Alex & Joshua’s Beach Wedding – From App to Altar

It was love at first swipe for Alex and Joshua. From dating app to walking down the aisle at Sundial, we hope you enjoy Alex and Joshua’s journey to husband and wife.

Photos by Bohemian Road Photography

How did you meet?

Joshua and I met on a dating website back in 2015. His profile consisted of pictures of him dressed up while he was at college and pictures of his dog.  How could I not have been convinced to swipe right?

How did he propose?

I made it really well known to him that I wanted my family to be involved in the proposal. Joshua and I live in Charlotte, NC and my parents and brothers live in Buffalo, NY. I don’t get to see them often but we are all so close I knew I wanted them to be there for it.

We were in Fort Myers for our annual family vacation and my parents rented a house in Cape Coral for all of us. My grandparents have lived in Fort Myers for as long as I can remember and this is where my family would always visit for spring break to spend time with them. We got to the house and were exploring and claiming rooms before we got ready to hit the pool and hot tub. I remember my dad asking me to go upstairs and close the doors to the bedrooms, which irritated me because my brothers weren’t asked to do that, ONLY me. Once I did that, I came marching down the stairs, annoyed of course, and see Joshua on one knee in the living room with my parents, brothers and sister-in-law around him. He talked, though I still have no idea what he said, and I said YES! I remember asking if he was serious about this because for some reason I thought it was a sick joke. Turns out that was the second time he proposed that day. He had tried to propose by the pool when we were exploring and I was so excited to see the rest of the house I didn’t notice him getting on one knee and just walked away.

Describe your wedding style

I don’t think I really had a style per se –  I just wanted a simple wedding on the beach.

What was your inspiration behind your dress and your bridal party’s attire?

I actually ended up with two dresses, though I only wore one. I had a vision of the dress I THOUGHT I wanted but, in the end, it was something completely different that I fell in love with.

I loved all the beading on the dress I ended up wearing. When the sun hit the dress on the beach it sparkled and made me feel like a princess. I originally wanted my bridal party in white dresses but didn’t find anything I loved so I found a pinkish white called “Rose Petal” that ended up being just perfect.

What were some of your favorite details about your wedding?

From the beginning, Joshua and I knew we wanted a simple, small and FUN wedding. Early on in the process, we decided to do a destination wedding to limit how many people could come. This was the best decision ever! We had family and close friends there and it made the day amazing. We weren’t rushing around trying to talk to everyone because it was so small and intimate.

What were some memorable moments from your wedding day?

Obviously, marrying Joshua was top on the list. Having a small wedding with family and friends meant a lot to us. Getting ready in the morning with my best friends was so much fun. We had my cousin, Kate, got ordained and marry us which I thought was so special. My Mimi and Papa pulled my nephew and cousin’s two kids, acting as ring bearers and flower girl, down the aisle in a wagon. These are their great-grandchildren and I thought that was so special for them to have those memories to look back on. My nephew was really slumped back in the wagon so it looked as if he was almost laying down napping but the pictures turned out adorable and it was a sweet memory.

Also, we did a shell ceremony* with all our guests after the wedding. It was a fun way to get all the guests involved and made for a cool picture of all the guests and us!

*The shell ceremony is when each guest takes a shell and they go to the water and make a wish or say a prayer for the couple as they toss the shell into the Gulf. 

Why did you choose Sundial as your wedding venue?

The simple answer is because of how absolutely beautiful it is. The grounds, the beach and the reception room were all stunning. We were able to customize our wedding how WE wanted it. We decided we didn’t want a seated dinner or buffet dinner; we wanted a few stations with a lot of passed hors d’oeuvres and Sundial made all of our wishes a reality.

Would you recommend Sundial Resort to other couples? Why?

Absolutely. I was an out of town bride and contacting anyone with any questions was a breeze. The response rate was amazing and everyone was so kind and helpful.  They are experts at what they do and I am so grateful for all their help in planning our perfect wedding.

What are you most looking forward to in married life?

We just bought a house, which is so exciting. We are also taking a late honeymoon in January that we are both looking forward to. Of course, we also can’t wait to start a family when the time is right.

What advice would you give to future bride and grooms to be?

Don’t stress – seriously, it’s not worth it. I would call or email all the time about things that would keep me up at night about our wedding and everything went off without a hitch. It truly was the perfect day. You can’t control the weather so there is no reason to worry about that. Things will go wrong and when you look back on it you probably won’t even remember what it was. Take some time to spend with just your Husband to take it all in.  So many people told us that our day was going to go by so quick and I knew it would but the day will literally fly by so quickly. Do what YOU want, it is YOUR wedding and no one else’s.