Key West Weddings

We recently performed a wedding at the West Martello Fort, also known as the Key West Garden Club. The Fort is located on the Atlantic Ocean, about 1 1/2 miles from the historic district. The lovely gardens have a gazebo, butterfly garden, small fountain and interesting architecture. There are also many varieties of cactus throughout the property. Somehow…I still don’t remember touching it…Gary and I became very “intimate” with one very prickly plant. As I plucked the fine, sharp needles from Gary’s arm…they lodged in my fingers. In fact, one is STILL in my thumb! I, in the meantime, had to perform the ceremony with several needles stuck in my back. Yes, they went through my clothing. Otherwise, we found the garden to be a very lovely setting for a wedding. And, with site fees beginning at $300.00, it fits in our “affordable” theme.

Last Sunday we had a sunset beach wedding scheduled with just the bride and groom in attendance. We love “weddings for two”. They are intimate and the couple is usually more relaxed without the worry of guests. Earlier in the week, I received a call from the bride’s sister. She expressed her disappointment that the family, especially their 85 year old father, wouldn’t be there to witness the wedding. So, as a surprise for her sister, she had a life size cardboard cut-out of Dad, along with a very touching letter, shipped to us. On the day of the wedding, we arrived at the beach early to so we could stash Dad somewhere out of sight. Just before the ceremony, we placed him in view. Needless to say, it was quite a surprise and a great way to have guests at a “wedding for two”.

Love is in the air during April and May, our peak wedding months. Throughout Key West, especially on the weekends, you will see many weddings, large and small, taking place at the beach, on boats, in historic homes, etc. In fact, since Gary and I were married in May, we are often busy performing a wedding on our anniversary. So this year we celebrated a week early at Commodore, one of our favorite restaurants for special dinners. Then, on the night of our anniversary we performed a small wedding at sunset on Smather’s beach. For me, looking at two happy faces as I performed their ceremony was a very romantic way to spend our wedding anniversary.

The “unofficial” official dessert of Key West has to be the Key Lime Pie. It is served in restaurants and shops all over the island. Many of them claiming to have the BEST KEY LIME PIE! Travelers are encouraged to spend their vacation time sampling different recipes to decide which is their favorite. Do you like meringue or whipped cream on top? Regular pie crust or graham cracker? Or maybe a bit of chocolate? Whether you are on a quest or just want to sample a piece, be sure to stop by Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Pie Shop. Along with your piece of pie, you can purchase just about any Key Lime product imaginable. Plus, seeing Kermit in his chef’s hat, poised to toss his pie at the passengers on the Old Town Trolley or anyone strolling by…is good entertainment and makes a cute photo.

There are certainly lots of superstitions concerning weddings. The most common are “it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day”…”it’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see other before the wedding”…etc. In Key West, we say it’s good luck if dolphin attend your wedding. This is a very common occurrence on our sunset sail weddings. It is not unusual for a pod of dolphin to approach us and swim along, playing in the wake of the boat. On our last sail, we were surrounded by a pod of about 8 adults and a baby. This is always very exciting, not only for the bride and groom, but even for the locals who have seen it lots of times.

Last weekend we had a sunset sail wedding aboard the Blue Ice - a 47′ sailing yacht. The days before the wedding had been unseasonably hot and a bit windy. Luckily the wedding day was cooler and very pleasant. Onboard were the bride, groom, four of their friends, the captain, mate plus Gary and I. As we left the marina, we sailed past the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. The dock was crowded with performers, vendors and waving tourists. A few even shouted their congratulations to the bride and groom. The “Southernmost Bagpiper” was in his usual position next to the Conch Fritter stand. Upon seeing our boat, he offered a special salute to the couple by playing his version of “Here Comes The Bride”. We then sailed about a mile offshore and performed the wedding on the bow. Afterwards, everyone relaxed with some drinks and enjoyed yet another amazing Keys sunset.

Last week we had the pleasure of experiencing our first Toga wedding. After months of unsuccessfully searching for a wedding dress, the bride decided to try something different. Our small group departed at 5PM for a 2 hour sunset sail aboard the sailing yacht Floridays. After sailing for about 30 minutes, I performed the ceremony at the stern of the boat. Then the celebration began. Luckily, the hard working captain and first mate had fully stocked the cooler with liquid libations. Needless to say…this group was ready to party!
TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!

The Hard Rock Cafe Key West, located in a historic mansion on Duval Street, is a great choice for wedding receptions. Their group menus are tasty, affordable and NOT just burgers. Yesterday we were invited to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe to check out their newly completed renovations. Don, the general manager, told us they spent about $400,000 overall. The upstairs rooms, used mainly for private parties, really looked great. The addition of carpet to the largest room, with a great balcony overlooking Duval Street, provides a warm overall feel. They also upgraded the tables and chairs to classic, dark wood throughout the whole restaurant. Nice improvements!

We had a few free days last week and wanted to take a short getaway. After considering MANY different destinations, which proved to be either too costly or too much travel time (thanks to the remote location of Key West) - we decided to take a cruise. Even though we enjoy the water, we had always thought cruises were not for us. The idea of being “trapped” on a boat with a thousand other people didn’t seem like a vacation. However, after speaking with our friend Ben, owner of the International Cruise Center, we decided to give it a try. Our only criteria was a short cruise on a newer ship that departed from either Miami or Fort Lauderdale. The destinations didn’t matter. Ben recommended the Norwegian Jewel departing from Miami for a 5 day cruise with stops in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We splurged and booked a mini-suite with balcony located at the back of the ship. This was the best part! We loved just sitting on the balcony, reading our books and looking at the sea. Also, by coincidence, some friends from Key West were on the same cruise. So, when we tired of the peace and quiet of our cabin, we met up with our friends in one of the MANY bars. One evening, we even had a sunset happy hour in our cabin. It was really a perfect getaway.

We schedule our sunset weddings to begin about an hour before sunset. This allows plenty of time for the ceremony and posed photos around the beach. Recently, we had a very “close call”. Sunset was at 6PM, so our meeting time was at 5PM. I received a call from the groom, saying they would be about 15 minutes late. No problem, that would still give us plenty of time. Gary and I arrived at the beach around 5PM. At 5:15…there was no sign of our couple. By 5:30 we were really getting worried. I tried the groom’s cell phone but only got voice mail. As each minute passed, we were planning our strategy. “Okay, if they arrive now, we’ll skip the beach walk and rock photos”. “Okay, if they arrive now, we’ll take a few photos first by the surf; then perform the ceremony”. The sun was sinking lower and lower. Finally, at 5:55 they arrived! They had locked their keys in the rental car and had to break the window! Then, to make it worse, they followed the rental car GPS directions, which took them the long way around the island (always consult a local map!). Luckily, it was a beautiful, cloudless evening and the sky was still bright well after sunset. Gary was able to take some wonderful photos and, most importantly, they were married!