LaPlaya Wedding | Katie + Chad | LaPlaya Wedding Photography

Another fabulous wedding photographed at LaPlaya in Naples. This couple has a special place in our hearts and not only because we shop at the same Publix :). Chad and Katie both attended the University of Florida at the same time but never met. They had mutual friends but never knew of each other. Chad moved to Naples right after Graduation in ’06 but Katie didn’t graduate till ’08. Her job took her to Naples where she only knew one couple (who happened to be a mutual friend from UF). The couple tried to introduce Chad and Katie a few times in about two years but it never worked out! Finally, the day had arrived. They were both single and the couple they knew, JP and Kelly, were throwing a huge party. The moment Chad and Katie saw each other they knew… Spent the whole night talking and watching the gators play while enjoying beer pong and food. They got each other’s numbers and then he called the following day. After their second date, they were officially together and never spent a single night apart 🙂 Eight months into their relationship they left for a trip exploring the northeast. They both love to hike and do anything outdoors, so when they were hiking that morning, Katie was not thinking anything special would happen, but then Chad proposed! They immediately knew they wanted a long engagement because their relationship had been such a whirlwind – only eight months long! They picked Labor Day and that gave them about 14 months to plan.
We had a lot of fun photographing their Engagement pictures back in May
For their wedding venue, Katie and Chad picked LaPlaya because of its boutique feel and the front lawn. They looked at many places but could not get La Playa off their minds! It was their dream getting married on the front lawn of this beautiful resort overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. But on the day of wedding the skies were black and there was a 60% chance of rain – it had rained every afternoon for the past few weeks, if not all day! In the afternoon it was decided to move the ceremony inside. And then the miracle happened (there was a rumor New Ground Photography had something to do with that 😉 ): the sky opened up and the sun came out!!! It was so incredible…every moment was perfect…down to the moment the family did the “Dougie” on the dance floor! After the wedding, newlyweds went on their first date as husband and wife…to McDonalds at 3 am 🙂