Serena and Aidan were married at La Playa Beach and Golf Resort in Naples, Florida, on an afternoon when the fog came in off the Gulf and never lifted.
Nobody plans for that. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. Fog does to light what a softbox does, flattening the Florida glare into something even and forgiving, and it drew the horizon in close enough that the beach felt like a room. The pictures from that afternoon look like a fairytale, and I can’t take credit for it.
The morning began upstairs, unhurried. Twelve carats of diamonds on the dressing table, borrowed from Serena’s grandmother, out of the box and left alone a good while before anyone touched them. Manolo Blahniks by the window, and May Paulina working quietly through hair and makeup.
The ceremony was at five, on the lawn, with Jadestrings playing them in. By then the fog had settled in properly and the light had gone soft and directionless, the kind you usually have to wait for an overcast day to get. Nobody had to squint, nobody was backlit into a silhouette, and the pictures from that half hour are some of my favourites of the year.
Caviar service at cocktail hour, then inside for dinner, and a bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 2000 opened at the reception. Details like those tell you how a couple wants a day to feel without anyone having to say it.
Amber Jane Weddings planned and styled it. Garden District Naples ran hydrangeas down the tables in long cascades of pink and green, and the room was lit almost entirely by candles. It is a particular pleasure to photograph a room where someone has resisted the urge to add one more thing.
La Playa is ten minutes from my own front door. I know which balcony catches the light at four o’clock and where the crowds thin at sunset. If you are planning a wedding there, or anywhere on this coast, I would love to hear about it.
Planner and styling: Amber Jane Weddings · Florals: Garden District Naples · Hair and makeup: May Paulina · Ceremony strings: Jadestrings · DJ: Curate Entertainment · Venue: La Playa Beach and Golf Resort, Naples, Florida