Every day in Key West is beautiful, and specially the weekends when the celebration of love is solidified in the form of marriage. Shannon and Sean said their I'do's at Fort Zachary Taylor with their closest loved ones, and enjoyed their reception with the stars shinning above and the ocean as their backyard.
Shannon and Sean's Love Story:
Sean and I met while working together at an insurance company in the fall of 2013. At the company holiday party in January (where I was disappointed that Sean didn’t show), I admitted to a coworker that I had a crush on Sean. She proceeded to play matchmaker and Sean asked me out the first week in February. We ended up having our first date the next week on Valentine’s Day (unintentionally) because that Friday just happened to work for both of us and we didn’t want to push the date back another week. We like to call it our Annivalentinesary. We vacationed in Thailand for our fourth Annivalentinesary last year. Sean proposed while we were watching the sunset together at Promthep Cape, the southernmost point of Phuket, on Valentine’s Day.
Two years ago, Sean and I vacationed with my family for our friends’ wedding in Key Largo. We had a great time in Key Largo for the week, but took a day trip to Key West and had a blast. We all talked about how we wished we had spent more time in Key West! I was a swimmer growing up and the water, in particular the ocean, has always been my happy place. A beach wedding was the obvious choice for me, and Sean has a lot of family in Florida, where his mom is from. After we got engaged, we started talking about Key West, and we both agreed it would be a great fit for our wedding. When I stumbled upon Fort Zachary Taylor in my search of Key West venues, it was a no-brainer. I’m an environmental engineer and whole-heartedly support environmental preservation and conservation, so a state park was a perfect fit.
Part of the inspiration for the wedding was the venue. We wanted to keep the decorations minimal, because the venue (Fort Zachary Taylor) itself is so gorgeous. We wanted to highlight some of the local cuisine and thought a steel drummer would be a great way to set the laid-back, tropical vibe we were going for! I would say the wedding was a reflection of our styles – a little rustic, a little sophisticated, a little quirky – and truly felt magical.
The first look was really special for both of us. We also both thought it was hilarious when a Fury boat passed while we were standing at the arbor and proceeded to cheer us very loudly, in the middle of the ceremony. Really, the whole day was perfect and we had so much fun celebrating with all our family and friends.
My advice to other brides (and grooms) would be to relax and enjoy your day! I did most of the planning, but our day-of coordinator was really crucial and ensured that we were not stressing about all the little details on the wedding day. Some little things didn’t necessarily go exactly as planned, but we just rolled with it and enjoyed our day with one another and our loved ones.
Sean and I are planning on going on a delayed honeymoon next year. We are talking about visiting a few places in Europe since neither of us has ever been, but we are still working out the details! We are saving up to purchase our first home (hopefully) next year and hope to start a family in the not too distant future. And we both look forward to any excuse to go back to Key West!!!
Shannon and Sean's Love Story:
Sean and I met while working together at an insurance company in the fall of 2013. At the company holiday party in January (where I was disappointed that Sean didn’t show), I admitted to a coworker that I had a crush on Sean. She proceeded to play matchmaker and Sean asked me out the first week in February. We ended up having our first date the next week on Valentine’s Day (unintentionally) because that Friday just happened to work for both of us and we didn’t want to push the date back another week. We like to call it our Annivalentinesary. We vacationed in Thailand for our fourth Annivalentinesary last year. Sean proposed while we were watching the sunset together at Promthep Cape, the southernmost point of Phuket, on Valentine’s Day.
Two years ago, Sean and I vacationed with my family for our friends’ wedding in Key Largo. We had a great time in Key Largo for the week, but took a day trip to Key West and had a blast. We all talked about how we wished we had spent more time in Key West! I was a swimmer growing up and the water, in particular the ocean, has always been my happy place. A beach wedding was the obvious choice for me, and Sean has a lot of family in Florida, where his mom is from. After we got engaged, we started talking about Key West, and we both agreed it would be a great fit for our wedding. When I stumbled upon Fort Zachary Taylor in my search of Key West venues, it was a no-brainer. I’m an environmental engineer and whole-heartedly support environmental preservation and conservation, so a state park was a perfect fit.
Part of the inspiration for the wedding was the venue. We wanted to keep the decorations minimal, because the venue (Fort Zachary Taylor) itself is so gorgeous. We wanted to highlight some of the local cuisine and thought a steel drummer would be a great way to set the laid-back, tropical vibe we were going for! I would say the wedding was a reflection of our styles – a little rustic, a little sophisticated, a little quirky – and truly felt magical.
The first look was really special for both of us. We also both thought it was hilarious when a Fury boat passed while we were standing at the arbor and proceeded to cheer us very loudly, in the middle of the ceremony. Really, the whole day was perfect and we had so much fun celebrating with all our family and friends.
My advice to other brides (and grooms) would be to relax and enjoy your day! I did most of the planning, but our day-of coordinator was really crucial and ensured that we were not stressing about all the little details on the wedding day. Some little things didn’t necessarily go exactly as planned, but we just rolled with it and enjoyed our day with one another and our loved ones.
Sean and I are planning on going on a delayed honeymoon next year. We are talking about visiting a few places in Europe since neither of us has ever been, but we are still working out the details! We are saving up to purchase our first home (hopefully) next year and hope to start a family in the not too distant future. And we both look forward to any excuse to go back to Key West!!!
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Wedding Photography: Weddings By Romi
Caterer: Catered Affairs of Key West
Cake and Cupcakes: Key West Cakes
Flowers: Love In Bloom
Steel Drummer: Van Bertie
DJ: DJ Erika from Kiss Me Entertainment
Hair and Makeup: Talie Ayers
Lounge Furniture: Eventfully Yours Rentals
Transportation: Conch Tour Train
Wedding Coordinator: Jessica Jones
Dress: Jadore Evening
Suit Vest and Pants: Enzo Custom
Shoes: Steve Madden (Hers), Cole Haan (His)
Ring: Point No Point Studio (Hers), Blazer Arts (His)
Caterer: Catered Affairs of Key West
Cake and Cupcakes: Key West Cakes
Flowers: Love In Bloom
Steel Drummer: Van Bertie
DJ: DJ Erika from Kiss Me Entertainment
Hair and Makeup: Talie Ayers
Lounge Furniture: Eventfully Yours Rentals
Transportation: Conch Tour Train
Wedding Coordinator: Jessica Jones
Dress: Jadore Evening
Suit Vest and Pants: Enzo Custom
Shoes: Steve Madden (Hers), Cole Haan (His)
Ring: Point No Point Studio (Hers), Blazer Arts (His)
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