Sami and Carter
“We leaned into the beach aesthetic as much as we could, incorporating lots of blue, white, and green throughout the day. We wanted the overall design to feel timeless, coastal, and effortlessly elegant—very Nancy Meyers meets the beach.
More than anything, though, we wanted our wedding to feel happy. That was always the vision.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Sami and Carter’s coastal Sarasota wedding was a timeless, effortlessly elegant celebration in blue, white, and green, inspired by Nancy Meyers meets the beach. The Chicago bride and groom gathered 225 guests at a beachfront resort on Longboat Key for a full wedding weekend, complete with a golf outing, a pickleball tournament, and a sunny beach ceremony where dolphins swam as the couple exchanged their handwritten vows.
“Our location made our wedding unique. It was a new place for most of our guests, and everyone seemed to love Longboat. It was seriously perfect. People always say something is bound to go wrong on your wedding day, but not a single thing did. That’s a testament to the incredible venue, vendors, and people we had surrounding us,” the bride reminisced. “To top it all off, the weather was absolutely unreal. Getting married in January, you never know what you’re going to get, but somehow we had a sunny, 70-degree day. During our ceremony, you could literally see dolphins swimming in the water behind us. It felt like something out of a movie, and I don’t think we could have dreamed up a more perfect day.”
The Proposal
“We were in Chicago and had plans to meet our best friends—our officiant and maid of honor—for a drink on the rooftop of our apartment before heading to dinner. When I walked up to the roof, instead of seeing our friends, I found Carter down on one knee. I was completely shocked!
After the proposal, we walked to one of our favorite restaurants, where Carter had secretly planned an engagement party. All of our closest friends were there, and to top it off, my college best friends flew in from Florida, New York, and Georgia to surprise me. It was one of the best days of my life and a memory I’ll cherish forever.”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“My bachelorette party was in Park City! My best friend planned every second of it, and it will go down as one of the best weekends of my life. We wanted something different than not only my wedding venue, but somewhere we all usually don’t travel to.
We honeymooned in the Florida Keys and stayed at Cheeca Bay! We absolutely loved it!”
The Most Memorable Moment
“Our most memorable moment was definitely the ceremony—we wrote our own vows! This is where we were able to show our personalities to every person on the beach that day. We loved this moment and are always rewatching the ceremony video—get the videographer, you won’t regret it!
We also had one of our best friends as our officiant, which just made every bit of that ceremony more memorable and special. Having all our friends and family there made the entire day and weekend the best days of our lives thus far.”
The Venue
The Resort at Longboat Key Club
“We live in Chicago, Illinois. I had always dreamed of having a beach wedding, and I was already familiar with the Sarasota area. I had also been following our wedding planner for a while, so I browsed through the venues on their website before scheduling a visit. My best friend and I toured The Resort at Longboat Key Club, and I knew almost immediately it was the perfect place. Once Carter saw it, he felt the same way.
Since we both have large families and friends who live all over the country, we wanted a destination where everyone could truly make a weekend of it. Longboat Key Club gave us the opportunity to celebrate with the people we love for several days instead of just one evening. It felt less like a traditional wedding and more like a family reunion, which made the entire weekend incredibly special.
We wanted a venue that felt elevated without being over the top. It was important to us to have easy access to the beach and pool, along with beautiful outdoor spaces that felt romantic and naturally lent themselves to hosting events throughout the weekend. We wanted every part of the venue to feel relaxed, elegant, and effortlessly coastal.
Since our wedding, I’ve attended weddings all over the country, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen a resort and event team take care of their couples and guests the way Longboat Key Club does. They made the entire planning process feel effortless. As an event planner myself, I’m very Type-A and tend to ask a lot of questions. Their team answered every single one with genuine care!”
The Inspiration
“We definitely leaned into the beach aesthetic as much as we could, incorporating lots of blue, white, and green throughout the day. We wanted the overall design to feel timeless, coastal, and effortlessly elegant—very Nancy Meyers meets the beach.
More than anything, we wanted our wedding to feel happy. That was always the vision. From the color palette and décor to the chairs, florals, and vendors we chose, every detail was meant to create a warm, joyful atmosphere where everyone felt relaxed and welcomed. Looking back, that’s exactly how the day felt—everyone genuinely seemed happy, and that was the greatest compliment we could have received.”
The Experience
“We incorporated our personalities into the wedding in so many ways, starting with the guest experience. Carter and I both love to golf and play pickleball, so we hosted a golf outing and a pickleball tournament during the wedding weekend. We also picked vendors that felt like us, like our band. Country music is our favorite genre, and our live band was able to show everyone that country music can be fun to dance to at a wedding. Every detail that went into our wedding felt like us.
Besides the most important element (getting married to each other), we found ourselves becoming very passionate about making sure our guests were taken care of. We know a destination wedding is a lot to ask from people, so we wanted it to feel worth it. Another important element was the vibe. I wanted it to feel like Carter and I—our vendors and Longboat Key Club made that happen.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
“All of our vendors were incredible, and I would recommend every single one of them to any future bride getting married in the area. That said, a few truly stood out.
Everence Photography, there is simply no one like Jess and Jordan. They understood our vision almost immediately. We barely had to explain the style, feeling, or vibe we were going for because they just got it. They captured our weekend so authentically, and working with them felt effortless. We were absolutely obsessed with them.
NK Productions Wedding Planning and their entire team were amazing. It genuinely felt like I was planning my wedding with friends rather than wedding planners. They made the entire process enjoyable and took so much stress off our shoulders. As someone who works in event planning, I know how much goes into creating an event, and I can honestly say that starting with an exceptional wedding planner makes every other decision so much easier. It was one of the best investments we made.”
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
“Choose the right people to help bring your vision to life. Wedding planning can definitely be stressful, but having the right vendors makes all the difference. They become your biggest supporters and make the entire process so much more enjoyable.
Choose a place that genuinely excites you. It definitely would have been easier for us to stay local, but we decided to put in the extra time, effort, and money to get married somewhere that felt special to us. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we made. Every time we arrived for another event that weekend, we couldn’t believe we were getting married there. Honestly…it’s hard to be stressed when you’re at the beach!”
