A Simple, Intimate Wedding at Smathers Beach in Key West, Florida

Two years after Carrie Semmens (27 and a retail manager) and Bryon Bailey (30 and a retired Marine) met through mutual friends on a motorcycle ride, he popped the question. Carrie was coming out of the kitchen in her Michigan home when Bryon saw her, got down on one knee and proposed with a princess-cut diamond ring. “It was my dream ring, and we had never discussed rings!” says Carrie. Over the next three years, the couple worked with Soiree Key West LLC to plan a beach wedding in Key West, Florida, with one important witness: Bryon’s son. The couple had a simple ceremony, with the only accent against the sunset beach setting being a white rose and blue orchid bouquet. “I wanted our ceremony to be simple but elegant,” says Carrie. She walked toward Bryon in a white halter Maggie Sottero wedding dress with an open back as he waited in his Marine Corp dress uniform. “The ceremony was about Bryon and I joining our friendship as husband and wife,” says Carrie. After the couple exchanged vows, they took a few photos on the beach and celebrated by going to dinner at a nearby restaurant. For future couples, Carrie shares: “Preserve your bouquet! I had such a gorgeous bouquet. I wish I had it properly preserved to display for years to come.”