Real Gay Wedding Bentley’s on the Bay in Grayton Beach, Florida : Leah and Ashley

Thanks to Leah and Ashley for submitting their beach wedding- anyone else ready for summer? Soft blues and greens and super bleached photos. And who took this killer photos? None other than Jeremy Lawson, who’s on our pro-gay vendor listing.

Our wedding took place in April 2009 in our favorite place, Grayton Beach, FL. The location is so beautiful. A laid back beach town with beautiful white sand, pale green water, colorful architecture, quaint local shops and eateries, and one of the most gorgeous national parks in the U.S. within walking distance. It was more than we ever expected. We originally planned to rent a beach house and have a 10 year anniversary party with friends and family. With their support and all the excitement, it became a full fledged wedding. A long weekend on the beach, 30 of our friends and family members staying together in a huge house on the water, cooking meals, and spending time together. To say the least, we had a blast. Our Monday night wedding after that weekend spent together was the perfect way to end the best time of our lives.

My favorite moment of the day, hands down, was the ceremony. I was surprised by this and really grateful. The ceremony took place on the bay right next to the water, late in the when the lighting was beautiful. We were in the sunshine looking at each other and just savoring every second. We had a local gay minister who had never officiated at a gay wedding before. He took it very seriously and afterward, said it was the most sincere ceremony he had ever witnessed. Amazing. We exchanged simple vows we wrote ourselves after our friend Jodi read some beautiful words of advice. It was emotional and wonderful. As a comedian, Ashley was easily able to wing her vows and they were such a perfect mixture of funny and romantic. Our friend Lance was the ring bearer. A short, casual ceremony with all of our close friends and family gathered around, sipping on our favorite beers, smiling and supportive.

Our location was so beautiful that we didn’t need a lot of design elements to improve it. We were very committed to making our wedding simple, affordable, and beautiful. Our favorite design element of the day were the beautiful flower arrangements our friends Neal and Kevin created with help from my Mom and our friend Chris. They were very generous and flew down early to create them on location as a wedding gift. They used white hydrangeas, white double tulips, sheet moss, and driftwood in gorgeous arrangements with smaller accompanying versions in mint julep cups for the dining tables. My advice for readers is to keep the flower or flower alternative arrangements simple. Also, bring things from home to include in the arrangements to personalize them. My dad had collected pieces of driftwood for us at various flea markets for years and we decided to incorporate them into our beach themed wedding. Just like with cooking, under my Mom’s advice, the simpler the better.

We also had a beautiful beach theme, vegan coconut cake that tasted amazing- made by local baker Fatty Patty’s. We wanted a cake with real icing. Although beautiful, sometimes fondant covered cakes often look better than they taste. Luckily our baker compromised by making some fondant coral and seashell accents that made the cake really stand out. Or honeymoon spot, The Watercolor Resort, was very nearby so we were also able to enjoy it the next day.

The funniest moments of the day happened later in the night, after dinner. Our photographer Jeremy Lawson captured some hilarious pictures of everyone dancing and having a great time. After a long windy day of having fun taking photographs with Jeremy and Dawn at all the cool local spots, my hair was all over the place. I ended up using my garter as a scrunchie. Towards the end of the night, even during some sentimental moments, our wedding photos look like we got married in the 80′s. I love it. Too bad I never got to have a scrunchie toss. We ended the night back at the house playing ridiculous games in the pool and relaxing. It was the greatest party of our lives.

Venue- Bentley’s on the Bay,  with a beautiful deck warmly lit with overhead Italian Street Lights.

Leah’s dress- Nathalie Berry Trim strapless dress and gold sandals with satin flower accent- J. Crew

Ashley’s white silk evening suit- Kay Unger New York

Vegan Coconut Cake with coral fondant accents- Fatty Patty’s

Catering- Dine by Design,  including a wonderful lemon thyme sorbet and tequila shot shrimp appetizers to greet guests after the ceremony.

Invites- Wedding Paper Divas Coral Reef Save the Dates and Hello Lucky Coral and Dot Wedding Invitations

Flowers- All white floral scheme including hydrangeas, double tulips, driftwood, and sheet moss

Color theme- pale aqua blue, whites, and light charcoal gray

Photographer – Jeremy Lawson Photography