Stuart Couple Marries In Nautical-Themed Beach Wedding

February 10, 2020

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WHO THEY ARE: Katie, 39, and Chris, 48, run their own business, Nautical Marine Services. It is a mobile marine company that specializes in annual services and maintenance on jet drives, diesel engines and joystick operations systems. Chris and his son, Ethan, are the technicians while Katie runs the business.

HOW THEY MET: Katie and Chris met while working at Hinckley Yacht Services in Stuart. They worked together closely and shared a love for boating and fishing. Over time, the pair became good friends, which developed into a lifelong relationship.

ON THE PROPOSAL: Katie has a 17-foot console boat that Chris knows she loves and adores, so one day they went out cruising. “He couldn’t wait to propose, so as soon as the boat was pulling off the dock at the boat ramp, he took the boat out of gear,” Katie says. “I thought something was wrong, so I turned around to look at the engine, and when I turned back to look at Chris, he was down on one knee saying so sweetly, ‘Katie Tulip, will you marry me?’ To which I said, yes, of course!”

ON THE THEME: The nautical-themed beach wedding used turquoise, the couple’s favorite color, throughout the décor. Sea glass, a lobster trap, seashells, a dock pier cake stand and chocolate fish cupcake decorations also made an appearance. For “something blue,” Katie had a patch with an anchor, her and Chris’ first initials and the wedding date sewn on the inside of the bottom of her dress.

ON THE SPECIAL DETAILS: “The power of the sea was simply magical that day,” Katie says reflecting on her wedding photos by the water. “Another special photo moment was a picture we took with all my girls from college with my new hubby. It was the first time we had all ever been together since we went to Southampton College 20 years ago, but with Chris with us
this time.”

ON PERSONAL TOUCHES: The couple wanted to include as many local businesses in their wedding as possible, so they organized the event themselves. They also made as much of the décor as they could and wrote their own ceremony, while Katie’s sister put it all together with the details.