Tween Waters Wedding - Captiva Island

 

This wedding at Tween Waters Inn was my final wedding of 2025 and it was the perfect way to close out the year.

The couple was genuinely the sweetest... relaxed and joyful in a way that set the tone for the entire day. They even included their dog, which instantly made the celebration feel that much more personal and heartfelt. Those are always the best weddings, the ones that feel true to the people getting married.

Annnnnd, it also happened to be the windiest wedding day I’ve photographed in years.

I’ve photographed beach weddings all over the world, and in places like the Caribbean, strong gusts can be part of the norm. But on Sanibel Island and Captiva Island, wind usually isn’t much of an obstacle. This day was different, but even working around that it still turned out perfectly. 

We made a few small adjustments, moving part of their portrait time to the protected bay side of Tween Waters. That’s one of the things I love most about this venue: it offers so many picturesque options in one location. No matter what the weather decides to do, there’s always a beautiful Plan B (and often a Plan C).

As the sun began to set, we headed back out to the beach for sunset wedding pictures. It was still breezy, but by then it felt intentional. The movement in the air gave the photos a sense of energy and romance, and the wind caught the bride’s dress in the most beautiful way... soft, flowing, and full of life.

It was a reminder of something I’ve learned after photographing hundreds of beach weddings: perfection isn’t about calm conditions or rigid timelines. It’s about flexibility, trust, and finding beauty in what the day gives you. Even when I've create a minute by minute photo timeline (which I always do), I know the best kind of day is when it all just flows. 

Ending 2025 with a wedding like this, on Captiva Island, at Tween Waters, with an incredible couple and a little unexpected wind, felt exactly right.