Destination UK Wedding in Keyย Largo
Although I’ve always wanted to shoot a UK wedding, the next best thing is when I have my amazing UK couples join me in the states for their destination wedding! Jennifer and Graham made the journey across the pond to get married in sunny Key Largo Florida.ย It completely made sense for them to start their new journey together both literally and figuratively – with a journey across the world!
After knowing Jen via email over the past year, I feel like we’re a bit of the same person. With an intense love for the Golden Girls and all things pretty, Jen and I have email-bonded overย just about everything!
Jen & Graham
So first, let’s talk about this gorgeous couple and how they came to be! Jen, a Texas girl working it Atlanta, met Graham, working in the UK office through email working for the same company! Although the chatted every day through email, they didn’t actually meet until a year laterย when Graham came to the US for a business trip.
I love how Jen described their courtship! “As I was in Atlanta and Graham in London with two beautiful young girls, we were forced to be 3,000 miles apart. We survived on letters and say we had a courtship like our grandparents generation… through writing and really getting to know each other.”
Graham proposed in Texas over Thanksgiving while they were visiting Jen’s family. From there, they started planning and knew immediately that they wanted to share their wedding day with friends and family in Florida!
“We both share a passion for travel and we both love the ocean so we wanted to bring all of our guests to the place that felt like our second home away from home. Florida is where our love story began, where both of us have lived, was our first holiday together, and it’s where we always knew we wanted to have our wedding overlooking the ocean. So our wedding is best described as the perfect mix of us; relaxed and elegant. We are certainly going to incorporate his British heritage with my Texan-ness!” ย
The Wedding Day
After choosing Playa Largo Resort and Spa for their destination wedding, they were super excited to bring their 65 guests to enjoy the sun and sand of the beautiful Florida Keys. An outdoor ceremony under the gazebo was followed by a beautiful and intimate ballroom reception with plenty of dancing!
During the ceremony, Jen said vows to Graham’s 2 daughters, who weren’t able to attend from London. It was one of my favorite moments of the entire day. But! The most incredible thing happened during their ceremony and I have been DYING to share it. During part of the ceremony when the officiant said a prayer – I can’t remember the exact words, but it was something to the affect of saying the names of both Jen and Graham’s fathers. Both have passed and it was an especially sweet moment of appreciation for them. Right as the officiant said Jen’s dad’s name, a slight gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew her blusher veil (that she was wearing over her face) right off! I brought it up to her after the ceremony, and she told me that right before she was about to walk down the aisle, she asked her father for a sign that he was there with her.ย It was one of my favorite moments I’ve ever experienced at a wedding, and I’m so glad it happened at theirs!
The Honeymoon
Aww… you thought I’d post all the good-goodย from their dream honeymoon to the Philippines? Nope, sorry! Instead, I’ll tell you how they bought their dream home in London and are starting their forever-honeymoon together!
Nowย how about me? Well, on their wedding day, I was greeted by Jen with the cutest gift! A chocolate bar from London and a double-decker keychain – to remind me that their home is always open for me to come visit! If that isn’t the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard, let me just take a moment to share why Jen and Graham chose me for their wedding day (because it’s my blog and I want to brag – lol):
“They always say other than the marriage, what is one of the most important things to you and for us… that’s memories. Photography for us is most important thing to us when selecting vendors so I actually started looking before we were even engaged! I was searching “America’s best photographers” and I searched for over a year… I had a very specific eye I was looking for. I wound up finding you about 11 months later and your style, your talent and you were just so amazing, I knew you were going to be the one for us! Editing is just as important as the talent and you, my dear, combined both! ย When we got engaged, the first thing our budget did was make room for you… I think your kind spirit just shines through your work and I had a connection with you from day one! We sincerely can’t wait to meet you and your hubby!”
Featured on Destination I Do! Go check it out!
Vendors:
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Planner: Key Destination Events
Venue:ย ย Playa Largo Resort and Spa, Key Largo, FL
Makeup: Courtney Montes
Hair: Playa Largo Spa
Floral Design: Ever After Floral Design
Videography:ย James Rayner Films
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Cake Artist: Maggie’s Bakery
DJ: Liquid DJs
Bridesmaids: ย Watters Maids
Wedding Gown:ย Eve of Milady
Linens:ย Keys Audio Party Rentals
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