Two Beautiful Brides Say I Do on Captiva Island
I love these Bride's for a few reasons... #1 being their ridiculously beautiful (and elated) smiles and love for one another. #2 They let their wedding location inspire the design of their day—always a good idea! and who doesn't love a beach wedding? And #3, their ceremony began with Van Morrison. But really, there is SO much more to love about their incredibly special day captured by John Cain and planned by Kelly McWilliams. I think you might find your very own favorites layered in the gallery and their words.
From the Brides... I (Frances) basically grew up on Captiva and brought Gina down there the first chance I could. Captiva is all about family, friends and fun, so it was the obvious choice! We wanted to embrace the natural landscape of Captiva; the greenery, the flowers, the natural beauty and simplicity of the island.
Our ceremony was held on the beach just before sunset. Our officiant, Lydia (Gina’s Aunt) summed up our journey together into a beautiful story to share with our guests. It was perfect. And so us. Our processional song was Sweet Thing by Van Morrison and our exit song was Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder .
The Gulf makes a pretty spectacular backdrop for everything—we didn’t want to do anything that would compete with the island’s natural beauty. It was all about celebrating our natural surroundings. After the ceremony we walked barefoot in the sand over to the reception tent . It was a gorgeous clear tent that our wedding planner Kelly McWilliams built across two of the resort’s tennis courts. Underneath the tent were long tables with green garland down the entire table and name cards with gold calligraphy on monastera leaves. The greenery/floral chandeliers and the lounge areas that surrounded the dance floor were stunning.
We wanted dinner to be served family style and the food was a hit! The menu included: beef tenderloin, linguini fra diavolo, eggplant caprese, roasted root vegetables, green salad and focaccia and olive oil. For dessert, we had 3-tiered naked cake decorated with fresh flowers (vanilla cake with fresh raspberry and chocolate ganache fillings). In addition, we had Key Lime Pie Shooters, Chocolate Peanut Butter Shooters and a variety of macaroons all provided by Show Me Love Cake Pops & Confections.
Our first dance was That Girl by Justin Timberlake, followed by our Dads giving two lovely toasts. From there, it was all about the dance floor! We knew it was a good party when the confetti cannons went off and we were crowd surfing on the shoulders of our friends! That is exactly what we wanted. A killer dance floor and party all night long! Our band was Libido, out of Miami—the absolute greatest band of all time!!! So talented. The final hour of the reception was a DJ accompanied by a live sax.
Our favorite memory of the day was our first look on the beach path, the same path we’ve walked together hundreds of times before. It was pretty special to basically take over the small resort with all of our friends and family for the entire weekend.
For our honeymoon, we went to Tulum, Mexico for a week after our wedding. We only had one week to get away and didn’t want to waste much time traveling, so Mexico made the most sense and we’ve always wanted to check out Tulum. We stayed at Be Tulum. It was paradise!
Photography: John Cain Photography | Event Planning & Design: Kelly McWilliams Celebrations, Weddings & Parties | Floral Design: Libby's Flowers | Cake: Show Me Love Confections | Caterer: Tween Waters Inn, Chef Greg Nelson | Hair and Makeup: Spa at Tween Waters | Lighting: PSAV | Officiant: Lydia Mangini | Venue: 'Tween Waters Inn | Furniture & Trees: Niche Event Rentals | Linen Rentals: Over The Top Linens | Music: Tropics Entertainment | Rental Company: Party Time Rentals
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