The Grand Wedding Showcase 2010

We will be there.

Will you?

Tickets now available!
http://engagementparty.eventbrite.com/

Happy Holiday Season!!

A Sanibel-Style Christmas

With all of the hustle and bustle around the holidays, it is easy to lose track of what this time of year is all about. The Holidays are a time for truly enjoying your family and friends, and remembering those little things in your life that you love and appreciate. If no other time, now is when I look around and remember just how lucky I really am, and hope that you all do the same.

Enjoy your time, enjoy your loved ones, and count your blessings. This is even more crucial during this rough time in our Country. We all need to get back to basics, and celebrate the little things. Whether you are on vacation with your family, or home for the Holidays, do yourselves a favor and squeeze your family a little tighter this week.

If you are lucky enough to be on Sanibel for the Holidays, come visit Casa Ybel and Thistle Lodge; enjoy a wonderful meal and an unbelieveable sunset...our employees are all ready to spread a bit of our Holiday cheer along to you.

From all of us at Casa Ybel Resort:

Have a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Year

The Grand Wedding

Southwest Florida is about to be rocked!!

Our area's very own Kelly McWilliams of Weddings by Socialites(http://www.destinationnapleswedding.com/) has teamed up with the Sidney and Berne Davis Arts Center (http://www.fl-arts.org/) to host The Grand Wedding, the likes of which our area has never seen!

The Grand Wedding is a luxury wedding giveaway, valued at over $100,000.00, that one terrifically lucky couple is going to win! Kelly has reached out to the best of the best in our area, and a great deal of vendors have applied to be a part of this amazing wedding extravaganza! The couple who wins this event will truly have the best experience that we can offer down here, with the most amazing vendors in the area all donating their services to make this wedding a dream come true. TO read all about this wedding, what exactly is entailed, and how to apply to be the lucky couple, visit the blog:

http://www.thegrandwedding2010.com/.

Casa Ybel is honored beyond belief to have been accepted by the Grand Wedding panel, to host the Mother's Tea at our property a few days before the wedding itself. Thank you so much to Kelly and the members of the panel for giving us the opportunity to be involved in such an amazing event! I know that all of the vendors who have also been accepted for this event are just incredible, and will do our area, and the couple who wins, proud!

All brides should come join us at the next event on January 10th from 10:00-1:00 at the SBDAC in downtown Fort Myers. , where the best vendors in our area will display our best work for all to see. This event is open to all brides, not just those applying for the wedding, and is sure to be most valuable in planning for your special day, so come on down! (All information on this event can also be found on The Grand Wedding blog).

The Grand Wedding was kicked off with the Proposal Party on November 30th at the Arts Center, and was an absolute blast! Our Chef's at Casa Ybel Resort, along with H2 and Hotel Indigo provided the catering, and Kelly planned the event, which was nothing short of amazing. Lauren Wiley(http://www.laurenewiley.com/) provided the most stunning music to begin the evening, then Clint Wiley's None Other band (http://www.clintwiley.com/) brought down the house, and had us all dancing the night away!!

The decor was stunning, thanks to Eventz, Inc.( http://www.eventzinc.com/),

Signature Floral (http://www.signature-florals.com/),

and Connie Duglin Linen (http://www.connieduglinlinen.com/).

Below are some of the pictures from the Proposal Party, shot by the amazing Ashley Brockington Photography (http://www.ashleybrockinton.com/). Enjoy!

Gorgeous Lounge Area

Lauren Wiley Wowing the Crowd with her incredible vocals

Beautiful Gals enjoying the party (that's me rocking the knee brace)

Clint Wiley's None Other

Delicious Appetizers

The Weddings by Socialites Crew Being Silly

The Photo Booth was so much fun!

We all had a wonderful time at the event, and are greatly looking forward to the Engagement Party, and hosting the Mother's Tea. We truly hope to see you all at the Engagement Party! The wedding itself is going to be off the charts, and the final result has us all waiting with bated breath!! Thanks again to Kelly McWilliams for bringing such a great concept to life in SWFL!

Fall Wedding #4

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett

October 31, 2009

Sara and Jason Bennett were married at Casa Ybel Resort on October 31, 2009. This was a couple after my own heart, getting married on Halloween, my favorite holiday! Jason and Sara and were fun loving, adorable, and quirky, which is just perfect for that date!

With such a fun loving, quirky couple, it only made sense that they chose the fabulous Tonya Malay to capture their day!

(http://www.tonyamalay.com/)

Tonya has a great eye, an abundance of talent, and the best sense of humor that I have come in contact with in this business! She keeps us cracking up all the time, and has the amazing skill to keep her at the forefront of wedding photographers in Florida. Don't get me wrong though: she is every bit as serious about having fun as she is about shooting a great wedding and running a great business. We love every opportunity we get to work with Tonya and her crew, and are very grateful for these wonderful images, which she was kind enough to share with us!

Sara receiving Jason's gift before the ceremony

The beautiful bride. Her amazing bouquet was done by Lisa at Ballantine Floral.

The dashing groom

Little flower girls all had angel wings. Cute!

The were just so adorable

Doesn't she look like a real angel?

The bride walking down the sandy aisle

Jason's first time seeing Sara that day. His smile says it all.

Stunning ceremony

First kiss

First steps as husband and wife

Beautiful day on the beach

They just radiate happiness

Great shot behind the Thistle Lodge

Another beautiful sunset

The reception room with pops of lime green and black

What would a Halloween wedding be without table by table trick-or-treating?! How cute is she?!

Even the grown ups had angel wings. Such beautiful ladies

Another wonderful Masons Bakery creation

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bennett!!

Fall Wedding #3

Mr. and Mrs. Ullrich
Our final tented wedding of the year was one to remember! The Sutter/Ullrich wedding, on November 21, 2009, was gorgeous from beginning to end.

This wonderful couple utilized the planning service of Patricia Slater (Weddings by the Sea, http://www.sanibelcaptivaweddings.com/) to help them achieve their wedding day success. The event was just perfect, as was the weather!

Sanibel's own fantastic photographer, Frank Simonetti (http://www.franksimonetti.com/) captured this day beautifully, and was kind enough to share some of the fantastic photos with us!! Enjoy this glimpse into this couple's amazing day!!

Trying to keep the bride from seeing her groom before the first look

The groomsmen got really creative with it

First look-her face says it all

I think he approves!!

Gorgeous ladies! How great are these bridesmaids dresses?

Beautiful Couple

Let's go get married!!

He is serious about this marriage!

Look at those arch pieces...super gorgeous!

I just love her facial expressions

I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife

True love

Great shot, and daring!

How gorgeous are they?! I love her big doe eyes

Pretty escort card table

The sweetheart table, all florals by Floral Artistry

Beautiful centerpieces and table numbers

Candlelit and romantic

View of the sweetheart table with the pretty white tent lights

Another great shot of the centerpieces

The most beautiful sunset, with the perfect couple!!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Ullrich!! Be sure to come see us again!! We will keep your memories of Casa Ybel safe and sound.