Key West Weddings

The weather has been beautiful. Clear blue skies, 80 degrees and low humidity. I think November is one of our best months here in Key West. It is also fall migration time so hundreds and hundreds of birds are flying over the keys on their way south. Each morning we see vultures, hawks, falcons, etc riding the thermals. It is quite an amazing site. As we walk past the Key West cemetary, we spot an American Kestral perched on the top of a palm tree, looking for breakfast. Click here for a checklist of common keys birds.

Our wedding last night was at Smather’s Beach. Our couple, Chris and Patrick, were joined by two friends. The light was perfect. We were all treated to a lovely sunset. Afterwards, they headed off in their electric car for some fun at Finnegan’s Wake and then Duval Street. The sunset photo below was, of course, taken by Gary.

This weekend was the Parrothead festival. Key West was full of Jimmy Buffett fans with styrofoam parrotts on their heads. It’s a fun, yet civilized, party atmosphere. We spent a few minutes watching Mile Marker 22, a local “Buffett” sound-alike band, performing outdoors at the Conch Republic Seafood Company. The band makes margaritas onstage, using a blender powered by an old outboard boat motor.

Had another “Sail Away” sunset sail wedding last night. It’s was a lovely evening but a bit chilly for me. Temps are now dropping into the 70’s. On our return to Key West, the captain sailed us past Mallory Square. Hundreds of tourists waved and shouted congratulations to the new couple. It made a very exciting “receiving line”.

Fantasy Fest ended with the big parade on Saturday night. We strolled Duval Street in the afternoon, checking out the costumes (or lack of…), then retreated to the quiet of our home for a nice dinner. Once again I can confirm that Fantasy Fest is the place to be if you want to see your grandparents naked!

We had Sail Away weddings on Thursday and Friday night. Thursday was rainy most of the day. The forecast wasn’t looking good. We debated re-scheduling or considering an indoor option but our couple, Robyn and Louie, were determined to have their boat wedding and wanted to go “rain or shine”. Being Floridians, they understood the ever-changing weather in the “sunshine state”. It sprinkled for about the first half hour, so we all stayed under the cover in the cockpit. Then it stopped long enough to perform the ceremony on the bow and take some nice photos. There was even a little color in the sky at sunset! Luckily, Friday night was cloudy but no rain. We had a beautiful Key West sunset.

The first parties began Tuesday night. We attended the Green Party at Finnegan’s Wake - the Irish pub here in town. It was mainly locals since the tourist don’t usually arrive until today or Friday. Lots of creative costumes. Then we headed over to the Green Parrot - one of the oldest bars on the island - for the Plaid Party. Once again we confirmed our feeling that the people in this town are crazy!

These past two weeks have been a bit rainy but luckily our weddings have all been okay. However, last Saturday night was close! It was pouring rain when we were heading to Smather’s Beach. Luckily, when we arrived it was a light sprinkle. I performed the ceremony under the pavilion. After the ceremony, the rain stopped long enough for Gary to take some posed photos. After about 20 minutes, it became dark and started raining again. Whew!

We returned 2 weeks ago from our annual September trip to Maryland and New Jersey to visit family. During that time, we took a 2 week vacation to Greece. What a blast! Our favorite place was the island of Santorini. Gary tooks lots of great photographs which we hope to publish soon (we’ve had lots of weddings since our return to Key West!). Santorini is actually a very popular place for destination weddings Check out this web site. and honeymoons. Not a surprise because it’s very romantic. As soon as we publish our photos, I will post the link.

This is Fantasy Fest week so Key West will be very crazy and crowded starting Wednesday and ending Saturday with the parade. Everyone will be ready for a rest on Sunday.

Before visiting Key West, you may want to find out more about the island. Here is a great link for “just the facts” (population, crime, politics, etc): CITY TOWN INFO

The Atlantic Ocean has seemed calmer than usual for our past couple of weddings at Smather’s beach. However, the sky has a bizarre “haze” thanks to the fires in Northern Florida and Georgia. At certain times, you can even smell them. The sun is glowing behind the haze, giving the island a LITTLE break from the heat.

WATCH MOVIE****We celebrated 4 years of wedded bliss on Wednesday night.

Yet another day goes by as I try to learn the admin side of this blog stuff. My “sponge is full”…

Well, this whole blog thing is a bit of a mystery to me….