Carrie Merrill and Kyler Rowley’s love story is proof that home really is where the heart is. Though they both grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut—and even had friends who dated—they never got to know each other. However, their luck would change during a fateful outing to a bar in Geneva, New York in 2014. (Suffice to say, they’ve been each other’s little slices of home ever since.) Five years later, Kyler got down on one knee while the couple was hiking in Acadia National Park. With him? A celebratory bottle of champagne and an engagement ring by Brad and Vandy Reh, jewelers from New Canaan.
Though Carrie and Kyler share a hometown, they opted to get married at the Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, Florida, which feels like a home away from home. The bride spent weekends there growing up with family. She shares, “We knew it would be the perfect place to get married, not only because it’s beautiful, but because the inn feels like home to everyone.” Unlike most modern couples—who have had to postpone their nuptials due to the ongoing pandemic—Carrie and Kyler always had their wedding scheduled. “??When we began planning, Covid-19 had only just begun,” the bride shares. “We sent out a two-sided save-the-date card to all 250 guests, with one side saying ‘a little something to look forward to…’ over a watercolor of three sandpipers running on the sand. We felt that this was a charming way to cheer up our friends and family who had been in lockdown for a few weeks at that point.”
Though the couple had to make some adjustments—notedly, whittling down their 250 guest list to 134—the event went off without a hitch. Keep reading for an intimate look at the special day, as planned by Camille Williams and photographed by Jacqui Cole. Carrie and Kyler were inspired by the Gasparilla Inn’s rich history, and wanted to create an atmosphere with a sophisticated, yet, tropical spirit. “We told [our team] we wanted to stray away from just flowers; we wanted color, texture, and personality,” the bride explains. “We knew we didn’t want consistency and for each table to be its own oasis- and that’s exactly what happened!” The classic invitations from J. Papers laid the foundation for the elegant soiree.
Prior to the wedding day, the couple had a rehearsal dinner for their guests. Little did they know, the weekend would kick off with a sentimental surprise. “When my parents got married, my mother’s father gifted my dad a key to the house in Wisconsin that my family has been going to for generations,” the bride recalls. The bride stunned in a strapless, A-line dress by British designer Suzanne Neville, a decision that even surprised Carrie. “From the beginning, I said that I did not want a strapless dress,” she recalls. “I thought I had picked out another dress by a different designer, and the Suzanne Neville dress I ended up with was hanging up on the rack next to where my changing room was. My mom saw it and suggested I try it on to confirm that I did not want a strapless dress. As soon as I put it on, I knew I had to change my decision and get it! It was so comfortable and I loved that it had pockets.” Carrie accessorized her dress with baby blue mules by Jimmy Choo and Lisa Hall jewelry.
