Sarah Schachner and Drake Eaton’s love story began at the University of Michigan in 2015, thanks to what they jokingly describe as “the greatest blind date party set up of all time.” Drake, then a sophomore, had been searching for a date to his fraternity’s event when the two were introduced. Within minutes, it was clear they had something special. They spent the evening dancing and sharing their interests, ambitions, and plans for the future. What began as one memorable night soon turned into months of spending time together and after graduation, they built a life together in Chicago where they still reside today.

After the couple picked up skiing together in 2021, winter quickly became a favorite season. Knowing an upcoming trip to Aspen in March 2023 would be the perfect opportunity to propose, Drake meticulously planned the moment. “After practically becoming pen pals with the hotel concierge for months, I knew how I would do it,” he shares. Following a sunny day on the slopes and après-ski drinks, Drake led Sarah to the courtyard of The St. Regis Aspen Resort, where a cozy yurt awaited them, decorated with roses, a fireplace, and a bottle of their favorite champagne. Sarah said yes, and the rest of their mountain getaway felt nothing short of magical.

The couple spent approximately 15 months planning a wedding celebration that would bring together their closest friends and family in a place deeply meaningful to them. Though they live in Chicago, both Sarah and Drake have strong ties to South Florida, making Naples the natural choice for their wedding weekend. During the winter of 2021, the pair spent extended time there while Chicago was largely closed down, joking that they had become “the youngest snowbirds in the history of Florida.” They were thrilled to welcome loved ones to the coastal destination and encouraged guests to treat the weekend like a vacation.

Wedding planning was a collaborative effort led by the couple, Sarah’s mother, and their vendor team, headed by their planner Lisa. Along the way, the bride received advice she carried throughout the process. “Wedding planning should be – and is – fun,” she says. “Especially having plenty of time to plan our wedding, we were advised to take breaks from planning and pick it up again when feeling inspired.” The couple also made a point to approach the process as a team: “There were rarely calls with our vendors or planner that we both didn’t prioritize being present for.”

Despite careful planning, the weeks leading up to the celebration presented an unexpected challenge. Hurricanes Helene and Milton impacted their original venue just weeks before the wedding, requiring a last-minute relocation. Fortunately, the couple and their wedding team were able to pivot quickly and preserve the original date. “Guests had no idea that we designed it for a totally different space!” Sarah remembers.

Inspired by the natural beauty of Florida’s Gulf Coast, the couple envisioned a design scheme that felt timeless and coastal. “The natural beauty of the Gulf Coast and Naples was our inspiration when planning our wedding,” they share. Soft hues reminiscent of the landscape – whites and sandy taupe-pinks like the shoreline of Vanderbilt Beach, paired with touches of blue reflecting the Gulf of Mexico – created an atmosphere of understated elegance.

“The natural beauty of the Gulf Coast and Naples was our inspiration when planning our wedding.”

The wedding weekend began with a beachside welcome party inspired by one of Sarah’s favorite moments on the coast: sunset. The vibrant gathering showcased florals in shades of pink, orange, red, and purple, echoing the evening sky. To complement the relaxed setting, guests enjoyed playful details such as custom coconuts, cornhole, and tacos. “We wanted the vibe of the welcome party to feel truly beachy and differentiated from our black-tie wedding,” Drake says.

The following afternoon, the romantic sounds of a string quartet filled the air for the ceremony. As Sarah walked down the aisle to “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, a few light raindrops began to fall, stopping just as the couple met beneath the floral arch. The nuptials were officiated by Sarah’s older brother TJ, who led a ceremony centered around the couple’s values, while also honoring late loved ones, including Drake’s father, and incorporating religious and cultural traditions through readings. “After we said ‘I do,’ the quartet played ‘Another Day of Sun,’ a song from one of our favorite movies as a couple,” the bride notes of the sentimental detail.

After exchanging personal vows, the couple celebrated with a unique twist on a traditional ritual. “Instead of the traditional breaking of the glass, we opted to have TJ saber a bottle of champagne right when we kissed,” the bride shares. “It was so celebratory, and we were able to cheers right after the ceremony with the same bottle of champagne we drank at our engagement.”

Following cocktail hour, guests were invited to a seated dinner reception featuring a menu that reflected the coastal setting. The reception design showcased elegant florals in neutral tones of white and sandy pink, including roses, orchids, and hydrangeas, as well as a dramatic floral chandelier suspended above a mix of tables adorned with mirrored surfaces and orchid arrangements that created a wow factor.

Music took center stage as the evening unfolded. After their first dance to “Dancing in the Moonlight,” the couple invited their guests to the dance floor early in the evening. “We opened the dance floor to ‘Walking on Sunshine,’” the bride shares, noting the tribute to her parents’ wedding. Later in the night, a nostalgic musical moment honored the couple’s college years. The band closed with “Mr. Brightside,” followed by “The Gambler” to signal the transition to the after-party. “Our favorite Ann Arbor bar, Rick’s American Cafe, would play ‘The Gambler’ at 2AM every night when the bar was closing,” Drake shares.

One of the most meaningful aspects of the wedding was seeing their carefully planned vision come to life – especially after the last-minute venue change. “We frequently would run up to our parents on the dance floor and gush over all the details that became a reality,” Sarah recalls.

Reflecting on the planning process, the couple offers advice grounded in their experience. “We often hear couples talk about how the groom isn’t involved in planning, and we couldn’t have been further from this common conception,” they say. “Drake was involved every step of the planning process, and it was so fun to work together to bring our vision to life.”

They also created a quiet moment for themselves before the ceremony began, meeting privately to share a coffee together on their suite balcony. “We love to enjoy morning coffee together, so it was a really special way to see each other in a casual and relaxed way before the day began,” Sarah adds.

Following their wedding celebration in Naples, the newlyweds departed for a relaxing mini-moon in the British Virgin Islands, where they spent a week sailing and watching sunsets together. A few weeks later, they embarked on their full honeymoon in Japan, traveling through Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Niseko before ringing in the new year on the ski slopes – the perfect beginning to their next chapter together.

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