Backyard Sarasota Wedding // Mr. + Mrs. Caswell

I first met Erica and Tyler at their favorite bait shop down the street from their house in Sarasota for their engagement session. They brought their pups along (which I loved, obviously) and we all sweat profusely as one does in the middle of August. It seems like we paid our dues to Mother Nature because their backyard Sarasota wedding weather was a sharp contrast to that hot August day. It was sunny and cool with not even a cloud in the sky. GLORIOUS! 

I started the day with Erica and her friends in a gorgeous house overlooking the water. Erica did her own hair and makeup which was very impressive and came out perfectly as she sipped champagne on the balcony overlooking the water with her friends before getting dressed. After she slayed her bridal portraits I headed to their home where I took some photos of Tyler getting ready before the ceremony started. When I walked into the yard I was blown away at how magical the entire set up was. A handful of ornate rugs shaped the aisle under a floral arbor leading to where the ceremony would take place. Multiple lounges were set up around the yard with a variety of different chairs for guests to sit in. Their favorite band played, custom cocktails named after their dogs were being served at the bar, and a photo booth station was setup to entertain guests prior to the wedding. There was also a poster board full of adoptable dogs from the local shelter Erica volunteers at, and in leu of wedding favors, Erica and Tyler made a donation to LEADSRQ, which is local non-profit that works with shelters to help fund medical procedures and training programs to shelter animals. My heart! All of the little details Erica and Tyler put into making this backyard Sarasota wedding so unique and personal was incredible! This was taking DIY to a whole new level. 

Erica walked down the aisle lead by their two dogs, Hank and Stella. Her and Tyler exchanged “I do’s” and exited the ceremony in a flurry of heart-shaped confetti thrown by all of their guests. We headed to a park down the street to capture their portraits which I’m still not over how beautiful the scenery was. The rest of the evening was reserved for food, drinks, and dancing under market lights and all the stars in the sky with friends and family. The thing I loved most about this wedding is Erica and Tyler really made this day perfect for them. The wedding industry, society, social media, and family can all project what the perfect wedding is suppose to look like, when at the end of the day if you marry you BFF, your ride-or-die, the love of your life, then the rest is negligible. This backyard Sarasota wedding was a 10/10 and I had so much fun capturing every second. Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Caswell! 

Vendors:

Hair/MUA: The Bride

Wedding Dress Designer: Lillian West

Wedding Dress Boutique: The Perfect Dress Sarasota 

Bouquet: Morton’s Market

Wedding Planner: The Bride

Band: The Bird Tribe

Catering: Osprey 1812

Wedding Cake: Publix Bakery

Photographer: Me, duh!