When you think of the beach as your “happy place” choosing a seaside destination for your Big Day is pretty much a no-brainer, especially when that seaside destination is the beautiful Naples, a locale known for breathtaking scenery and acres upon acres of glistening sand. Which is exactly the reason these two sweeties decided to leave their hometown of Chicago (in the freezing month of November!) to celebrate their nuptials with friends and family at the Naples Beach Hotel… and in some serious style, I might add. It’s one stunning moment after another, all planned by No Worries Weddings & Events and captured expertly by Lexia Frank Photography. See it all in the full gallery.
Here’s another peek at this gorgeous wedding from One Fine Day Productions…
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From the Bride… Jonathan and I met at a mutual friend’s charity event. After dating for some time, getting to know one another’s families and traveling together, a destination wedding just seemed to make sense. Plus, November in Chicago (where we call home!) can be less than ideal. When we started the planning process, we were so excited, but also completely overwhelmed! I had always dreamed of getting married on the beach; It’s just my happy place! When we finally decided on a location, off to the blogs we went! There were so many amazing ideas, but knowing that we would have to ship everything from Chicago made the logistics tricky. After a lot of searches and ideas, we narrowed our theme down to be “rustic beach romantic.” We envisioned soft fabrics in blushes, light pinks and ivories, mixed in with some DIY touches.
A few of my favorite personal touches included the ribbon drape and starfish place settings. The ribbon drape was one of my last projects, but I’m sure glad I did it. With some rope and a lot of two-inch satin ribbon in various colors, I was able to create a backdrop for the wedding processional that looked beautiful with the wind. The starfish place settings were a lot of work, but I loved the result. We printed all of our guests’ names on pearl paper, and then used a hot glue gun to attach them to the starfish. We also attached a different color ribbon to note their entrée choice. Adding in the blush chiffon (off the rack) bridesmaid dresses with the tablescape sign and I just loved how everything turned out. The perfect weather all weekend didn’t hurt either!
We highly recommend a destination beach wedding! Not only was it a four day party, but we also had ample time to talk with everyone who made the trip. Plus, being in the sun just put everyone in a great mood! I would tell other brides to take on special projects, but only as many as your stress level can handle! I was so happy with how these personal touches worked out, but adding one more thing to my plate may have put me over the edge. It was also extremely helpful to have a wedding planner. Since I was only able to get to Florida a few times, it was great to work with Paige and Kelly, two woman whose opinions I trusted. Plus, if something went wrong on the day of, I had no idea! Investing in a good photographer and cinematographer were a must for me. You put so much work into this amazing day, you want to have more than good memories once it’s over! I think I’ve looked at my photographs every single day since receiving them back from Lexia. I just keep finding little things that I missed, it’s so amazing.
Last piece of advice – book a band and book them early! They book up so quickly (especially in South Florida)! We ended up LOVING Pangea and were so happy to have them for our special day. Every one of my guests has asked us to throw another party next year! While that won’t happen, we loved every moment of our special weekend full of priceless memories.
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Wedding Photography: Lexia Frank Photography | Wedding Cake: Grace & Shelly’s Cupcakes | Floral Design: Anne Dancu from Blue Pear in Naples | Wedding Coordination: Kelly Werder and Paige Simpson of No Worries Weddings & Events | Location & Catering: Naples Beach Hotel | Band: Pangea | Officiant: Kelly Werder of No Worries Weddings & Events | Cinematography: Amy Johnson of One Fine Day Productions | Hair: Ashley Young (Chicago Based: ashleylyoung23@gmail.com) | Makeup Artist: Jayna from Hope Artistry + Kelly Fine from Trish McEvoy (The Bride) | Wedding Invitations: Smitten Boutique | Bridesmaids’ Earrings: Angel Pearls