Save the Date. Pelicans!

I’m urging our immediate party to call the Coral Bay Resort pronto and reserve your room/bungalow early on so we have an idea of how much the place will fill up. There are tons of places around that area besides the Coral Bay if extra rooms are needed, but we really want to be sure family and friends in the wedding party get into the Coral Bay for certain. We’ll be sending out a second wave of Save the Dates and invites after we’re pretty sure the immediates are booked. If we can fit everyone at the Coral Bay, that would be ideal!!

It’s starting to feel real this time! Soon it will be here!

The Coral Bay Resort, Islamorada, Florida Keys

For Matt’s birthday weekend we decided to give our future wedding destination a visit. We scooped up the girls in Miami and our overnight bags and drove 3 hours south to The Coral Bay Resort in Islamorada, FL. It was a beautiful –if not slightly overcast- day, perfect for no sleeves or socks.

Julie and I in room 9

Upon arriving at 2:30 p.m. and checking in with Bryon at the front office, we inspected our adjoined bungalow at #’s 9 – 10. Basically, it’s a small house split in two. One half has two full beds and a bath. The other has the same with a full kitchen. Both have front porches with tables and chairs. The bungalow was immaculate, and not in just a clean-floor and clean-bathroom kind of way. The tops of the door jams were dust free. The insets on the doors were wiped down. The plastic white light switches were spic-and-span. The towels were snow white and thick. With just a few shabby parts indicative of an older building, the bungalow was pretty with yellow walls, tropical bed covers and glowing sunshine through the windows.

Tiki bar on the pier

We took the girls down to the water and pier. The pier is about 15-18’ wide, 25’ long, and is connected with two spits of land on either side, has the bay to the north of it, and the tidal pool and beach to the south. The tidal pool is filled with fish and crab, and although it’s not really the sort of place you could swim in, you can still wade in a bit. The beach has soft, white sand, lounge chairs and a thatched shade. The west spit of land adjoining the tidal pool has a boat ramp, the east, a long tiki bar with sturdy wooden stools.

North East sides of the pier

We found out that our Maine Lobster Direct order was not arriving due to big storms up north. They canceled the order, and reinstated the gift certificate for us for future use. Byron told us about Mr. Lobster about a mile west on US1, so we took a trip down to the little dock studded with large round vats, surrounded by fishing boats and lobster traps. A few hundred lobsters huddled together in the vats, long spiny legs and antennae poking and waving, clawless and brindle colored unlike the big red ones I was used to. Matt grabbed a net on a pole and shoved it in and pulled out an angry lobster, curling and flapping its tail in frenzy. Julie and I inspected a load of giant shrimp on ice while Alicia held back screams as Matt tried to show her the lobsters. The fisherman removed the heads of our lobsters with a skinny knife, cleared the entrails by needling half its antennae up the rear end, and then placed them in the bag with our shrimp.

Lobster tails, shrimp and steak tips

Alicia, leery of anything with more than 4 appendages, will not eat lobsters, so we drove to the nearest Winn-Dixie for steak tips, beer, garlic, butter, corn, red potatoes, apple sausage, lemons, limes and half of a German Chocolate Cake in a plastic container. This was no short trip, and we highly advise members of the wedding party to make their stops there on the way down to the resort if anything is needed.

The boat ramp on West side of pier

We popped a few Corona caps once we arrived back at the resort. Julie poured a Cape Codder. We walked by the quiet, colorful bungalows to the pier, where we discussed wedding plans, watched the sunset, and swatted biting gnats. These bugs bit through the layer of Skin-So-Soft as if it were marinade. Thank goodness I brought the can of napalm-strength Off! We found out later that the county sprays regularly, so we will be sure to ask about that before the wedding.

Ms. Tizzy, resident kitty of The Coral Bay Resort

As the sky grew darker blue and the air became cooler, the bugs seemed to lessen. Walking back, we met the resident resort kitty, Ms. Tizzy, a large gray tabby with a tail that sprang backwards onto her back when you petted her. I minced garlic and the rosemary I brought from my garden, Julie prepared the lobster tail, Alicia shucked corn and Matt waved gutted shrimps in her face. The corn, potato and apple sausage went into the big pot full of Beck’s, and the poached shrimp and lobster after. We ate on the front porch and it felt like a New England summer’s night. Ms. Tizzy circled our ankles, feasting on random bits of seafood falling from above.

Sailboat at The Coral Bay Resort

We had German Chocolate Cake and espresso vodka–some of Matt’s favorites- by the heated pool in the dark, our legs hanging down into the warm water. Soon, the girls went to bed, the few people staying in other bungalows had already gone to bed, and Matt and I went for a quiet walk around the grounds. All you could hear were the masts of sailboats, a lazy wave or two, and the occasional car driving up US1. We were in bed by 3 a.m.

Resort grounds at night

Between the 4 of us, we hashed out more plans for the wedding, like how to decorate, where to put the wedding altar, speakers, the tables, chairs, food tent, beverages and lighting. We talked about getting a volley-ball net and a boat, and what to prepare for food. Coral Bay is so pretty with its palm trees and lush foliage, colorful houses, soft sand beach and tiki bar, that we’re sure everyone is going to have an unforgettable time, and we are more confident than ever that indeed we have made the correct choice of venue for our wedding.

With the wedding plans for 12.10.2010 coming along nicely, Matt and I have decided to place the bungalow map for the Coral Bay Resort as well as the *pricing online for everyone’s viewing. Invitations will be mailed out by this spring, and I will include a hard copy of these along with them. But, if you want to get the jump on now to plan your spectacular wedding/vacation here next December in (usually) warm and toasty Florida, you can do so now. You can call them at (305) 664-5568 and ask for Angela or Byron Cagle to reserve your bungalow now if you desire. Just be sure to contact Matt and I to let us know which one you’ve chosen, so we can update our online map, or even easier, just leave a comment to this post right here on this blog.

(* Please note that the pricing may be subject to change, we received our list just a few months ago, and I wouldn’t be privy to immediate changes made by the Resort.)

A little ‘splaining, first. The map shows squares which are the bungalows. You can see an example of what the inside of the bungalows looks like by clicking here to my other post about the Coral Bay. They are adorable, artsy, and spic ‘n span clean! As the bungalows get reserved, I will post an updated photo of the floor plan, showing the bungalow as a colored box and the names of its happy future residents. As of now, the red one facing the water will be for the new Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ludlow (holy moly!). It can be safely assumed that the entire row of cottages might be deemed “party row”, so if peace and quiet is what you will be seeking after the wedding, you might want to reserve bungalow’s 13-15-16, which are good for parents and larger families, or 14-17 which are good for hermits The bungalows can be separated into smaller units or joined into cottages (which is what Matt and I are doing.) If you have any questions, Angela and Byron can help you reserve the best bungalow configuration for your needs.

Here’s the floor plan:

Here’s the pricing for the floor plan (note – the wedding is in the off-peak season, so that is great! Our prices in dark red!):

• Large Efficiencies: Units 1-3-5-7-9-11 (2 double beds, full kitchen) 2-4 people
  Peak: $179 Off-Peak: $139
• Bedroom and Bath: Units 2-6-10-13 (2 double beds, small refrigerator and coffee maker) 2-3 people.
  Peak: $149 Off-Peak: $119
• Efficiency: Units 4-8-12-14 (King or Queen bed, full kitchen) 1-2 people
  Peak: $149 Off-Peak: $119-129
• 1 Bedroom Apt: Units 15-16 (King or Double bed, full kitchen, living & dining room, includes sofa sleeper) 2-3 people
  Peak: $179-$199 Off-Peak: $139-149
• Full Cottage: Units adjoined 1 & 2 – 5 & 6 – 9 & 10 – 13 & 15 (Bedroom & Bath adjoined to Efficiency, see descriptions above) 4-6 people
  Peak: $305 Off-Peak: $210
• 2 Bedroom Apt: Unit 17 (4 Double beds OR King bed, and 1 Full bed, full kitchen, living and dining room, includes roll-away bed) 4-6 people
  Peak: $265-$305 Off-Peak: $189-210

Peak Season – December 20th – August 15th. Off-peak Season – August 15th – December 19th. All units include a covered front porch or patio area. All central A/C excluding 13, 15, 16 (A/C’s in windows for those), All linens, dishes and utensils supplied. Daily housekeeping service. Free dockage and boat launching. 24 hr laundry service.

Matt and I will probably be here the night before and after the wedding. You all are welcome to reserve as much time as you want. We want everyone to think of this as a lovely Escape-New-England-Winter vacation where two people you love and care about just happen to be getting married. We’re really looking forward to having you all down, it’s going to be a very special time. Palm trees, parrots, tropical drinks and sunsets. What could be better?

Invites by Laurel at Killed the Queen "An alternative wedding resource" on Etsy

I just love these wedding invites. I found these on offbeatbride.com.

Unhappy with the selection out there, Laurel, the bride, created her own. She’s a Photoshop nerd like me. So, expect some whack invites, people. This is going to fun, fun, fun!

Laurel has her own shop on Etsy.com. Go see!

The beach

It looks like we have found the spot! We’ve got enough committed guests for our small wedding in the Florida Keys, so we’re taking over the entire Coral Bay Resort on Dec. 9th and 10th in 2010. It has a small beach, heated swimming pool, boat ramp, fishing jetty, and tidal pool stocked with fish. We’re thinking of renting a boat and getting some kayaks. The bungalos are clean, cute, have full baths and most have kitchens. It’s going to be almost entirely DIY, casual, funky, relaxed and most of all WICKED FUN! Think of it as a tropical vacation in the middle of winter where two people just happen to be getting married.

Save the Dates preinvites will be going out shortly, and I’ll be posting all our info on this here blog of mine so you’ll always be informed. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section or just do it the old fashioned way and give us a call.

We can’t wait to see everyone!

Here’s another shot of one of the rooms.

One of the cottages at Coral Bay Resort