Sarasota Elopement | Carajean + Zack

Carajean + Zack’s Sarasota elopement was the perfect mix of tropical and woodsy! After an intimate and tear-filled ceremony under oak trees, C+Z enjoyed champagne and cupcakes with their family and headed to a tiki bar on the water.

Carajean and Zack traveled from Alaska to hang in a tropical paradise in winter for their Florida elopement. Read through their story, their elopement decision, their planning process, and their actual elopement day!

Psst…and if you and your partner want to elope in Sarasota, 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 Florida elopement!

Their Story

I’m so in love with Carajean and Zack’s love story because it’s so honest and real. It’s also one of those stories where “when you know, you know” and I’m always here for those types of stories. While I would love to tell you how it all went down, it’s best in Carajean’s own words:

“We met online and I played very hard to get for a while until he relentlessly was too charming not to AT least have one date with. Then 1.5 years later, we went to a spa in Homer (coastal town we love to weekend to) and immediately when we walked into our suite, I turned around he was on one knee with the ring box upside down. HA I said “fuck yes” and here we are.”

In Carajean’s inquiry email, she told me that her and Zack work a ton, but LOVE our quality time together with their dog named Eleanor Roosevelt. And when they’re not working on new house projects, they’ll take Eleanor on outdoor adventures, cook together, check out some new fancy foodie spot, go golfing in the summer, or snowboarding in the winter. No matter what they’re doing they are always being silly goofy humans in whatever they do together – if that means giving each other shit or just goofing off.

These two were easy to fall in love with. After knowing their story for 1.5 seconds, I realized we were immediately best friends because 1) anyone who names their dog after real humans is my kinda person and 2) couples that value quality time together (no matter what they’re doing) are real ones.

Their Decision

After Zack proposed to Carajean, they immediately knew that they wanted to elope with their parents, but they had zero idea where to elope in Florida and they were looking for guidance on finding a location that fit their vision.

When they thought about their wedding day, Carajean and Zack wanted to truly enjoy their day and not be stressed out. They wanted an intimate day that focused on each other and threw traditions completely out the window. Outside of their elopement vision, they wanted a photographer thhat could bring their dream to life AND make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. One of the first things that Carajean told me was she “loved the way the couples look so comfortable and not awkwardly posed or too stiff! When I see your photos I feel like I’m sharing their wedding day with them capturing the most precious memorable moments and that’s exactly what I want to look back on and see!”

The Planning

C+Z’s elopement vision was simple – an intimate day with family with a cocktail in hand. The hard part was that they didn’t want to pick between forest or beach vibes.

In Carajean’s questionnaire, she said “I want it to be as intimate as we can while still getting the scenery we’re going for. I love the idea of a lake or the straight-up woods for the ceremony itself. For some pictures after/before the ceremony I don’t care as much about people being around. Some small town boardwalk photos or the beach would be awesome for those even a cool off-road with a field or something along those lines!” CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

When people think of Florida, beaches are the first (and generally the only) thing that comes to mind. As a Florida elopement photographer who has lived her entire life traveling this state, I know of some amazing spots on and off the beach. That’s why when Carajean told me she wanted woodsy AND beach, I knew exactly what to do.

When it came to the rest of their elopement day, it was giving chill and cozy all day. Carajean described her elopement day like this:

“We want to have a chill, cozy morning and ample time to get ready. I envision doing a first look and then having a super special ceremony where my dad walks me down the “aisle” then marries us. We’ll say our own vows, then dance our booties out of there! I would love to have some sort of ceremonial arc or floral piece that we can bring to get married in front of and the forest floor to decorate our aisle. I would love our moms to be on either side of us right up there with us. Afterwards I would love to have some time to take some precious pics with us all dolled up and maybe sharing some sort of desert probably cupcakes! After that we’ll all go out to dinner somewhere fancy/ have dinner at our airbnb and get our dance and drinkie poo on!“

After going through their gallery below, you’ll have to comment if we nailed it!

Their Elopement Day

Once their elopement day arrived, I met Carajean and Zack at their quaint AirBnB. It was a cute Florida home with a cute little backyard garden and pool. Carajean and I spent some time in the Master bedroom snapping photos of her getting ready while Zack hung out with their parents.

When the time came, we all headed to the backyard where we did a first look with Carajean’s dad. Once they were all hugged out (some tears were shed), it was time for Zack to see his bride. Normally brides are nervous about first looks, but Carajean was excited and practically ran to Zack. It was the cutest thing ever.

We then headed to Wandering Oaks in Myakka City – a gorgeous location tucked away underneath some of the most epic Florida oaks I’ve ever seen. Carajean’s father walked her down the aisle as Zack and their mothers waited on either side of the natural oak arch.

The ceremony was filled with lots of laughter and some tears. Carajean and Zack’s vows were some of the most heartfelt words I’ve had the honor of listening to. They were full of hope, promise, and determination to create an amazing marriage together.

Following their ceremony, Carajean and Zack popped champagne and shared some of the most delicious cupcakes! We spent a good hour capturing everyone having the best time and doing some formal portraits.

To end the evening, we rushed over to the coast to grab some gin and tonics at O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill. We were supposed to watch the sunset, but we were having too much fun at Wandering Oaks that we got there in time for blue hour. Judging by the photos, it came out JUST as amazing.

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

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM	Getting Ready at AirBnB
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM	Travel to Wandering Oaks
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM	Ceremony at Wandering Oaks
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM	Portraits, champagne & cupcakes
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM	Travel to Tiki Bar
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM	Post-celebratory drinks on the beach at sunset

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

Vendors

Photographer: Anna Holden Photo
Ceremony: Wandering Oaks (Myakka City, Fl)
Florals: Styled In Blooms
Donuts: Sarasota Bakehouse
Tiki Bar: O’Leary’s Tiki Bar & Grill

Oh, hi, friend! You made it to the bottom! That must mean you like what you see *wink* and I’m here to invite you to check out my Florida elopement experience so we can make your very own elopement story.