Anyone getting married in Islamorada?

[stina76]

Just wondering if anyone else is getting married here like me? I can't wait!! Most of our friends have never been to the Keys so I think they are going to absolutely love it! We are getting married at the Islander Resort.

 

Islamoradabride - I would love to get advice from you about vendors down there. Thinking of going with Bobs Bunz for the cake because everyone says they are the best, but heard they are super expensive? How did you find your DJ and Flowers? Any info would be much appreciated!! : )

[IslamoradaBride]

Hi Stina! We absolutely loved Bob's Bunz-- used them for welcome party (key lime tarts to die for!), wedding cake (perfect, beautiful & tasty) & even the day after brunch (cinnamon buns, yay!). I didn't find them super pricey but they are not as cheap as Publix (grocery store chain), which is a good option if you're on a budget.

 

Our DJ was Liquid DJs and they were fantastic-- very professional and just the eclectic mix we were looking for. I highly recommend them. I found out about them through WeddingWire.

 

For flowers, we used Floral Fantasy. They had good service-- my mom mainly worked with them, since she was way more concerned about the flowers than I was. I loved my bouquet and everything else they provided turned out great.

 

Let me know if you have questions about other vendors-- I have plenty of opinions!

[stina76]

IslamoradaBride - Can you tell me how you picked your Reverend/Officiant/etc for your wedding ceremony? I am having a hard time finding people. We are not super religious so we aren't really picky on who we use. Also, who did you have do your hair? I talked to Ciao Bella Salon and they were really nice, but just wondering who you used. Thanks for your help!

[inanna]

stina, I just got married in Islamorada this past November at a private estate so I'm happy to share some of the vendors I contacted.

 

For an officiant, I initially hired Susan Ashmore: Florida Keys Beach Weddings

She was absolutely wonderful on the phone and she has a very warm personality that I loved.

 

During my search for an officiant I also spoke with Michelle De La Torre: Weddings by Michelle - Wedding Planning and Packages

As you can see Michelle's website is much more professional looking, but on a personal level I just didn't "click" with her at all.

 

However, about two months before the wedding, my husband's stepmom became an ordained minister through the Universal Life Church to perform one of her friend's ceremonies. We asked her to do our wedding as well and she accepted. Having a relative as our officiant really added a level of intimacy that we loved. Susan Ashmore was completely understanding of the situation when we contacted her to cancel, so it worked out well.

 

I had my hair, makeup and nails done at Blu Bamboo Salon: http://www.blubamboo.com

Although the owner was a bit quirky and frazzled, all of the technicians and stylists were fantastic! Monica did an especially great job on my makeup. My needs for hair were very simple (just wavy and down), but Jaime did a very good job.

[stina76]

inanna - Congrats on your marriage! Thanks for the info. I bet it was a beautiful wedding on the private estate. I may call Susan, do you mind me asking how much she charges? I have contacted a couple of the people that the Islander suggested, but their fees were outrageous . Especially since the ceremony is only going to last 20 minutes! And I thought it was strange that they didn't really want to come to the rehearsal? They were going to charge an additional $200 to come to that. For hair I did call both Blu Bamboo and Ciao Bella. Just by talking to them over the phone, the owner of Ciao Bella seemed really friendly. She gave me lots of information and let me know I could find them on Facebook and see what people were saying. Any other helpful tips that you may have would be great! Thanks!

[inanna]

Thank you stina!

 

$200 extra just for the rehearsal is absolutely ridiculous!!! Both Susan and Michelle's rates were virtually the same. I think Susan was maybe $25 more. Susan charged $150-175 for the actual ceremony (can't remember which) and to attend the rehearsal was $75 more, so around $250 total for both days. She required a $100 non-refundable deposit to reserve the dates.

 

Just wanted to also add that for flowers I also hired Floral Fantasy, specifically Debbie. I'm not particularly excited by flowers usually, but Floral Fantasy totally blew my mind! I would absolutely recommend them... and I priced them out vs. buying the same variety of flowers online and DIY assembling and Floral Fantasy was cheaper.

 

Here is a closeup of my bouquet - peonies, green cymbidium orchids and ivory roses.

[stina76]

Beautiful bouquet! Thanks for sharing the picture! I have put down a deposit with Floral Fantasy so I am excited to hear that you were happy with them. Debbie seems really nice!

[bowhunterbride]

Inanna - What estate did you have your wedding?? How did you go about finding a place like this. I was planning on getting married in Key West but now think maybe renting an estate is the better choice for us considering our wedding party and guest will be under 20 people. Thanks so much and btw your wedding photos were beautiful

 

bowhunterbride aka angie

[inanna]

Angie - there are a ton of private estates in Islamorada that allow weddings. The estate where we had our wedding is called the Island Palms Estate.

 

Here are some of the rental companies in Islamorada that I contacted:

Stay in the Florida Keys

Imagine Rentals

Island Villa Properties

 

You might also want to take a look at VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner). This is where we initially found the property we ended up booking. Although I don't think its listed on VRBO anymore, I'm sure there are other properties there that might we worth consideration.