Danielle and Brian Elope! – Key West, Florida Wedding Photographer

I am so excited to share this Elopement with you all! Danielle is a wedding planner in Key Largo and had contacted me after working on another local wedding together. She and her fiance, Brian, had decided to elope to Key West! They had been planning on having a traditional ceremony and reception with all their family and friends, but once the guest list kept growing and the details of wedding planning became more and more stressful, they realized that they were losing sight of the entire reason they were getting married in the first place: their love for one another. They decided that eloping was the perfect solution. I am SO happy they did! We had the most amazing afternoon together. Such tender moments were shared between them before they were joined in marriage. They were married in the middle of a beautiful tropical garden at the Mermaid and Alligator Guesthouse in Key West, Florida, with just me and the officiant present. Their ceremony was simple and intimate, just how they wanted it. Danielle was one of the most gorgeous brides I’ve ever photographed, her smile was radiant. Afterward we spent the afternoon traveling around Key West, where they have both vacationed several times prior to their special day. They rented a scooter which Danielle had never driven before, so obviously Brian had a lot of laughs trying to teach her. We visited a couple of local secret spots and got to see what makes Key West so unique. The idea was to keep it simple and focused on each other. Just Danielle, Brian, and an occasional photobomb from Key West’s famous free-range roosters and chickens. There was no bouquet, no cake cutting (or cake at all!), or fireworks; There was just love. The day finished off with a stroll down Duval St. to have an ice cream cone in lieu of a wedding cake. When I think about their wedding day, I think about how much laughter there was and how sweet and loving they are to each other. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed spending that warm summer afternoon with these two. I wish we could do it all over again! Here is what the bride had to say:

“From the beginning of our engagement we had considered eloping to be an option, but we feared that we’d be disappointing our family and closest friends. The thought of upsetting anyone weighed heavy on us so we considered many options while enjoying our long engagement. A year and a half later it dawned on us that our wedding was supposed to be about us, our love for each other and the commitment we wished to make. The amount of stress we were putting on ourselves to try to please everyone else wasn’t worth it! We excitedly made the decision together and though it seemed somewhat selfish, eloping felt right. Brian and I had visited Key West a handful of times and share such fond memories together that is was a no brainer for us to scoot down there for our elopement. We did little research and after one phone call we had our lodging, venue and officiant booked!

Our wedding day was a total dream! We slept in and ate breakfast together – Brian went down the road and enjoyed a beer and I sipped champagne while I had my hair and makeup done. We hung out, watched youtube videos and drank more champagne. We got dressed and everything felt so natural, we were completely comfortable as we experienced the day together with no pressure. We didn’t even feel a bit of jitters! The whole day was easy, stress free and an absolute blast! We had the best time cruisin’ the streets of Key West on our scooter and eating ice cream in lieu of wedding cake! I had feared that we would look back and regret not planning a large party surrounded by our family and friends, but we don’t regret a thing. We look back on our wedding day and smile because eloping in such simple style was so perfectly us.”

A huge thanks to all the vendors who helped create this beautiful island wedding!
Venue: The Mermaid and the Alligator Bed and Breakfast
Ice Cream: Kilwins
Hair & Make Up: Casa Salon
Wedding Dress: Diane Von Furstenberg from Nordstrom
Groom’s Attire: Brooks Brothers
Scooter Rental: Island Style Rides
Officiant: Geri LaGotta with I Do Weddings

Danielle and Brian Elope! – Key West, Florida Wedding Photographer

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