An Earth Day Beach Wedding at a Private Residence in Islamorada, Florida

After meeting at a common friend’s sweet 16 party, Ashley Allen (26 and a special events coordinator) and Cayne Grace (26 and an entrepreneur) became high school sweethearts and have been together ever since. Nine years later, when Cayne wanted to pop the question, he chose a romantic waterfront setting. When the Sunshine State couple was searching for a place for their nuptials, naturally they gravitated toward a seaside setting in beautiful Islamorada, Florida. “For our wedding, we knew we wanted to create not just a beautiful environment, but an experience,” Ashley says. “Cayne and I have always had our own connections to nature and the ocean, so we knew we wanted to incorporate them in our theme.” The couple’s nuptials took place on Earth Day, so they used beautiful floral arrangements and plantings for their wedding décor. “We even picked our caterer based on our theme,” Ashley says. “We went with a lady who does farm to fork, so everything was natural and fresh.” For the couple’s short and sweet waterfront ceremony, they set up wooden chairs in a half-moon shape, lined the aisle with lanterns and adorned a driftwood arch with greenery. “We really wanted nature to be the theme, and boy, was it,” Ashley says. Although it rained during the couple’s ceremony and vow exchange, that didn’t put a damper on their wedding day. “The memory of exchanging our vows in the rain, surrounded by our closest friends and family, was the most special moment of our wedding day,” Ashley says. “The love and joyful energy from everyone was just the icing on the cake.” The couple decked out their beachside affair in a subtle palette of ivory, sand and champagne along with floral arrangements in ivory and blush with pops of burgundy. “The focal point in the tent was two large square ‘living chandeliers’ that were covered in lush garland and soft flowers hanging overhead,” Ashley says of the natural décor that brought their Earth Day nuptials to life. —Marissa Hermanson