Tony and Gavin's wedding at the Key West Garden Club

August 09, 2018

Tony and Gavin were married on April 14 with their wedding ceremony at the Key West Garden Club and their reception at the Margaritaville Resort.

I absolutely adore these guys and it was such a pleasure to be their Key West wedding photographer.

Tony and Gavin met by chance while Gavin was working. Tony brought his sister into the retail store where Gavin worked, and the rest… as they say… is history.

Their engagement was not by chance, rather it was a thoughtful, planned affair.

They started about a month prior, each writing in a separate journal all the reasons why they love each other and why they wanted to get married. Then, they travelled together to NYC for a long weekend. They stopped at a jewelry store where they picked out matching Cartier Love rings. From there, they went to their hotel room, cracked open a bottle a champagne, exchanged their journals, and asked each other to be husband and husband. So sweet!!!

A Stylish Florida Keys Wedding

We covered their day for 8 hours. My second shooter, Aramis Ikatu, and I arrived early in the afternoon to capture the grooms’ getting ready preparations. Both grooms got ready together with Tony's dad helping tie their ties.

The color palette for the wedding was black and white with touches of tropical greenery. By using black and white theme the grooms hoped to showcase the natural beauty and colors Key West has to offer as a gorgeous backdrop. They requested all guests wear black in white attire to have them coordinate with the theme. In contrast, the grooms wore stylish custom suits. Tony chose a light grey fitted suit with a white shirt, navy tie, and suspenders. Gavin wore a royal blue suite with white shirt, navy tie and suspenders. Using those colors allowed them to stand out from the color palate they requested their guests to wear. The result was both classy and modern, but still embraced a Key West wedding vibe!

We had a few minutes before leaving for the ceremony to take some more stylized photos and used the hallway outside of their suite for this, which resulted in some of my favorite images from the day.

In fact, my favorite image came from a quiet time before the ceremony as well. There was a touching moment between the grooms on the conch train, when Gavin kissed Tony on the cheek while he has his eyes closed and is soaking it up. It was an image charged with emotion. I am honored to witness and capture to capture so many emotions in their wedding photography. I also love the black and white image of the two of them in the hallway holding champagne, where Tony is in front and Gavin in back. It makes me happy when I can create art and preserve these moments for my couples!

Gavin and Tony’s Key West Garden Club Ceremony

From the Margaritaville Resort, we traveled to their ceremony location at the Key West Garden Club via a conch train. We immediately got in place for their processional. Gavin and Tony walked in together behind their mothers who were escorted by their brothers and Tony's niece, Madelyn, who had the distinct job of both Flower Girl and Ring Bearer. It was an emotional ceremony as the two committed their lives to each other. The ceremony included each groom presenting their mothers and grandmother with a single calla lily. It was a beautiful visual way to show the two families uniting into one.

Key West Wedding Photography at the Margaritaville Resort

Once married the guests boarded a conch train to the reception venue while we stayed behind with our newlyweds to create some more couple's photos and catch the second train to the reception. Not only did that give us the chance to get some more wedding portraits with the grooms, but that train ride gave them a peaceful moment alone to enjoy the start of their journey as husband and husband.

Upon their arrival at the reception, both grooms entered together, holding hands and were received with boisterous cheers from friends and family. Cocktail hour was in full swing and we captured tons of candid moments from this time. We even had a few minutes to sneak away for some couples portraits during their first sunset together as a married couple! Once dinner was complete, Tony and Gavin cut the cake and then shared their first dance as a married couple. Afterwards, they danced with their mothers, which stirred some more beautiful emotion! Tony's niece and friends then surprised everyone with a choreographed dance, just for them, and then the real party ensued.

It was a tremendous joy watching everyone celebrate these two amazing men!

Day-After Wedding Session

The entire day was absolutely magical. It was filled with nothing but love! So much love we couldnt pack it into a single day so Gavin and Tony chose to do a "Day After" session with me too. We went back to their ceremony location and utilized the beach and ocean while they wore swim suits and more casual attire. Wow! Their undeniable love is contagious! We had an unbelievable amount of fun together during this session!

So much about their Key West wedding was memorable, from the unique décor, to the close relationships with their family and friends, and all of the sweet moments they shared together. I absolutely adore these guys!

Here is some advice they had to share with future couples who are planning a wedding:
“Don’t stress over the small things. No one will notice. On the day of the wedding make sure you take a moment to step back and embrace the special day. It feels like it is over in the blink of an eye. Don’t skimp on the photographer or food! Pictures are the only thing you get to have to look back on your day!”

Thank you so much Tony and Gavin for allowing me into your big day and for trusting me to your memories! A huge thank you to Julie at Simply You as well for referring these amazing gentlemen to me and for all of your hard work that ensured their wedding weekend was nothing short of perfect! I also want to thank Peter and Anthony from Milan Events for creating and executing incredible designs that continue to impress all who are witness to them.