Date Night Inspired Key West Elopement

Ashley and Colin’s Key West elopement brought together their vision of cool girl, cool guy colorful retro vibes mixed with an epic date night. They wanted to create a day that was every bit unique to them as a couple as it was honoring what they love to do together. From rolling up to the beach on scooters, to getting a sweet treat after their vows, to grabbing cocktails at a vintage bar, to having their first dance at a upbeat dive bar, this day was uniquely curated for them.

As a Key West elopement photographer, it is my mission to help couples to create these types of elopements where the focus is on the two of them and who they are as a couple. It’s no longer about creating days that check off boxes, but creating an experience that they can be excited about decades later. Ready to see how it unfolded?!

Jump to what you’re looking for…

• Creating Their Date Night Inspired Elopement
• Their Key West Elopement
  • Scooters + Ceremony on Smathers Beach
  • Champagne Pop at Tropic Cinema
  • Date Night on Duval : Key Lime Pie, Cocktails, and a Dive Bar First Dance
• Planning Your Own Date Night Inspired Key West Elopement?
• Reflecting on Their Experience with AHP
  • “We say at least once a week that we want to go get married again because it was seriously that much fun.” – Ashely + Colin
• Key West Elopement Photography
• Vendors
• Key West Elopement Photographer

Creating Their Date Night Inspired Elopement

Before we dove into planning Ashley and Colin’s Key West elopement, the vibe was set in stone: they wanted it to feel like one long, fun date night. They wanted a day that was just the two of them getting married in one of their favorite places, exploring the city, and hopping around to different bars, restaurants, snack, or dessert spots.

After learning about why they loved Key West and the types of things that made an epic date night for these two, we created a timeline that matched the date night vibes perfectly: ceremony arrival on scooters, quick ceremony at Smathers Beach, champagne pop in front of Tropic Cinema (for those colorful and celebratory vibes), grabbing key lime pie from Key Lime Pie Co., cocktails and tomfoolery at General Horseplay, and finishing the night with an impromptu first dance at the Tiki House!

While they wanted their day to be relaxed, stress-free, and totally focused on each other, it was important to them that their photos reflected who they were as a couple. Here’s what Ashely: “The photos are the only other big aspect of our day besides spending a few minutes telling each other how much we love one another. And that’s why we chose [Anna Holden Photo]! We wanted to make sure the photos captured who we were. Just a coupla besties.”

Their Key West Elopement

Scooters + Ceremony on Smathers Beach

Ashley and Colin wanted to roll up in style for their ceremony on Smathers Beach. So they rented scooters to start off their day with a little pizzazz! After spending a few minutes trying to get some fun blurry movement photos with the scooters, A+C headed to the beach for their intimate ceremony.

They both wrote heartfelt and meaningful vows to each other. There were some tears and a ton of feels, but at the end of the ceremony there was even more excitement! Ashley ended the first kiss with some jumping up and down and I feel like that’s what every ceremony needs.

Champagne Pop at Tropic Cinema

To incorporate some colorful, retro vibes and to celebrate the beginning of their marriage, we scootered over to Tropic Cinema. This retro-inspired movie theatre is the perfect backdrop for any couples wanting photos with some vintage feels. A+C popped champagne on the street and soaked in the moment of becoming husband and wife.

Date Night on Duval : Key Lime Pie, Cocktails, and a Dive Bar First Dance

There are three things that make the perfect date night for this couple: cocktails, snacks, and people watching. Key West easily brings all three together for the most epic date night-inspired elopement. After popping champagne over at Tropic Cinema, we headed to Key Lime Pie Co. for these two to share a mini key lime pie on the steps across the street.

Ashley loves prohibition era cocktails so it only made sense to head to General Horseplay! These two enjoyed some cocktails while I played around with the cute vintage scenery to capture their connection. This location is a must stop for Key West because the cocktails are amazing AND it’s a unique experience from the typical Duval Street bars.

To end the night, we headed to a Duval Street bar called Tiki House. Ashley and Colin got to enjoy some people watching, have a few drinks, and chat with fellow bar goers. The best part about this stop was that their friend and fellow musician, Jay Bangles, learned their song in just a few hours so they could have their first dance! Here’s the Instagram reel of it…SO CUTE.

Planning Your Own Date Night Inspired Key West Elopement?

If you love the idea of eloping in Key West, but everything you’ve seen so far doesn’t fit the date night vision in your head, then I would love to show you how it can all come together!

As a Key West elopement photographer, I specialize in helping couples create their dream elopement experiences by providing expert and local guidance. I help with everything from location researching, timeline creation, permit guidance, and vendor recommendations. I’m here to make sure your day feels like the most epic date night you’ve ever had.

Ready to learn more about how we can create your own date night inspired Key West elopement?

Reflecting on Their Experience with AHP

“We say at least once a week that we want to go get married again because it was seriously that much fun.” – Ashely + Colin

“We chose Anna to photograph our elopement because her style was exactly what we had been searching for. Authentic, emotional, and full of vibes. We could tell right away from her portfolio that she prioritized real moments over stiff, staged shots, and that was incredibly important to us. As soon as we found her my heart was set.

We only had about a month to plan, and from our first zoom call we just trusted her. We’re pretty laid back by nature so we didn’t stress, but even if we would have been a nervous wreck, I know Anna would’ve handled it with the rock-solid “I got you” energy. She automatically jumped in with both feet and immediately became part of the adventure. The planning process is one of the most detailed experiences I’ve seen (in the best way). From the very early start of your planning she will ensure she doesn’t miss one little detail or minute of whatever you’re looking for. Her knowledge of the best spots to go, places to see, and things to do is better than the internet. And she will do all the digging to make sure it will work out for your day and for you personally.

My favorite thing about Anna is that you give her a vibe and she translates it into exactly what you’re looking to express within your photos. We literally told her, “Just make us look cool.” And she absolutely delivered. I’ve never seen us look so unbothered and cinematic.

She made us a completely custom schedule to keep on track for the night. We are definitely “go with the flow” people, and she was right there with us when we changed part of our plan last minute. She didn’t blink. She rolled with every bit of it. Just genuine support and the sweetest hype energy. It was our day, and she made sure we actually got to stay present and feel that. She matches energy in a way that feels intuitive and effortless.

But even though we’re crazy awkward in front of a camera, she guided us every step of the way. She gave us prompts that felt natural and let us focus on each other instead of worrying about what to do with our hands. It never felt staged. It felt like we were just in the moment and she happened to be capturing it. She made the whole evening about us, and we got to be present while knowing she had absolutely everything under control. She’s kind, patient, and fun, and makes you feel like the main character in an indie film.

We say at least once a week that we want to go get married again because it was seriously that much fun.

If you want a photographer who will help plan your elopement, can handle anything the day throws at her, match your vibe, make you look cool, is the biggest cheerleader, and still keep things fun and real, it’s Anna.“

– Ashley + Colin

Key West Elopement Photography

Vendors

Photographer: Anna Holden Photo
Ceremony Location: Smathers Beach
Cocktails: General Horseplay
Bar: Tiki House
Musician: Jay Bangles

Key West Elopement Photographer