Anna & Latane’s Fort Myers Winter Elopement

Florida is one of the best places to elope in the Winter! If you’re looking for warmth, less crowds, and beautiful scenery, eloping in Florida is the best! The temperature, sunlight, and vast activities that are open and available are all great reasons to head out of the snow and down to the sunshine state. Anna and Latane wanted beach views and tropical vibes for their micro wedding in January. They wanted a place to celebrate with their immediate family for a long weekend with plenty of things to do. This bride and groom chose a beach front Airbnb in Bonita Springs with an intimate celebration in Fort Myers! Their Fort Myers Winter elopement was personal, stress free and filled with fun loving family!

Beachfront Airbnb in Bonita Springs, Florida

Being surrounded by family during their wedding weekend was super important to Anna & Latane. They decided to book a rental house right on the water for all of their family to stay with them. It was a beautiful beach house with an amazing view and plenty of space for everyone! The night before their elopement, they had a nice catered dinner to celebrate their last night as fiancés together.

The morning of their elopement, everyone has a nice slow morning and took their time getting ready! They even got breakfast catered by Chick-fil-a, one of Anna’s favorite restaurants. The bride and groom got ready seperatly so they could share a special first look before heading out for their wedding day adventures. Anna and Latane wrote letters to each other which they read before seeing each other for the first time.

First Looks

Being an only child, Anna is very close with her Mom and Dad. Anna’s Mom helped her get ready throughout the morning, along with her sister-in-laws. While her Dad anxiously wait for the moment when he got to see his daughter for the first time! Anna and Royce shared a special first look in the sand outside of the beach house. It was such a beautiful moment between a father and his daughter and happy tears were shared! It’s moments like these that make my heart happy as a Fort Myers elopement photographer!

Next it was time for Anna and Latane’s first look! When Latane turned around and saw his beautiful bride, he was all smiles! Anna shed a few tears and they took some quiet moments together to soak in the moment! They love the beach so getting wedding day portraits in the sand by the ocean was a must! We walked down to the water for some quick pictures on the Gulf Coast.

When they felt ready, we loaded up the cars and headed out to Wonder Gardens. Their private adventure of the day so they could spend some quality time together during their wedding!

Wonder Gardens Adventure Near Fort Myers

Anna and Latane chose their second location to be a tropical garden! Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs was the perfect spot for beautiful Florida garden vibes. The staff there was so nice to work with and the grounds were gorgeous! We spent time exploring the gardens and stopping for Florida elopement portraits along the way.

This is a public place so there were other people strolling through the garden as well. If you’re looking to elope here, you will need to make a reservation and submit payment in advance. Just know that it’s not a private spot so you’ll run into other people congratulating you along your way!

Before we left, we found an epic tree by the parking lot that was secluded and totally private! Anna and Latane share their emotional private vows inside of the tree where no one could see. It was a unique location with no one around which is exactly what they were hoping for!

Their elopement day was one of the warmest days on record in Fort Myers coming in at 85 degrees in January. We wrapped up at the Wonder Garden a little early and headed to their ceremony spot to cool off before getting them married!

Micro Wedding at The Club at Renaissance

During the elopement planning process, this couple wanted a space for their ceremony and an intimate dinner all in one. I came across The Club at Renaissance which checked all of their boxes! They were able to have a beautiful elopement ceremony outdoors. Complete with live music and beautiful views that was easy for their guests to get to.

Kathy, their fabulous officiant, performed a meaningful ceremony where everyone was able to be involved. Since Anna and Latane are very close with their families, this was super important to them. Once they were announced husband and wife, they took a few quite moments together to celebrate! Then their families joined them for congratulatory hugs and family photos!

Anna and Latane celebrated the rest of their Florida micro wedding surrounded by their families. We spent a little bit of time taking portraits at sunset and candids during cocktail hour. When everyone was seated for dinner, toasts were shared and a delicious meal was devoured. These newlyweds ended their night by cutting and eating cake before being sent off for a peaceful night!

Planning on Eloping in Florida?!

If you’re thinking about eloping in Florida, Winter is the best time of year to do so! There are so many places and things to do with perfect temperatures and low humidity. Between the micro weddings on the Gulf Coast and elopements on the East Coast, you’ll want to check out some of the best places to elope in Florida. If you want assistance in planning your Florida elopement for a fun and stress free day, send me a message! I’d love to help you create your dream elopement and document all the special moments throughout your day!