Beach Brunch Wedding at Casa Ybel Resort

What a wonderful start to the year we have had!!! Since January hit, we have been blessed with so many amazing weddings and clients! As a result, my blogging has been minimimal, due to time restrictions, but I finally have a bit of time to update you with some of our most recent-FABULOUS weddings!!

To kick things off, I want to share this gorgeous brunch wedding with you all. On January 3, 2010, we were blessed with the Porter/Disseler wedding. We had so much fun over the previous year planning with the gorgeous Amanda and her mother Paula. They wanted to keep things light, and fun, but still elegant with touches of the beach. Our brunch wedding packages worked just perfectly for them, and the day was stunning!

Bright sun, light breeze, white sandy beach, and a killer brunch buffet all made for a perfect morning wedding. Floral Artistry provided stunning floral, as usual, and the amazing Clint Wiley http://www.clintwiley.com/ kept the guests entertained all morning with his incredible music!

The fabulous Nick Adams http://www.nickadamsphotography.com/ was the photographer for the day, and was kind enough toshare some of the amazing images he captured for you all to enjoy!!

        Our Stunning Bride                                                                  The Handsome Groom 

It was a perfect ceremony

Such a gorgeous bridal party! I love the blue color scheme

The Super cute sweetheart table and Mint Favors

Adorable send off for the bride and groom!

Congratulations again to the new Mr. and Mrs. Disseler from all of us at Casa Ybel Resort!!

Sunday Brunch At Thistle Lodge Beachfront

Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaraunt is excited to announce it's first ever Sunday Brunch Buffet!

As you know, Thistle Lodge already provides the best Sunday brunch on the island, with live music, great views, and a delictable menu.

Cher Hanna Photography

We've decided to kick it up a notch this week by turning our Brunch into a full buffet so you can get a taste of all of the fabulous Chef creations! Come join us this Sunday, March 21st at Thistle Lodge for live music, sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico, and a truly fabulous brunch buffet.

 Call us today for your reservation!

239-472-3145

Valentine's Day at Casa Ybel Resort

I cannot think of a more romantic place than Sanibel Island. The island is unlike any other place in this world, and has a romance about it that is unparalleled. We are very fortunate to work at a resort that captures this romance and natural beauty so flawlessly. Coming to work here, and hosting weddings and events, really shows us the endless beauty this world, and Sanibel in particular, has to offer.

The Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant provides a truly romantic, sumptuous dining experience, with picturesque views of the Gulf of Mexico and those famous Sanibel sunsets.

For Valentine's Day, Thistle Lodge is the perfect place to celebrate with your sweetheart. You are guaranteed to have an amazing experience, with superb cuisine, impeccable service, and an ambiance that will leave you both swooning.

Come join us this Valentine's Day, Saturday February 14th for a simply marvelous dining experience.


Valentines Day Menu

Call For Reservations
239-472-9200

Casa Ybel Resort Wedding Haiti Relief Donations

We have been inspired!

Thanks to the Bridal Bar Atlanta (http://www.bridalbar.com/) , as well as TOAST Signature Celebrations in Atlanta (http://www.toast-events.com/), we have been inspired to make additional donations to those in critical need in Haiti.

As you all know, the devastation in Haiti due to the earthquake is just horrific, and as Americans we need to do all we can to help out!
For any wedding booked between now and February 1st, 2010, Casa Ybel Resort will donate $50.00 to Hope for Haiti (http://www.hopeforhaiti.com/) for the relief efforts. Every bit helps, so why not do a good thing while planning the happiest day of your life?

To clarify: this is NOT about profiting from a tragedy.
This is about donating every extra bit we can. Casa Ybel Resort cares very deeply about this situation, and wants to extend everything we can to help the people of Haiti, as well as give hope to the numerous employees who have been personally affected by this tragedy. We book weddings on a very regular basis, and are simply offering extra donations for the weddings we will book during this time. If you are not looking to host an event, but still want to donate, a full list of donation agencies is listed below.

There are several wedding professionals offering this service as well, all over the country. If you have a promotion you would like us to list, please comment on this post and I will add your link.

Thank you all, and let's see how much we can raise!

Call us today for more information!

866-748-8958

Other Donation Methods

both charity organizations and Wedding Industry:

Red Cross

Hope for Haiti

Wyclef Jon/ Yele Charity

Comprehensive Guide of Travel Industry Response

EllyB Events

Toast Events

Rue La La

Bridal Bar
Melissa Schollaert Photography
Turner Weddings
First Giving

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!!