Lexie and Christian’s love story began at the age of 18 in Denver, Colorado. Soon after meeting, God took them down different paths, but they never left each other’s lives. Years 2013-2017 brought Christian to Colorado College to play Division I hockey and Lexie to Vanderbilt.
They quickly reconnected after graduation and started their new adventure together in Nashville. Marrying each other has always been their biggest dream since they were 18; those butterflies have always been there, and on February 5th, 2022, that dream came true. As they noted in their ceremony program, “With true love, butterflies never go away.”
Lexie grew up going to the island of Boca Grande to her family’s home there. Christian proposed in December of 2020 in a room overlooking the water at the
Gasparilla Inn & Club
. The room Christian proposed to Lexie in ended up being the room they were married in! Keep scrolling to see all of the to-die-for photos of this incredible day by
Hunter Ryan Photo
, featuring flowers by
Victoria Blooms
, planning and design by
NK Productions
, and endless inspiration from
LoveShackFancy
. And of course, the full gallery is not to be missed at the bottom of this page!
The Venue & Theme
The
is known for its beautiful golf course that overlooks Charlotte Harbor. The bride, Lexie, had always hoped that she would be able to have a tent wedding where she could create and build out everything herself! At this gorgeous venue, with a $200,000 budget, she was able to do this, implementing a vision based on the idea of “Cloud 9” and butterflies.
To the bride and groom, a butterfly represented transformation, change, hope, life, and celebration. This transformation perfectly connected to getting married, as they took their final steps as individuals into their first steps in union together!
The Wedding Weekend
It was important to both the bride and groom that their family and friends traveling from all over the country got to fully experience the beauty of Boca Grande while attending their wedding! They hosted an entire wedding weekend with a fun yacht party on Thursday for family and the wedding party, a cocktail reception Thursday evening for all of their guests at The
, a bridal luncheon Friday afternoon, a rehearsal dinner, and a big welcome party for everyone Friday night. The wedding was hosted on Saturday, and they capped off the weekend with a farewell brunch Sunday morning! It was a great way to say thank you and goodbye to their guests before they left the island.
The Bride’s Attire
The bride’s veil was a flowy and full silk
veil.
hand-sewed the butterflies onto it to incorporate the intended butterfly theme. Lexie wore
shoes throughout the entire weekend. Their brand reflects a modern, sophisticated elegance with touches of femininity. Lastly, her something blue was an embroidered
handkerchief that was a gift from her mom that included embroidery with her initials and wedding date. Her something old was a handkerchief carried by both her grandmother and her mom on their wedding days, with each of their initials and the wedding dates embroidered on it!
The bride’s second party dress was made by
Karen Hendrix Couture
, a custom dress designer from Nashville, TN. Karen and Lexie collaborated on a style of dress that evolved from a wedding gown named “Channel” – a gown that the bride had considered but didn’t ultimately choose. Karen and Lexie took elements that she liked from that gown and designed a fun yet sophisticated party dress made of ivory silk shantung fabric in a fit and flare style. It had a classic fold-over-fitted strapless bodice with pleats at the waist that flared into a baby doll party look. It was complemented by a chic sash draping down the back of the dress. Conveniently, the bride found out it was perfect for crowd surfing too!
The Groom’s Attire
For the ceremony, the bride wore a
gown from her Rivini line called “The Biltmore.” The dress was made of Alencon lace which
had selected in Italy. It was a long sleeve grand ball gown style with a dramatic deep-V bodice. The ivory shade was unique because of the nine layers of tulle underneath. These layers had shades of champagne and ivory in the fabric.
This combination created such a beautiful, soft shade of ivory that enhanced Lexie’s overall appearance, and provided a traditional yet modern twist that also gave an Christian wore a velvet lapel
tuxedo with an
tuxedo shirt, an
polka dot-skull bow tie, alligator loafers, and a sockless look. The groom has always been someone who enjoys being on trend and expressing his creativity through fashion. His tux was a reflection of his unique fashion sense.
The Wedding Party’s Attire
The bridesmaids wore a chic fluid satin, high-neck
gown in a light champagne color. An element of floral was added to their solid dress by having custom
floral-linen wraps made for them. It was the perfect floral touch, and the dresses had a sophisticated and elegant look that flattered each one of them.
Christian’s groomsmen rented black tuxes from
and wore suspenders, black bow ties, and velvet loafers with no socks. This was a very formal yet sophisticated look.
The Ceremony
The wedding ceremony took place at the
in a gorgeous room overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The bride’s older brother was their officiant, which was extremely special to them. The groom and the bride’s brother, Christopher, have become like a brothers over the ten years of the bride and groom’s relationship. The ceremony was unique because Lexie’s brother shared their love story with the guests—the good, the bad, and everything in-between.
Since the wedding was a celebration of their love, it was difficult to imagine a better way to tie the knot than for the people they love most to hear what made them the couple they are today.
Cocktail Hour
The cocktail hour was held at the East Pool at the
overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and the reception to follow was held at the
in a :
on Croquet Lawn. At the cocktail hour, saxophone and trumpets played background music as guests enjoyed specialty drinks and the sunset.
Instead of a grand exit after the reception, the couple decided the best way to show their guests around the beautiful island of Boca Grande was to do it with a parade and the second line immediately following the cocktail hour. This was led by
Wiley Entertainment
‘s saxophonist and trumpet player to the song “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In”! Christian and Lexie followed behind with two of their signature cocktails in their custom golf cart, a replica of a Rolls Royce, which was decked out in florals, personalized soup cans, and a “Just Married” sign. Each guest was given bells and streamers to hold while they paraded over to the tent on the croquet lawn!
When they all arrived at the entrance of the Gasparilla Inn, all of the guests surrounded the couple’s golf cart and cheered for them as the saxophone and trumpets played! It was the most exciting and festive way to transition the evening.
The Reception & Its Design
Inspired by the romantic florals and soft pink tones of
, the bride, her mom, and the couple’s wedding planner –
– channeled the femininity of
and transported guests to a tented reception full of whimsy. As a self-proclaimed “dreamer and romantic,” Lexie envisioned the whole day to look and feel like “cloud nine,” complete with cloud nine specialty cocktails! Featuring a subtle butterfly theme to match the garden-feels of
prints, our reception tent was transformed into “cloud nine” with a floating floral installation of baby’s breath above the dance floor and butterflies flying amongst the clouds.
The
LSF
pattern was carried throughout the day with bridesmaids adorned by
LoveShackFancy
shawls, custom
LSF
linens for the escort card display,
LSF
wallpaper inserts for the bar, monogrammed
LSF
napkins, and even pillows for the lounge area.
Each guest was greeted at their seat with a thank you note written by the bride and groom, designed by
Trout Designs
, instead of the traditional menu at each place setting. Each guest enjoyed a 3-course meal, late-night snacks, a traditional wedding cake, and several ice cream carts throughout the reception. And the guests did not leave the dance floor all night! While guests headed to the dance floor to get the party started, the bride and groom sat down for a formal dinner after their first dance. One of the night’s most memorable moments was crowd surfing under the Butterfly Cloud, which truly felt like being on “cloud 9!”
Advice From the Bride
“Our main advice for couples getting married is to soak up every moment together. This is the start of forever, and you will never get your wedding or this time of your life back, so make sure you prioritize the important things and be present with your partner and your loved ones the entire wedding year and weekend.”
