my dads toast left me speechless. The feelings he shared were incredible
5. What advice would you give to other brides?
Write your own vows.... we were both nervous and put ourselves under a lot of pressure to make sure we said what we wanted to share with each other but that moment was so incredible and more special than either of us expected that we will likely go back to it time and again through the hardest and happiest situations throughout our life together.
6. What are your future plans? Honeymoon? If you had a honeymoon, tell me what you loved the most.
We left that weekend for Italy. I planned the wedding and Dan planned the honeymoon..... it was perfect! We each poured so much of our selves into planning these events for each other that they both exceeded our expectation! We bounced around the country but Venice and Florence were our favorite cities We were both in awe of the history come to life through the architecture. Yes, the food and wine are an incredible as everyone says! We will definitely go back to other cities and continue the adventure.
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Wedding Photography: Weddings By Romi (two photographers)
Wedding Location: Key West Garden Club (West Martello)
Catering: Catered Affairs ( Martina)
Wedding Floral : Greg Slowiak
Wedding Officiant: Aaron Wechter
Music/Band: The Bay Kings Band
Wedding Planner : Simply You Weddings ( Desiree De La Oz)
Wedding Location: Key West Garden Club (West Martello)
Catering: Catered Affairs ( Martina)
Wedding Floral : Greg Slowiak
Wedding Officiant: Aaron Wechter
Music/Band: The Bay Kings Band
Wedding Planner : Simply You Weddings ( Desiree De La Oz)