Two days after I got home from India and still plenty jet-lagged, we headed down to Florida for the wedding of Sean’s friends Sean and Caitlin. Sean was a groomsman so we had to get down a couple of days before the wedding for all the festivities. Luckily, Sarasota isn’t a terrible place to spend a long weekend! 😉We stopped to have lunch with my father-in-law in Dade City on the way. Yummy homemade lunch of lamb sandwiches on homemade bread with french fries fried in duck fat, a green salad and a delicious glass of Spanish red all enjoyed poolside.

Full and energized, we hit the road for another hour and a half then arrived at our Airbnb near downtown Sarasota. It was a stunning Spanish Mission-style home and our room was large and comfortable. Truly beautiful!

Sean had to be at the wedding rehearsal ASAP and as I drive we passed beautiful waterfront sights everywhere.

We went down to Venice Beach for the rehearsal dinner after the final suit fitting at Men’s Warehouse and happened to catch this beautiful sunset behind the palm trees as we walked from cocktail hour to the restaurant. Cassariano Italian Eatery was great – we had a private room in the back and all the food was delicious. From the caprese salad and eggplant starters to my delicious salmon filet over wilted spinach, we were very impressed and satisfied. 

The next morning we got up and walked down the street to The Reserve, a little complex of three buildings that housed a bookstore, coffee shop and small bar. We sat outside an shared a bagel and pain au chocolat before heading to the park and waterfront across the street. We walked for a bit, then did some yoga, tai chi and stretches on the grass. What a wonderful way to start the day. We then drove two hours inland to meet Sean’s mom and John for lunch at a little botega. The food was ok, but we were gifted a set of old-school speakers meant for a record player, new (to us) albums, and a bunch of beautiful succulents. Score!

We drove the two hours back (it was so much driving in just a few days. If the scenery hadn’t been so damn picturesque, I know it would’ve affected us more) and picked up Sean’s suit, stopped at Total Wine and regrouped at the Airbnb before heading over to Longboat Key where the bride and groom had a kick-ass suite at a resort on the beach and all the wedding party was hanging out.

Glass of wine, cool temperatures, and a spectacular Gulf of Mexico sunset? Yes, please.

We all hung out in the suite and got to know each other over a few more drinks and some pizza. On the way back to our room, we swung into Starlite Bar, which was 3 blocks from our place. It was a really cool Hollywood, old-school jazz bar. Worth checking out.

The next morning, we went back to The Reserve and back to the park for more yoga, tai chi, etc. What a life. 😉

After showering back at the room, Sean got ready and I dropped him at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens for all the wedding day events. I took myself to lunch in downtown Sarasota, stopped in a few shops, helped out the bride by running a quick errand and took in all the beauty this town had to offer. 

The setting for the wedding was gorgeous, although none of my photos turned out that great. They got married with the water as their backdrop with tons of sailboats along the horizon. It was lovely. 

The bridal party enter the reception. Sean and his partner were having a blast.

Photos didn’t really turn out but you get the idea. So beautiful. And a fun reception – great food, good music, loved meeting so many of Sean’s friends from college and meeting awesome new people, dancing the night away outside…truly an incredible weekend.