A Hibiscus- and Peony-Filled Beach Wedding at the Marco Island Marriott in Florida

Averi and Ray initially dreamt of tying the knot with a destination wedding in Maui, Hawaii. However, when the pandemic forced the couple to pivot their plans and celebrate closer to home, Averi and Ray decided to bring Maui to Florida with a Hawaiian-inspired wedding filled with hibiscus- and palm-inspired details. “We originally wanted to get married in Maui but due to the world’s current circumstances knew that was not going to work,” explains Averi. “I grew up vacationing in Marco island and brought Ray down there to check out the JW Marriott. I loved the Polynesian-inspired architecture and the whole vibe of the resort.” A big reason that that couple “really wanted a very tropical Hawaiian-inspired wedding,” was because they got engaged in Hawaii and wanted to keep those special memories close to heart. “We were fest friends first and fell in love. We got engaged in Maui, Hawaii. Ray had an amazing proposal planned out at sunset. I was taking too long to get ready and was behind Ray’s schedule. He ended up having to propose in the dark. I said yes although I couldn’t see the ring!” recalls Averi.

To bring their tropical wedding to life, the couple infused the beach celebration’s design with ample texture—from bamboo folding chairs to protea- and fruit-filled floral arrangements and palm frond table numbers. Looking back on the wedding day, Averi notes that the ceremony was her favorite part of the big day. “The aisle that our planner darling created was incredible. She brought my wedding Pinterest board to life but in an even better way than we could have ever expected. The custom bamboo aisle and altar were my favorite. All together it was out of dream.” Beyond the visuals of the ceremony, Averi loved the actually vow exchange, that took place with the couple’s four daughters, as well. “There was not a dry eye in the crowd including our wedding planner and photographer.” Following the ceremony, guests found their table assignments on pink acrylic cards laser cut to resemble hibiscus flowers before sitting down for dinner. The evening’s menu included signature cocktails named after the couple’s pups and was capped off with a tasty three-tier wedding cake.