A Sunset Wedding on North Captiva Island in Southwest Florida
Theresa and Matt’s storybook wedding took place just before sunset on the beach of North Captiva Island, Florida. The tiny barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico holds a special place in the couple’s heart… it is where the bride’s family owns a vacation home and where her parents, who passed away 14 years ago, would watch every sunset.
The couple thoughtfully planned their dream wedding there in a way that not only shared the magic of the Island, but also created a fun, memorable experience for their guests. They loved the location for its natural, beachy yet unpretentious vibe. There are no cars on the Island, so when guests arrived by water ferry, they were greeted with golf carts - their mode of transportation for the weekend.
To set the tone of the event, Theresa designed the wedding invitations and hand-painted them with blush pink watercolor to match the wedding colors. Jen House Photography captured the day. You can see all the photos in the full gallery.
The Proposal
From The Bride -My husband, Matt Fleck, and I met how many modern couples meet nowadays, on a dating app. While our “how did you meet” story may not be all that spectacular, our love story surely is.
After only three weeks of dating, I knew Matt was the one…and told him so. Thankfully he felt the same way and my bold proclamation didn’t scare him away! He is thoughtful, supportive, fun-loving, funny (in a dad-joke-kind-of-way, which I adore), and absolutely perfect for me.
For our one year anniversary, Matt and I spent a long weekend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to celebrate. As we were watching the sunset over the lake, Matt surprised me and got down on one knee, said lots of nice things, and asked me to marry him. It was the easiest and best decision of my life
The Wedding Inspiration
Two of my parents’ best friends married us on the beach. While it’s traditional to only have one officiant for the wedding, we really wanted both of them to marry us. They are an amazing example of the loving, faith-filled marriage that we aspire to have.
I had a locket with my parents’ photos and my dad’s wedding band wrapped to my bouquet so they could “walk” me down the aisle.
Creating Memorable Moments
We wanted to create a fun, memorable experience for guests. I designed our wedding invitations and hand-painted them with blush pink watercolor to match our wedding style.
At our welcome reception the night before the wedding, guests received goodie bags that said “Totes Went To The Fleck Wedding” filled with Island essentials- like custom koozies for their beach drinks, of course
We offered guests flip flops and pashminas to keep them comfortable at our outdoor reception. And good music was a must! We had an acoustic guitarist serenade guests on the beach before and during the ceremony, followed by steel drums at the cocktail hour.
Flowers can get pricey fast, so we decided to focus most of our flower budget in two areas for the biggest impact – our wedding arch and the 8 foot long floral installation that hung above the head table.
Bride and Groom
Matt wore a custom tailored navy blazer with a custom white dress shirt and grey wool pants, and Theresa wore a delicate embroidered lace gown by Kenneth Winston with a tulle overskirt.
The Wedding Vows
The couple exchanged vows under a driftwood-and-floral arch in the sand overlooking the ocean.
After sunset guests were ushered to the reception, held at the Island Club’s pavilion, where the live steel drums created a peaceful, tropical ambiance. Midway through the reception Matt surprised guests by reading a poem in memory of Theresa’s parents, and playing a remastered recording of a song about the island written and performed by her father.
The Bouquet
The bouquet by Something Bloomed was filled with eucalyptus and a variety of blush pink roses and ranunculus flowers. It had lots of organic movement and doubled as part of the head table décor at the reception.
The Reception
For the reception Theresa replaced her veil with a flower crown of white roses, handmade by their florist, Something Bloomed. The tablescape décor had varying heights to give the room dimension, with several tables having three foot tall greenery stands, and several with table-height florals, candles and greenery. Silk monstera leaves served as placemats. The couple focused most of their flower budget in two areas for the biggest impact – the wedding arch and the 8 foot long floral installation that hung above the head table.
As the founder of Big T NYC, an organic tea company, Theresa ensured there was plenty of organic iced tea on hand for guests to sip on, along with a signature green tea-infused cocktail at the reception. Matt has the sweet tooth in the relationship so he found the best cake baker in the area, LadyCakes Bakery, and worked with them to create a beautiful, three-tiered vanilla bean cake.
Signature Green-Tea Infused Cocktail (serves 1)
1 cup of Big T NYC Unexpected Fling cold brew green tea, prepared
¼ of a lemon, squeezed
1 shot of Vodka
Splash of simple syrup
Ice
Combine all ingredients in a glass, stir and enjoy!
- Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal
- Cakes & Catering: Lady Cakes
- Custom Teas: Big T NYC
- DJs: Jeff Pence
- Dress & Apparel: Ella Rosa by Kenneth Winston
- Flowers: Something Bloomed
- Groom & His Men: Suit Supply
- Groom & His Men: Lee's Custom Tailoring
- Groom & His Men: Cole Haan
- Groom & His Men: Bonobos
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Annie's Hair Design
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Jamie Lyn Cintron Salon
- Photographers: Jen House Photography
- Venues: North Captiva Island Club
- Wedding Gown Preservation: Classic Cleaners