Key West Weddings

The name says it all - “A Simple Wedding“. That’s our specialty. However, Key West is also a great place to get married if you prefer a more extravagant event. Our friend Nadene at We’ve Got the Keys, is a wedding and event planning extraordinaire. In addition to offering her “big and fabulous” weddings, she has organized a “dream wedding in Key West” contest. You can enter to win a Key West wedding on November 11, 2011. Really, I think she has nerves of steel!

We just enjoyed lunch with Stacy Pollack, the sales manager for Margaritaville Key West. This restaurant, located in the heart of Duval Street, is an island favorite and perfect for rehearsal dinners or lively “key west” style wedding receptions. Groups of up to 50 people can reserve the balcony area, overlooking the main dining room. Thanks Stacy for a fun time and the best BIG, FAT, JUICY cheeseburger in paradise! —– Just a warning —- if you go for lunch, don’t plan to eat dinner!

With the threat of rain and a crowded beach, we survived a busy wedding weekend in Key West without a glitch. In fact, our concerns about the beach being unusually crowded with beach-goers (and their fireworks) on July 4th were unfounded. We were able to find a lovely spot for the ceremony and posed photos. And, with a little photo magic by Gary G., Smather’s beach became “private”.

Key West is a tourist town with a small town feel. Visitors come here from all over the world to enjoy the abundant sunshine, warm weather, colorful coral reef, amazing sunsets, cold margaritas and much more. Yet, behind all the typical attractions, is a cozy community of interesting and sometimes quirky people. Need some shoes repaired? Ride your bike over to Petronia Street in Bahama Village and look for the shoe shaped sign on the door. If the door is closed, just yell out “hey Fuzzy”. He’ll welcome you in to the cluttered room that serves as his workshop and home. Your eyes will travel around the dimly lit area, trying to see all the tools and memorabilia without seeming rude. And, don’t be in a hurry, because he may be in the mood to chat.

The promo materials describe his voice as “glorious” and I couldn’t agree more. Raul Malo was the highlight of this week’s Key West Songwriter’s Festival. Formerly of the Mavericks, Raul plays a mix of tex-mex, old country and a little cuban. Thanks to a busy wedding weekend, we were unable to see his acoustic performance at the San Carlos Institute. Luckily we did catch his concert under the stars on the Ocean Key Pier. His band consisted of accordion, trumpet, B-3 organ, bass and drums with Raul on guitar. This was a group of great musicians but the icing on the cake - that voice! Wow!!

It’s been a long, cold winter. Okay, well a relatively long, cold winter. Really, in my 16 plus years of living in Key West, this winter had the most consecutive VERY CHILLY days. Yes, even our wedding couples from the great, white north were feeling the chill. Typically, Key Westers spend a lot of time outdoors - walking, biking, dining and, of course, bar-hopping. However, when the temperature dropped, we all went into hibernation. Leisure time was spent indoors, reading, watching movies and cooking anything in the oven. Fresh fish? Salads? No way. Bring on the pot roast, chili and hot soup! When we finally had our first warm day - everyone came out of hiding. It was great to ride our bikes around town, see some familiar faces and enjoy a homemade ice cream (cuban coffee for Gary; cookies and cream for me) on the front porch of Flamingo Crossing. The hat and gloves are finally packed away…until next year!
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Since we are in the destination wedding business, the couples we marry are strangers to us. So, when our friends Beth and Greg decided to marry, we were honored when they asked us to help. Of course, they wanted to keep it a secret from our other friends - a tough request! Beth and I has several conversations concerning wedding locations. They considered a midnight wedding on the beach or, since Greg is a pilot with his own plane, a wedding flight at sunset. Finally, they decided to get married at sea on their sailboat. We had a great time and even helped sail the boat. During one of our conversations, Beth said “I really don’t care where…I’d marry that man standing in the driveway”. In my opinion, that comment really describes the business theory of A Simple Wedding! I do believe your wedding should be a celebration of your love and commitment.

I think it’s special when a couple adds a personal touch to their wedding. Celeste and Mandel, along with a small group of family members, arrived in Key West aboard the Royal Caribbean “Enchantment of the Seas”. Celeste’s Aunt Victoria performed a lovely ceremony on the beach. She added an African American flair by including a “Broom Jumping Ceremony”. This ceremony was performed in slave communities during the time in the U.S. when slave marriages were not recognized as legal. The groom first uses the broom to sweep away any evil. The couple then jumps the broom just before they are pronounced “husband and wife”.

All of our weddings take place outdoors, either at the beach, a boat or garden. Not a bad job! Really, we love what we do. Of course, our hours certainly aren’t 9 to 5. Most of our weddings are scheduled at sunset, which can be late in the summer months. And, we often work on weekends. So, if we have a free morning, we like to start our day with some exercise and fresh air. Maybe a long walk, light jog, bike ride or swim. One of our favorite things to do is fill a thermos with hot coffee (or grab a cafe con leche from Five Brothers), ride our bikes to the State Park, take a dip in the ocean and maybe do some bird watching. All in all, not a bad morning rush hour!
Just a note: I finally broke down and joined Facebook.

Without a doubt, tourism is the main industry in the keys. However, commercial fishing is also a big contributor to the local economy. A drive through neighboring Stock Island will reveal many working marinas crowded with boats designed specifically to catch shrimp, lobster, snapper and more. The shrimp boats, with their large outriggers, are definitely the most interesting. On a recent hot Sunday afternoon, we visited the docks of Bama Seafood. Adjoining their fish market is a new restaurant, called the Shrimp Shack. Arrive when the fleet is in dock and you can watch tons of pink gulf shrimp being offloaded from one of their boats. Step up to the window, order a pound of steamed peel-n-eats, find a picnic table in the shade and enjoy some fresh local seafood. Don’t forget the cold beer!