Florida Sailboat Elopement | Adrianna + Nik

Adriana + Nik’s Florida sailboat elopement was absolutely perfect and the best way to ring in the new year! Yep – they decided on a New Years Eve elopement with their closest family and friends in sunny Miami. Winter is the perfect time to head to south Florida, the weather is mild and Miami was GORGEOUS!

Getting Ready

We started out at Adriana’s hotel while she was having her makeup done by Glammed Up by Gabby and so her mom and best friend could help her into her dress. Their room was a gorgeous hotel with ocean views and the open patio doors with the ocean breeze was a vibe! I photographed some getting ready moments as well as details of Adriana’s dress while we hung out and enjoyed the sounds of the ocean.

After Adriana got dressed we grabbed all the things we would need for the ceremony and boat ride and headed out to Crandon Park on Key Biscayne. Adriana’s dad was not only our chauffeur but he was also going over his ceremony notes! Dad is a retired pastor so he was no stranger to performing ceremonies. I loved how extra special it was to have the bride’s dad officiate the wedding! (Pro Tip: If you want a loved one to officiate your wedding, it is super easy to become officiated in Florida!)

Ceremony + Portraits on Key Biscayne

The ceremony started shortly after arriving at the park and Nik’s face when he saw Adriana for the first time was so sweet! They didn’t have a first look and got ready in completely separate places so Nik had no idea what he was in for. Adriana and Nik had a beautiful ceremony with the ocean as their backdrop and palm trees gently swaying in the breeze – absolutely picture perfect! They decided to have a sand ceremony to symbolize becoming one which was absolutely fitting being right on the beach. After also exchanging personal vows, they said “I do!” and before we knew it we were off exploring.

We decided to start on the beach for portraits with family & friends before heading into the gardens, just the three of us. Crandon Park has a gorgeous garden area which is full of wildlife like turtles, peacocks, and a rare crocodile! I’ve actually never seen a crocodile here in Florida (they are different than alligators!) but you can occasionally catch a glimpse of them in the Miami area because they like to nest near the power plant there. Weird, I know!

Florida Sailboat Elopement in Miami Bay

We finished up portraits and headed off in their Mustang convertible to get to our sailboat Adriana and Nik had chartered. The catamaran they chose is run by Miami Catamaran and was an amazing experience! The captain is so knowledgable and I’ve been recommending him to other couples ever since. We only had a 3 hour sail so the captain took us all around the Miami Bay while the sun set and the lights of the city came on. Adriana and Nik changed into more casual outfits (after taking some fancy boat pictures of course) and enjoyed cigars + champagne with their friends. We had a ton of fun watching Nik pop open one of the bottles and overall the vibes were just top tier!

Want help planning your own Florida sailboat elopement? Contact me here! Need more information about eloping in Florida? Check out these other blogs:

How To Elope in Florida

60 Florida Elopement Ideas

Where to Elope in Florida