How both our wedding ceremony and reception venue cancelled on us… and our wedding day was still absolutely perfect…

Normally all the “credit” to the vendors goes at the end of a blog post but due to this story… we need to start off with our wedding dream team that I can’t speak highly enough about.

Photography: Elena Marchak
Venues: VRBO Rental
Naples Bay Resort (Jennifer)
Ocean Prime (Rick)+ Truluck’s
Florist: Tom Trovato Event Floral
Rentals: Trinity Event Special Events
Dress: The Bride and Groom
Tux: The Bride and Groom
Shoes: Blake: Smythe & Digby
Joyce: Badgley Mischka
Stationery: The Onyx Press
Officiant: Reverend Wayne Knox
Reception: Truluck’s

Joyce and I had originally planned to elope in Yosemite when we got engaged in 2018. With minimal amount of people as possible. Working weddings every weekend for years we realized how stressful and not in the moment people can be so we wanted the exact opposite. But as time passed we realized we wanted a few more of our closest wolf pack members there to celebrate and be with us. Tossing ideas and locations around we finally ended on Naples, Florida. Our favorite beach in the world.

Our first trip ever to Naples we visited a park on the beach, I took a photo of Joyce and made the comment “It would be amazing to get married here one day.” Fast forward ~3 years and we decided to get married at that exact same park. Everything is going great… Then 2020 arrived and so did Covid. We had already planned an intimate wedding with around 20 people, so we decided to press on. Just to make sure everything was okay we decided to reach out to the City of Naples about a month in advance and touch base about the park. The informed us they had cancelled all wedding permits for the park the entire month of June. Stress began to sink in. I started reaching out to other venues in the area in attempt to move everything. We were having zero luck. With our reception at a different location they didn’t want to just rent a space for an hour. They wanted to obligate us to our reception at the same venue in order for the food/alcohol sales. I get it, but was very deflating.

Cue Tom Trovato walk out music

I found Tom our florist via instagram hashtags when searching for someone that could execute the look we wanted. I chatted him on Instagram, and within a few messages I knew he was the guy for us. I reached out to Tom to let him know we now didn’t have a wedding venue and to share our stressful situation searching for another. (remember this is roughly a month before our wedding) He said he would reach out to some venues to see what he could do. Which brought me to Jennifer at Naples Bay Resort. She welcomed us with open arms. She understood the awkward Covid situations, us traveling from another state, not knowing many vendors there, and was just there to help. I can’t say enough good things about not only her but the amazing resort. We will be 100% staying at Naples Bay Resort for all of our future trips to Naples and you should do the same. Tom and Jennifer, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You two were heaven sent and helped more than you’ll ever know.

Cue expected semi-stressful wedding planning for the weeks leading upto the wedding

We are in Naples. Everything is great! Weather is a bit hot but that is part of South Florida in June. Our closest wolf pack has arrived safely in town and getting settled in. Me and the guys go deep sea fishing, I catch the most and the biggest fish ;). The place we rented for everyone is on the bay, with a pool and a huge kitchen so Joyce’s dad (formerly in the restaurant business, he loved cooking for everyone). Not a worry in the world except getting sunburn.

Joyce had been in contact with the reception venue (Ocean Prime - Rick) for the time leading upto our wedding. We had been there in the years past and fell in love with the place. Some of the best food and the environment is top shelf. It’s on 5th (think main street) and is one of the most picturesque locations in a beach town I can think of.

It’s the day of the wedding and we are all getting ready a few hours before the ceremony and Rick (The manager of our reception venue) calls Joyce. “Joyce! I have good news and bad news… The bad news is we can not host your reception tonight due to a corporate wide shutdown for the day, BUT the good news! I have already handled the situation. Our neighboring restaurant “Truluck’s” has agreed to take you guys in and honor your menu. I’ve already called all vendors that need to know and let them know too. I am so sorry!” Not having much choice at that point we roll with it and let it be a stress free environment. Having never been to Truluck’s we didn’t know what to expect but it. was. absolutely. perfect. The food was amazing, the staff was so helpful, and it turned into a really good story to tell. Rick felt bad for the situation and sent over a nice bottle of champagne from Ocean Prime for us to celebrate with. The following nights after Ocean Prime had re-opened Rick thought the bottle wasn’t enough and offered us a “honeymoon dinner” on the house at our favorite restaurant which was as amazing as you’d expect. Rick, if you read this, thank you for everything. You are amazing.

So that is the story of how our ceremony venue cancelled on us a month before and our reception cancelled on us the day of and it was absolutely perfect. I can’t thank our vendors enough for all their hard work. I can’t say enough good things about them. And for all our friends and family that helped and traveled to be a part of it, thank you for being a part of our Wolf Pack. We love you all very much.

Now enjoy all of these amazing photos from Elena. She blew us away, I can’t say enough great things about her and her work.