This Florida Keys wedding has the cutest, four-legged bridal party we ever did see! Because the couple loves spending time with their pups – they were even essential in the proposal story! – including the dogs in their wedding day was a no brainer. Decked out in bow ties and a floral wreath, the fur babies served as the couple’s attendants, and the result is adorable! Care Studios captured the al fresco affair, and if you’re experiencing puppy love like we are, head to the gallery for even more!
From the Bride… My favorite thing about Cort has to be his easy going attitude towards life. He always has his eye on the bigger picture and keeps me calm when I’m stressed or worried about something. We effortlessly love each other even when spending all of our time together. What makes us such a great match is our friendship. He travels two weeks a month for work, so when he’s home, we try to hang out as much as possible – this mostly evolves around our dogs, but we like to run or play tennis too. We also enjoy traveling! This past year we went to Napa, Aruba (where he proposed), Las Vegas, Naples, and the Keys a few times for wedding planning.
The best story has to be how he proposed. It took a lot of planning and preparation. He knew he had to include our dogs somehow in the proposal. He decided to propose in Aruba and enlisted the help of my neighbor to craft a creative proposal that incorporated our pets. They came up with the four dogs holding a sign that read, “Will you marry me?” and placed it on a card. While in Aruba, Cort took me to the Renaissance Private Island to get a couple’s massage in a bungalow hut over the water. Once the massage was complete, the masseuse handed me a packet. In the packet was the card with the 4 dogs and a china egg that my dad used to propose to my mom! I knew exactly what that egg meant, and the card was the perfect way to ask.
Cort is from Columbus, Ohio and I’m from Vermilion, Ohio. I used to work in Fort Myers, Florida, but after we met on Match.com, I changed jobs and moved back to the Columbus area to be with him. When I was in the middle of changing jobs, Cort took me to the Keys for a weekend getaway and celebration. For that reason, the Florida Keys have a special meaning to the both of us, so it was a natural choice for our wedding.
We knew we wanted a small wedding with just our families (including our four-legged family members). Finding a venue that allowed dogs and that our families would enjoy was a priority for us. Our wedding planner, Julia, from Blue Water Weddings, found a realtor who showed us a few homes available to rent. It was perfect seeing the homes with Julia because she could visually walk us through the layout for the wedding.
Julia really made the wedding planning process simple and easy. I showed her a few pictures from Pinterest, and we discussed things I liked and didn’t like. She built the whole wedding around my few pictures and our conversation. As the date got closer, I found a few things that I liked that we were able to incorporate in the wedding (including the Groom’s cake and buckeyes). We also had shirts made for our guest to take and remember the day! The shirt manufacturer created cartoon characters of our dogs, Teddy and Tiller! My hair and makeup was done by Linda Schonning, the owner of Florida Keys Bridal Team, and Ana Baidet did the makeup for the Bridesmaids.
The whole day was special, but what really stands out to me is the walk down the dock with my dad and saying my vows to Cort. The vows and first dance are what stand out in Cort’s mind.
Photography: Care Studios | Event Planning: Blue Water Weddings | Floral Design: Studio South | Wedding Dress: BHLDN | Cake: Unique D'lites | Shoes: Jack Rogers | Catering: Chef Michael | Hair and Makeup: Florida Keys Bridal Team | DJ: Reel Ting | Groom's Attire: Brooks Brother | Officiant: Lisa Bradeen | Venue: Private House | Dogs' Bow Ties: The Petal And Bow
