I want to become a society lady Rockin' a new rock?!

Melissa and Louis made it a point to really personalize their wedding day at Casa Ybel in Sanibel, Florida. They enlisted Fabulously Chic Weddings to help them reflect their personalities with a weekend of festivities that included decked-out, custom welcome bags, a, ice cream sunday bar, steel drums, lawn games and more. Birhgt and happy peachy-hued peonies and cabbage rose arrangements were by Floral Symphony , watercolor invitations by Creative Expressions and a cake by Lady Cakes. See all the details in these lovely photos by For The Moment Photography.

What made the wedding special and unique?

Having all of our friends and family with us for the weekend was so amazing. We tried to keep the wedding on the smaller side so we would be able to spend quality time with everyone (we had 140).  The night before the wedding, we kicked off the weekend with a beach barbecue with lawn games, a steel drum player and an ice cream sundae bar. We had the wedding the following night (see below for personalized details) and a brunch the following morning. We tried to include personal touches throughout the weekend that reflected our personalities and made sure our guests knew how much we appreciated them traveling to be with us.

Our main goal was to have fun and make sure everyone else had fun too. I think we accomplished it!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

After trying on what felt like a million dresses at a million different stores, I finally found my gown at Kleinfelds. Although the dress was pretty well-covered, it wasn’t completely lined. Instead of adding a lining, we ordered extra lace from the designer and the seamstress (who was absolutely amazing) hand-sewed each piece of lace in strategic places which created a whole new look. She also put some lace towards the top of the bodice to raise the neckline a little bit. I loved it because it created a romantic, garden-y feel, and it felt like a custom dress that was made just for me.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

We wrote our own vows which weren’t the easiest to get through but we’re really glad that we did it and were able to really say to each other what we wanted to.

We put a lot of thought into our welcome bags, which were a canvas tote that people could use as a beach bag. We ordered koozies and sunglasses with our logo that we included, put together bags with our favorite treats, and added some other things that people would want to snack on, like granola bars from This Bar Saves Lives. We also made “emergency kits” for each bag that were filled with Advil, packets of sunscreen, and other essentials that people might need.

We also had a guest book with Polaroid cameras so that people could take pictures and write a note for us. We had a ton of fun reading the notes and looking through the pictures when we got home.

We had a lot of fun appetizers at the cocktail hour such as mini lobster rolls and chicken and waffles and made signature cocktails that reflected our personalities.

I surprised Louis with a chocolate peanut butter Boston sports-themed groom’s cake. As a big NY sports fan (now married) to a big Boston sports fan, we are constantly jokingly giving each other a hard time. I thought the best way to say I love you would be with sugar in the form of a cake with his favorite flavors and teams. His reaction was priceless.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

Having all of our friends and family with us for the weekend was so special. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone at brunch the next morning!

We also had an amazing band and did not leave the dance floor all night! The most memorable part of the wedding itself was the last song the band played – we had all of our family and friends on the dance floor with us singing and dancing. It was amazing.

Photographer: For The Moment Photography // Design + Planner: Fabulously Chic Weddings // Florals: Floral Symphony // Invitations: Creative Expressions // Venue: Casa Ybel // Hair + Makeup: Duality Artistry // Cake: Lady Cakes // Bridal Shop: Kleinfelds // Band: Wiley Entertaintment