ANDRES AND COLBY'S SAILBOAT ELOPEMENT ON A MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND

I admit – this looks like my perfect way to get married – sea, closest friends, beautiful sunset.. Absolutely loving it!

TELL US THE STORY OF HOW YOU MET

Colby worked at the reception desk in a hotel in Tampa, FL. My friends were staying there and when I came to visit, Colby and I struck up a conversation.

After some repeated flirting and less than believable excuses to repeatedly visit the front desk, we exchanged numbers and the rest, as they say, is history!

NOW ABOUT THE BIG DAY! WHAT WAS THE THEME AND INSPIRATION?

We planned to marry in 2017 but had not yet determined the details when a friend invited us on one of our sailing trips that had become a tradition. The trip would have us sailing the beautiful Dalmatian coast in Croatia. We initially declined because of our wedding plans. However, after some cajoling by our friend, we decided to not only go on the trip but turn it into an intimate destination wedding.

We set sail from Dubrovnik. We spent the first week on the water sailing up and down the coast. At the end of the week set anchor off of the small island of Lokrum. The wedding was a small pop-up wedding with our good friend Aniello as the officiant, the best man and skipper of the boat Todd, as well as Todd’s now husband Dio and Aniello’s friend Baran. The day was absolutely beautiful if not a tad warm to be wearing 3 piece suits. After fairing Matija our fantastic photographer and the party from the boat to the island, we headed to the cloister gardens of the ancient ruins of the Benedictine monastery. There, after a few quick moments taken for set up, the music played and we held hands, and said our vows, cried, and were pronounced husbands.

Our wedding was nautical themed. The colors were navy blue and golden canary yellow. We carried the theme and colors from our invitations to our wedding webpage to our suits.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE LOCATION AND WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

The ceremony itself was held in the cloister garden in front of the portico arches of the gothic-renaissance monastery, part of the ancient Benedictine Monastery complex on the island.

Immediately after the wedding, we toasted the happy occasion at the Rajski Vrt restaurant. We were seated just on the other side of the garden’s monastic wall with our wedding spot visible through the arched window.

That night, we celebrated and dined on the rooftop patio of the magnificent Restaurant 360 overlooking the Adriatic Sea.

YOUR OUTFITS

Our outfits: We wore white linen pants by Ralph Lauren. The jackets were pure linen jackets from Suit Supply and the sweaters were merino wool also by Suit Supply. We both wore shirts by Penguin and our ties and handkerchiefs were handmade. Our shoes were loafers made in Brazil by Mercanti Fiorentini.

FLOWERS & DECORATIONS, DID YOU DO ANY DIY?

The wedding party wore handmade boutonnieres that Colby and I created ourselves. The bow was made of navy blue and white ribbon tied together by twine using a traditional sailing knot.

We all wore nautical bracelets by Allison Cole Jewelry that served as our groomsmen gifts.

CAKE

In place of a wedding cake, we had a fabulous dessert cake served by Restaurant 360.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

Matija, fom Matija + Marina Weddings, our photographer was fantastic. With such a small party finding the right photographer was extremely important as they would play an integral part of the wedding.

Our search for a photographer in Croatia was done remotely from the United States. When I found Matija and his wife Marina I fell in love with their photography style. Their photos seemed to capture the spirit and joy of the moments they photographed. I appreciated their use of the golden light of the sunset. They were great to coordinate with, very responsive and helpful as well as flexible considering the demands of a wedding that started on a sailboat and ended in a marina.

Matija was great. He was able to be there to capture all the important moments as we prepared for the ceremony on our sailboat. After the ceremony, he took us around the island to capture some great shots in some of the most scenic spots of Lokrum. He joined us as we set sail to the marina for the night. He captured some great group and action shots on the sailboat. He expressed how much he enjoyed shooting our wedding and gave us the best compliant – telling us he had never been to wedding quite like ours. He added a great energy to the day and created memories that will last us a lifetime.

…AND VIDEOGRAPHER

We live-streamed the ceremony on Facebook for our friends and family.

WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND MOST FUN PART FOR YOU?

Honestly, every part of it. From sailing the coast with our friends to having a pop-up wedding where tourists spectated from afar, to going around the island with our photographer on our photoshoot, to crewing the sailboat while still in our wedding suits.

WOULD YOU HAVE ANY PIECE OF ADVICE FOR COUPLES PLANNING THEIR WEDDING?

It’s your day. Don’t worry about what others expect – make it yours. Whether it’s a large gathering or a small intimate affair remember to have fun and enjoy the moment.