1. Real Weddings

Nikki & John: A Beach Wedding in Islamorada, FL

Nikki first met John when she moved into the house across the street. Though Nikki met John the day she closed the deal, it took more than a year ther

Nikki first met John when she moved into the house across the street. Though Nikki met John the day she closed the deal, it took more than a year there for her to really notice him. He came by, and Nikki remembers thinking, How could I have lived across the street from this good-looking, sarcastic, intelligent, and oh-so-witty guy for over a year and never have given him a second glance? The Bride Nicole (Nikki) Moszkowicz, 32, proposal manager The Groom John Edwards, 33, real estate finance The Date April 28 John had long ago noticed Nikki, so it wasn’t too long before the two became friends and eventually much more. I feel like the luckiest person on earth, that my future wife moved in right across the street, John says.

Nikki and John exchanged vows just before sunset on the lawn at the groom’s father's house. There were two palm trees at the end of the yard that framed the beautiful water view—that became our altar, the bride explains. To decorate, they tied sheer white fabric to the surrounding palms.
Before the ceremony, Nikki and John’s guests enjoyed a prewedding jitters cocktail hour. Guests were served the couple’s signature drink, Honeyhole Punch, which perfectly matched the wedding colors with its deep orange hue. The bride and groom had worked with a local Keys bartender before the wedding to come up with the concoction.
Trying to incorporate Johnny’s love for fishing and the fact that we were in the Keys, I went to a local crafts store and purchased wood cutouts of fish, Nikki says. She painted their fins orange to match the wedding colors and then wrote guests' names and tables on the sides.
Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire played as Nikki and John’s guests lit sparklers to send them off.
Guests sat in chairs tied with persimmon fabric, and end seats were adorned with rope and starfish.
Looking for a bridesmaid dress bargain, Nikki hit the clearance rack at Macy's. She found the perfect dress -- with a dropped waist and a rhinestone brooch just like the one on her gown -- and started calling Macy's stores all over the country. As it turned out, one sent her the wrong color by accident, but it turned out to be the perfect hue.
Nikki carried a round bouquet of green cymbidium orchids, green hypericum berries, orange circus roses, and mango calla lilies. A crab brooch -- symbolizing a term of endearment between the bride and groom -- was pinned to the ribbon wrapping the stems.
The dinner tables were set with gold linens and persimmon runners. The groom's stepmother put together the deep, square trays that were painted gold and filled with sand, shells, candles, and starfish.
The programs used the same design, color, and motif -- two shells and a crab -- that appeared on the save-the-dates. The programs also honored Nikki's late father, who was remembered on the back cover.