Picture this for your Florida wedding:
after a short ferry ride, you open your eyes, surrounded by wild peacocks, private beach, and a gorgeous French chateau. What is more romantic than saying I Do on a private island?
I am thrilled to finally be able to share this Florida wedding with you as it is published on
Carats and Cake today!
[line]Fisher Island was the perfect setting to give Kaye, Scott, and their guests a European destination feel. It reminded the bride of her trips to Nice, the French city that sits sweetly on the country’s shoreline. Keeping with that relaxed feel, our consistent theme for the wedding was “carefree sophistication”.
![This Ines diSanto dress was displayed beautifully behind the Fisher Island club bridal villa](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-161.jpg)
So let me tell you about Kaye. She’s a goddess. Really. Have you ever met someone whose picture could be next to a word in the dictionary? Kaye’s would be “kind”.
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/000081290016-scaled.jpg)
Kaye exudes this effortless elegance that we were somehow able to bottle up and embody into her wedding day. The best part about working this wedding was that I had clients who trusted me to make their vision come to life. During our creative meetings, I was given some words, some ideas, some wants, some needs, and some “must not haves”. At Oh My Occasions, we specialize in a process we call Vendor Matching, which means we pair our clients with a team of vendors that match their styles and personalities. I was quickly able to handpick a combination of creatives who I knew would we perfect for this wedding. [line]
With guests coming in from all states and countries, it was important for us to create a destination feel from the start. Guests received filled letterpress invitations by
IBA Paper Goods. We worked to find the perfect font balance of a romantic swirl script and a timeless caps. Wording like “wouldn’t miss it for the world!” was chosen as a reflection of the easygoing personalities both Kaye and Scott radiated.
Each guest received a welcome box upon arrival. Setting the tone for the rest of the weekend’s pampering, the craft gable boxes featured a custom wedding logo that repeated itself on each TicTac container and water bottle. Inside, guests found matching wedding color koozies, energy drinks, mini alcohol nips, Advil packets, bags of popcorn and chips, a thank you card with wedding weekend agenda, and a history card with information about the island. Having a Florida wedding at a historic mansion was made a little but more fun by adding some facts about the venue.
![Each guest received a craft gable box with a custom wedding logo sticker, and all sorts of goodies for this Fisher Island Club Florida wedding](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-123-e1516657363294.jpg)
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-128-1-e1516657643488.jpg)
The next morning, the entire island was preparing for the Sowder-Dixon wedding! The native peacocks began their morning (read: they loudly made their presence known).
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-98.jpg)
It was late May, and just happened to be the season of baby peacocks! If you haven’t seen one before, Google it now. I’ll wait. Now, I’m a true believer in signs and life occurrences really coming full circle, so it was no surprise to me that a mother peacock and her chicks sat right outside Kaye’s window THE ENTIRE MORNING while she had her hair and makeup done. The birds are super meaningful to Kaye and her mom, so it was really neat getting to watch them proudly display their colors at the perfect photo ops. One showed up here.
Can you spot it here?
Their son, Kennedy, even got a private reveal, and I don’t think I have a more favorite picture than this one!
(Okay, I actually have like 2798654 favorite pictures from this wedding because why not, when you have a breathtaking bride and an
uber talented photographer?!)
The wedding party rented all of the hotel villas at the mansion, so it only made sense to take some photos in the villa courtyard!
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-175.jpg)
This Florida wedding in May was HOT but with refreshing drinks and gorgeous atmosphere, no one was complaining! Guests were seated while live music played. We used a mixture of geometric gold vases and concrete pieces for a natural-meets-trendy combination that worked out beautifully.
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-386-e1516752800147.jpg)
The bridal party walked out from the mansion library. The flower girl carried a cute pomander in a custom dress designed from Etsy with matching wedding colors
![The cutest flower girl outfit featured tons of tulle in the wedding colors and a pomander ball](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-458-2.jpg)
while the ringer bearer (Kennedy) held a wooden sign, before squealing with delight and sprinting toward his dad.
![The ring bearer excitedly runs down the aisle once he sees his dad!](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-469-2.jpg)
Kaye and her father walked under a draped archway and chandelier by Petal Productions.
![The bride walked out from a draped and chandelier archway](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-476-2.jpg)
A longtime family friend, Dr. Don Verhulst, officiated the ceremony while another close friend, Howard, shared a personalized reading.
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-504.jpg)
For the perfect European touch, guests were asked to sign an authentic antique poetry book with their wishes for the couple. “Share your kind words | That we’ll look on for ages | Write from your heart | On these poetry pages”
I loved that this book would incorporate the ultimate collection of love poetry
and the sentiments from their loved ones who came from all over the world.
![The wedding sign in book was an antique poetry book where guests would write their words of wisdom and well wishes for the bride and groom](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-349.jpg)
![The wedding sign in book was an antique poetry book where guests would write their words of wisdom and well wishes for the bride and groom](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-358.jpg)
Next to it was a vintage suitcase where guests could drop their gifts and cards.
Guests were then escorted to the outdoor terrace for dinner. In keeping with a slow reveal of all event spaces, the guests filed out through a single door to find themselves underneath a white draped tent with glowing romantic candlelight and glistening chandeliers.
![The fisher island club terrace was carpeted and tented with beautiful white draping and chandeliers](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-679.jpg)
Keeping with our mauves, grays, and champagnes, I chose textured linen and designed overlays to add a delicate touch. The white pearlized charger plates and satin ivory napkins added a tiny element of sensualness and modern sheen.
Tucked into the napkin’s pocket fold was a deckle-edged menu complete with course written in French. It really felt like these were pages torn from an old French diary!
![The menus featured french words and were printed with filled letterpress](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-683.jpg)
![The fisher island club terrace was carpeted and featured a mix of long royal tables and round guest tables. The centerpieces used eucalyptus and wood boxes for a very French feel. Glass vases added a clean and modern touch | fisher island club, fisher island wedding, south florida wedding planner, florida wedding](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-703.jpg)
The asymmetry of the tall pieces and the low cluster of wood boxes and arrangements provided this incredible sense of authenticity and true French laissez-faire attitude. While their guests were at cocktail hour, I escorted Kaye and Scott into a room to spend some time together and savor the special and private moment. I presented them with a gift, which was a custom drawing I commissioned for them.
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-758.jpg)
![The martini bar opened up for guests on Fisher Island at this Florida wedding. Here's the bride holding the super yummy espresso martini!](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-1065.jpg)
The lower Terrace housed a French lounge of beige couches and wood accents where the guests could smoke their hand rolled cigars from a Cuban master roller. ![The lower terrace at the Fisher Island club mansion featured a French lounge full of wood elements and upholstered champagne furniture](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-719.jpg)
![The French lounge was across from the dancing and dining for guests who still wanted to see the party while being able to relax](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-1114.jpg)
Just up the stairs was a speakeasy accessible only by a password. I proposed this idea to Kaye, who loved this element of surprise. Side note: I love brides who aren’t afraid to take these creative chances and HAVE FUN! After the toasts, we announced that to gain access to the bourbon and bacon bar, you had to have the right word. We secretly chose the phrase “Big Daddy” (which is the father of the bride’s nickname) and soon enough, guests were giggling and passing it on. With the right phrase, guests had their choice of four bourbons and multiple dipped bacon flavors. Next to the cigar roller was a giant fishbowl filled with custom cigar matchsticks. ![This bourbon bar featured 3 types of bacon and doubled as a speakeasy where guests had to give a password before getting their drinks](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-953.jpg)
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-955.jpg)
![The couple had custom match boxes made in their wedding colors and gold foil](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-1115.jpg)
This gorgeous custom cake was created by the talented Elegant Temptations team. The blush fondant was such a subtle hue that complimented the edible gold foil and real flowers. For an extra destination island feel, we chose coconut and vanilla rum flavors. Cue the mouth watering.
![Pink and gold wedding cake. This cake was designed by Elegant Temptations and featured blush fondant, edible gold foil, and real flowers. Guests enjoyed the vanilla rum and coconut flavors](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-753.jpg)
![Cake cutting on Fisher Island!](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-976-2.jpg)
We worked with the amazing, and oh so sought after, Hudson Project band from Elan Artists. Since Scott works in music, it was imperative to find the right musicians and artists who could properly execute the type of music Kaye and Scott desired (everything from Boz Scaggs to Bruno Mars) ![The Hudson Project band playing on Fisher Island](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-777-2.jpg)
At midnight the band led a conga line back into the mansion for the after party where guests again saw the Havana nights theme play out. One of Miami’s top DJs finished the night out in true “party after dark” style. Displayed were all sorts of late night bites like chicken and waffles, sliders, and donuts! With a quick bridal outfit change into something more comfortable, Kaye and Scott, and all their friends danced until 2am celebrating the new Mr. and Mrs. Dixon!
![](https://ohmyoccasions.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20926/2018/01/EDP-946-2.jpg)
I have the best brides.
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