WHAT: South Florida Surprise Wedding

WHO: Erin + Lenny

Where: Cape Coral Yacht Club | Cape Coral, Florida

I know what you’re thinking…a surprise wedding!? How does someone pull that off? How do they know the bride won’t run away? How do you know what the bride would even want on her wedding day? I have to be honest, my type A personality sees a million details involved in pulling off a surprise wedding but guess what? Erin + Leonard’s wedding day went off without a hitch and here’s how:

First off – Erin has THE BEST family. I mean, they’re all simply amazing in their own way and I’m lucky to have spent the little time with them that I have. They all put so much thought, time and effort into a wedding that the bride had no idea was coming! When Erin’s momma reached out to me and told me their idea, I knew I was all in and was so honored that they wanted me to capture it! How cool is it to pull off something so special for your daughter?! I knew it would be amazing but it wasn’t until I showed up with cameras in hand that I realized just how intentional and freaking cool the day was. Erin’s sister Alex handmade just about every single detail from the day. It was not only a stunning wedding but completely unique with every detail personalized to reflect the bride. Game of Thrones and Harry Potter fans – these wedding day details are some you won’t want to miss! Alex’s creativity is completely inspiring and her family uniting to pull it off is equally as special.

So, a little backstory: Erin + Lenny were already engaged. Erin didn’t have the time or desire to plan her own traditional wedding and after talking with her family, they convinced her to skip out on a courthouse elopement while they came up with a plan. She fully expected something at some point in 2018 but, her family convinced her it would likely be later in the year. Erin grew up down the street from the Yaught Club that ultimately became her wedding venue – another bit of meaning I love that they incorporated into the day. All of the Saturdays were booked in 2019 but they had two Sundays open one of which, I was already scheduled to be in Florida. We took that as a sign and set out to make the day happen! Lenny was in on the plan so the surprise was all for Erin!

On the morning of Erin + Lenny’s wedding, the initial plan to get Erin to the venue fell through. Erin canceled on her friend Leah who “had a surprise” for her because she was prepping for a big case as a District Attorney. Plan B took effect and Erin’s dad packed his suitcases, called his daughter and told her that he was leaving town and if she wanted to get her car back (that he had taken to the shop to have some work done on) that she needed to grab it before 4 pm. Once Erin’s dad got her into his car to take her to the shop, Alex (her sister) called her dad for an urgent favor. She “had purchased a couch from someone off Craigs List and couldn’t get to the Yacht Club to pick it up in time.” If she didn’t show, the couch would be gone and she would lose her money. Dad had the phone on speaker and since Erin was already in the car, she was “forced” to ride along with him. Little did she know, she was on her way to the wedding!

Once Erin arrived and the news was out, mom had hair and makeup team ready along with a ton of dresses and accessories for her to choose from. That was just the start of one epic party!

Alex hand made all of these flowers out of Harry Potter book pages. 
Don’t expect to understand these if you’re not a GOT fan.



When I say Alex handmade these details, I mean, she HAND POURED the brick to make the centerpiece base. Goals people…









Anxiously awaiting the big surprise…







Pop the bubbly people!

Isn’t Erin’s momma stunning?!

















































And all she wanted was her car…;)

Interested in having me document your South Florida Wedding?  Email me today for information and to reserve your date!

Megan Montalvo is a Wedding and Elopement Photographer based out of the Seattle, Washington. She offers Seattle Wedding photography to surrounding PNW destinations such as Olympia, Tacoma, Mt. Rainier, Lake Quinault, Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Pass, Cle Elum, Suncadia, Leavenworth, Ruby Beach, Cape Kiwanda, Cannon Beach and the San Juan Islands. Megan also travels for destination weddings all over the country and international.