Duval Street Elopement | Krista + Mike

Krista + Mike’s Duval Street elopement in Key West was the epitome of a good time because these two know how exactly to have one! Their day was filled with tons of fun from excited family and friends, a rooftop clothing optional bar turned wedding ceremony, sharing key lime pie and sipping mojitos, eating hot dogs from a street cart, and dancing welllllllllll into the night. Read through their story, their elopement decision, the planning process, and their actual elopement day!

Psst…and if you and your partner want to elope on Duval Street in Key West, but have zero idea where to even begin or are feeling overwhelmed by the options, then I invite you to learn how I can help plan and capture your epic Duval Street elopement!

Their Story

Krista and Mike’s love story is straight out of a movie (rom-com mixed with a little fairy tale if you ask me). When they retold their story to me, it was clearly “love at first sight” story for travelers whose paths crossed in a tropical paradise on completely separate trips. Here’s what Krista had to say:

“Mike and I were on two different trips in Key West (him fishing and mine a friend’s birthday). We ended up at the same bar and he came up to talk to me. From there, we proceeded to spend the next 3 days together here and there throughout Key West.”

Krista was on a girls’ birthday trip and Mike was on a guys’ fishing trip. They happened to both go to The Bull on one of those nights with their friends. From the moment that they met in that bar, they were inseparable. They would spend their remaining time on the island sharing Guinness, grabbing slices of key lime pie at The Half Shell, and eating hot dogs from the cart out front of the Bull. Oh and if you missed their Key West engagement session where we relived alllllllll of this, you NEED to check it out!

Their love story is a perfect example of the butterfly effect. They’re already my favorite people from that love story alone. But now that I know Krista and Mike (we are best friends now, mkay?), their love story isn’t the only thing that’s rad as hell. From the moment I met them, we were instant friends. From their laid-back vibe to enjoying life to the fullest no matter what they’re doing, I knew that their elopement was going to be amazing.

Their Decision

Krista and Mike knew they wanted to elope in Key West since it was the start of their story together, but they had zero ideas where to have their ceremony, but they knew they wanted a rooftop and didn’t want the beach. They were looking for guidance on finding a location that fit their vision. Finding a rooftop, non-beach location on a tropical island was going to be tough, but not impossible ?

When it came to their wedding day, Krista and Mike wanted to have a good time with their friends and family above all else. They wanted to recreate some of their first date adventures (just like we did for their engagement session) – key lime pie at Half Shell Raw Bar, have a Guinness and eat hot dogs outside of The Bull, and stop in a back alley where they had their first kiss.

Outside of their elopement vision, they wanted a photographer that could bring their dream to life AND make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. One of the first things that Krista told me was she loved about my photography was “the candid, authenticity of the couples! Neither of us are traditional and we despise the stiff, awkward posing. We have so much fun and so much love and we want to able to showcase that in photos.”

Between wanting to find the perfect ceremony location, piecing together the logistics of having a good time with their friends sand family, and not wanting to feel awkward AF in front of the camera, K+M decided they needed to find a Key West elopement photographer that gets it. That’s where I came in 😉

The Planning

K+M’s elopement vision was filled with good time and laid-back energy. The hardest part was finding a rooftop ceremony location with a city view. And while that sounds like a tall order, one thing about being a Key West elopement photographer, you know all the good spots that people might typically overlook. After some research, we found the best rooftop bar that checked all the boxes for K+M – the world renowned clothing optional bar, The Garden of Eden.

In Krista’s questionnaire, she said “From the start, I would like to capture getting ready with family and friends, drinking mimosas/screwdrivers at the Airbnb. From there, do a first look at a recommended location based on the AirBnB. Heading over to the ceremony to exchange vows and the stopping at following locations: Raw Bar for Key Lime Pie Alley where we had our first kiss and The Bull – drinking beer and celebrating with family and friends.”

My favorite part of their elopement planning was how K+M fully planned for an elopement with a few friends and family, but once word got out that they were eloping in Key West, more of their friends wanted to join in on their elopement day to really make it a party. And friends that fly to Key West to celebrate your marriage when you tell them you’re eloping… those are friends to have.

Their Elopement Day

I met Krista and Mike at The Paradise Inn – where they had their first weekend getaway as a couple. It’s a bright, modern tropical inn in the heart of Key West. Krista, all her best girls, and I spent some time in their suite snapping photos of her getting ready. The energy in the room was high and exciting. The rest of the morning was spent with Mike in his suite, drinking beers, and getting ready for their first look.

Once K+M were ready for their wedding, we planned a private first look between the cigar cottages of the Paradise Inn. The white buildings and tall palm trees opted for the perfect backdrop and Mike turning to see Krista in front of it in her wedding dress had to be the best start to an amazing life together. Once I captured their first look, I left K+M to have a few moments together and give Krista space to read Mike her letter to him in her own words.

Next stop: Garden of Eden. After getting lost in the Uber, we finally made it to The Garden of Eden – a clothing-optional rooftop bar in Key West. While this bar is known for its nude guests, it’s also a centrally located rooftop bar right off Duval and conveniently above The Bull (where they first met). According to one of the bartenders, this might have been the first wedding that the bar has seen.

During the ceremony, airplanes flew overhead which I felt was an ode to K+M’s traveling spirits. After the ceremony, the dance floor opened and everyone was ready to rip it. While everyone celebrated on the rooftop, K+M slipped away and headed to their first kiss spot, which is conveniently located in a back alley behind a strip club and in front of a dumpster. This is modern day romance, ya’ll, and I made every effort to capture that dumpster’s best angles. Before heading to the next adventure, Krista popped champagne in the street and it was probably one of the best champagne pops I’ve ever captured.

After our champagne shower, we headed to their first date spot – Half Shell Raw Bar – to enjoy a slice of key lime pie as their wedding cake. Once people noticed that they just got married, they were greeted by so many people who wished them well. If you’re getting married in Key West, you’re bound to have so many strangers become friends.

Our last stop before heading back to everyone was General Horseplay to grab some espresso martinis. This place is amazing for cocktails, but they also have this fun game where you call your price. You roll some dice and whatever it lands on is what you pay for your drink. Of course, we had to get in on that!

Once we got back to the Bull, their friends and family welcomed them back with cheering and Krista proceeded to cut off her dress train on the dance floor. One of her friends would use the cut train as a scarf for the rest of the evening and honestly, it complimented her outfit.

The rest of the evening was spent doing the Duval Bar crawl, listening to live music, and dancing the night away. It was the perfect end to an even more perfect day.

If you’d like a sneak peek into how their day flowed, here’s the timeline:

2:00 pm Hanging Out & Getting Ready @ AirBnB
3:30 pm First Look @ AirBnB
4:00 pm Travel to Garden of Eden
4:30 pm Family Photos @ St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
5:00 pm Ceremony @ Garden of Eden
5:30 pm Walk to First Kiss location
5:45 pm Travel to Raw Bar
6:15 pm Key Lime Pie @ On The Half Shell Raw Bar
6:45 pm Travel to The Bull
7:15 pm Espresso martinis @ General Horseplay & Hang out @ The Bull

Are you totally inspired to elope in Key West and ready to start planning your own Duval Street elopement? Let’s create something epic! I’m here to help you craft a day that’s totally unique to who you are as a couple. Period.

Vendors

Photographer: Anna Holden Photo
Hotel: Paradise Inn
Ceremony: Garden of Eden Rooftop Bar

This Duval Street elopement was also featured over on Wandering Weddings!

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