Mother Nature Takes Over Beach Wedding at Courtyard Marriott

Well…..it is that time of year here in South Florida. Afternoon thundershowers happen every day. They move either west…or east depending on the tradewinds happening that day. All that, makes planning an outdoor wedding this time of year a bit of a risky proposition. Yesterday was a perfect example of exactly why. The wedding ceremony was planned to be right on the beach. It was actually beautiful when we arrived…with flat seas, and crystal clear waters as the backdrop. However you could see the maelstrom approaching. Closer and closer it came, as did the ceremony time. Seemingly simultaneously they both arrived. Scrambling….we all pitched in and moved the 95 or so chairs into the tiny meeting room that was the only available “backup plan”. They had a big tent set up for the dining…however the rains, and especially high winds and lighting drove all of that back indoors. Once again, we all grabbed tables and chairs from the pool area and reset them in the hotel lobby for the guests to dine in….and later, removed them again so the lobby could also serve as the dance floor. As Lisa from the hotel said..there were too many “Firsts” that occurred at this wedding to list. (and a few “lasts”). Despite the incredibly trying conditions however, our couple and all the guests really had a terrific time, never allowing Mother Nature to dampen their spirits whatsoever. A true testament to the type of people they were, and also the guests who all stayed right up to the end despite the weather and its forced compromises.