Katherine and Carl's Destination Wedding at Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island

By Frank Simonetti

Katherine and Carl had their destination wedding at the Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island. The weather was great with a strong breeze to cool the warm June sun. Family and friends gathered for the late afternoon wedding performed by Dr. Dan Lamey. The ceremony was on the lawn directly behind the Thistle Lodge Restaurant. The children had a great time and it was a photographers’ delight to capture them ‘on film’ . Will is the brides’ son and Sarah and Lauren are her nieces. Of course, the girls were very photogenic and with their wedding bouquets. So, Will had a fall while we were taking photos before the ceremony, someone had a colorful children’s band-aid for the invisible cut….oh another photo op as the bride kisses to make it better!. Meanwhile, the groom and guests were arriving to the ceremony site on the lawn directly behind the Thistle Lodge. The staff at Thistle Lodge had cold Lemonade and Tea for the guests as they gathered and waited for the bridal procession to begin. Then Nicholas the ring bearer strutted down to the ceremony with absolute confidence, another photo op! After the ceremony, the Lieutenant Commander quickly picked up his bride as they walked down the aisle. We then made a group photograph of everyone. The guests walked to the Thistle Lodge Patio for cocktails while we photographed the two families on a beautifully landscaped area at the Casa Ybel Resort. The wedding reception was upstairs in the Waterfront Dining room of the Thistle Lodge. After the dinner, we went for beach photos at sunset and tried to release some lanterns into the Gulf of Mexico….the wind did not cooperate but again….it was a great photo opportunity! Thistle Lodge is the restaurant located in the Casa Ybel Resort. Wedding music and dancing was provided by Steve Farst. Shown here are some of my favorite photographs we created.

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

Summer Weddings at Casa Ybel

Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island would like to extend an exciting offer for Summer Weddings and Events!

We currently have space available for Summer 2009. We understand the impact the economy has had on everyone, including budgets for weddings. As a result, through the months of July, August, and September, we would like to offer a 10% discount off our package prices for weddings booked on any day, aside from Saturdays.


If the full wedding package doesn't appeal to you, or you would like to keep things more simple for your summer wedding, why not consider a brunch? Brunch weddings are another great cost effective solution to have the destination wedding you dream of, without breaking the bank! We have amazing brunch menus, which we can customize to your liking, as well as stunning locations for your ceremony and reception. We can provide sweet mimosas, spicy Bloody Mary's, Tropical Rum Punch, fresh fruit juices, exotic coffees, herbal teas, and more! Come celebrate your wedding or special occasion with us during the Summer of 2009! We promise to make it a day you will certainly never forget!

For more information with regard to our wedding packages, brunch options, summer availability, and discount options, please contact our Catering Sales Director at 239-472-0693 Ext. 1352, or via e-mail, jessica@casaybelresort.com

Casa Ybel Resort Waterfront Wedding 2/28/09

Casa Ybel Resort would like to congratulate it's newest happily married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Dellagnolo!

Boris and Katie were married at a church in Fort Myers, and later held their stunning reception at our Casa Ybel Resort Saturday, February 28, 2009. They were a very sweet couple, and we had a wonderful time hosting their event. Boris and Katie began their reception by hosting an hour long cocktail at the outdoor terrace of our Thistle Lodge Beachfront Restaurant. The guests enjoyed butler passed appetizers with their cocktails, while the bride and groom took amazing pictures on the beach around sunset. The guests were then escorted into the Waterfront Dining Room, where they were treated to quite a surprising first dance! The bride changed out of her formal church gown, and into a more informal (but equally stunning) slip dress. The bride and groom then proceeded to shock everyone by performing a full hip-hop first dance, complete with top hats and canes!

The reception room was extremely elegant, with the chairs wrapped in ivory satin, and the tables adorned with ivory satin linen and topped with ice blue organza.

The cake, created by Masons Bakery, was a beautifully prepared three tier square cake adorned with a lovely swirl design in the frosting, a light blue ribbon and later garnished with white chocolate edible calla lilies, to tie in the centerpiece flowers.

The centerpieces from Floral Artistry of Sanibel, were made with light blue and ivory hydrangea, as well as an assortment of ivory roses and calla lilies. The centerpieces were completed with tall glass floating candle holders, of various heights to provide dimension to the table. The reception was a heart warming family affair, complete with a slide show of the family throughout the years, and pictures of the bride and groom as children holding hands!

This was truly a family occasion, and a love story 15 years in the making. Casa Ybel Resort thanks the Campbell and Dellagnolo families for sharing this very special occasion with us!

Casa Ybel Attends Bridal Blast and We Wed Brunch and Workshops

The gals here in the Catering Department at Casa Ybel Resort have been busy bees this week! Aside from the day to day craziness around here, we have been attending Bridal Expo's, workshops, and gearing up for a busy Spring wedding season. Jessica and I attended the Annual NAWP Bridal Blast! at Germain Arena this last Sunday, February 23rd. We had a blast (no pun intended) and met a lot of potential clients. Thank you to all who attended for making this one of the best Bridal Shows I have seen in a long time. I look forward to hopefully getting the chance to work with each and every one of the lovely couples we got to meet, and wish the best of luck to all couples who attended!

Jess and I at the Show

I also had the pleasure of attending the We Wed Brunch and Workshops, (http://www.wewedbrunch.blogspot.com/) hosted by the beautiful and talented Mrs. Kelly McWilliams. (http://www.destinationnapleswedding.com/). It was a fantastic workshop, with the best of the best of Southwest Florida Wedding Professionals in attendance. It was so nice seeing everyone again, meeting new vendors that I have not yet had the chance to work with, and learning a great deal from Kelly. Can't wait for the next one!

The Entire Group at The We Wed Brunch and Workshop (Shari Bare Photography)

If you missed us at the NAWP Bridal Blast, be sure to check us out at the Cape Coral Wedding Expo 2009. It is being hosted at the Cape Coral Yacht Club on Sunday, March 8, 2009. We are excited to be joining in on this show and hope to see another great turn out!