Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met in 2013 while living in Los Angeles. Blaire moved from Atlanta and Chris from Dallas, both on memorial day weekend. We had no idea the other existed, it was total coincidence! We lived in LA for about 6 years before moving to Richmond VA where Chris went to law school.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
I (Blaire) grew up visiting my grandparents in Naples. They have lived in Naples as 'snow birds' my whole life. Pre pandemic, Chris and I were in Naples together for the first time. Chris had never been and we weren’t even engaged yet. However, we both agreed it would be the perfect place to get married! It’s so nostalgic for me and just so quaint and beautiful. I really wanted to share it with all of our friends and family.
How many guests did you have?
100.
Tell us about your outfits.
For the overall feel of the wedding, I was very inspired by 'old Florida' and wanted to give the event a timeless feel. I created a concept deck to keep my vision on track, It helped with every decision from wardrobe to the custom wedding artwork. A friend and talented artist drew custom wedding artwork used on our stationary, website and welcome bag goodies! Our dog, Fin, was a main feature of course!
For our outfits specifically, I wanted to pull the timeless old Florida feel together with beachy, fun elements like pearls and shells and polka dots. Each of my outfits featured one if not more of those elements. For Chris I went again for classic, timeless items with a nod to beachy vibes.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We both agreed early on that we wanted to be intentional about the traditions we stuck to. We only wanted to do things that felt meaningful to us. We didn't want to get too caught up in tradition, while not abandoning it either!
We had a private ceremony, just us, our siblings, our dog, Fin, and our officiant who is also a dear friend. Keeping it small allowed us to be as present with each other as possible and I’m so glad we did. I can remember those special moments surrounded by the calm bright blue water with the beach in the distance so vividly. Our super intimate ceremony was my favorite part of the whole weekend. We laughed and cried and got sweaty in the sun. Dolphins greeted us on our walk down the pier, I'll never forget it. After the ceremony I spotted my best friend and her family just happened to be on the beach and it was the best surprise. I got to meet her 4-month-old daughter the first time freshly married! It was so great.
Another big thing for us was creating plans that would allow our guests to feel like we were on vacation together. We wanted everyone to have the best, most fun time possible! I also really wanted our guests to get to see the different sides of Naples which inspired us to booked a private yacht for our welcome party. Naples from the water is so beautiful and getting to experience that side of Naples added an unique dimension to the weekend!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
I really wanted a vintage getaway car and had tried to find one for months before we got to Naples for the wedding and nothing worked out. Then a few days before the ceremony we were at the courthouse getting our marriage license and I spotted my dream car, a vintage cream colored Mercedes convertible! I told Chris to follow it and he thought I was crazy but did it anyway because, bride life ya know? Also totally something I would do as the bride or not! We followed the car to the beach where an adorable woman in her 20's parked and got out. I went up to her and quickly acknowledged how creepy it is to approach her like this but then explained that I’d love so much to borrow her car and why. She was very sweet (and initially creeped out) but right away agreed to let us borrow the car! I couldn’t believe it. So,after our ceremony, we walked to the end of the pier to find she was there! She totally came through and had the car parked and ready for us to take photos in. The whole thing just made me so happy! When it was time to head to the venue for the reception Chris and I left early in a car with my grandparents. Instead of going straight to the venue, we pulled up to the ice cream shop my brother and I loved going to as kids. My grandpa has a huge sweet tooth and he loved treating us to ice cream there when we visited. He had no idea we were stopping there and I think it meant a lot to him to share an ice cream cone on 'our bench' together on such a special day! We had a handful of speeches during our reception. Chris and I both spoke and it was the perfect way to share some of the emotion from the ceremony that took place that morning with our guests. The day after our wedding we were so excited to have a beach party for everyone. We reserved a private stretch of beach in front of the Ritz Carlton and served bagels and breakfast burritos and played beach games. It felt like a dream!
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Listen to your gut! Make the plans you’re most excited to make and honor what’s important to your partner. I don’t think you can fail with that combo!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
Truly all of our vendors were amazing but Alexandra Folster, our photographer was such a huge part of our weekend! She made everyone feel at ease and set such a fun tone with her incredible energy. Our florist Kaleidoscope Floral and baker Sweetified Cake were also so impressive!
Photographer + Videographer : Alexandra Folster @alexandrafolster | Ceremony Location : Naples Pier| Reception Location : Campiello Naples @campiellonaples | Celebrant : Emilio Rosas @emilioguey | Entertainment : DJ Ceron @djceron | Day of Coordination : Lisa London Events @lisalondonevents | Rentals : Niche Event Rentals @niche_events | Flora : Kaleidoscope Floral @kaleidoscopefloral | HMUA : Anna Siwak Looks by A Rose @looksbyarose | Catering + Beverages : Campiello Naples @campiellonaples | Cake : Sweetified Cake @thesweetifiedbakery | Stationery : Caroline Pinney @carolinepinneyart (Art), CEP Studio @epstudio (Design) + The Impressionist ATL @theimpressionistatl (Printing) | Blair's Ceremony Outfit: Cha Cha Linda Vintage @chachalindavtg Dress, Celine Sunglasses + Jennifer Behr @jenniferbehr Earrings | Reception Outfit : Happy Isles @happyisles_salon Dress + Valentino Heels | Engagement + Wedding Rings : Highland Diamond @highlanddiamond | Cufflinks : Chris wore his Grandfather’s