A Romantic and Sunlit Waterfront Wedding Weekend in Bodrum

Mediterranean charm, thoughtful event design, and a romantic seaside atmosphere

Gabie and Alex’s wedding in Bodrum was a luminous celebration of intimacy, elegance, and effortless joy, where every detail felt thoughtfully designed yet completely natural. The couple exchanged vows on the lower deck over the shimmering turquoise waters as the sun dipped toward the horizon, while a pop of orange and white florals lined the aisle, perfectly echoing the warm glow of the sunset. The reception followed on the same water-facing deck, where a single long table, draped in overlapping fabrics and dotted with candles, created a romantic, seaside atmosphere that encouraged laughter, connection, and celebration. From the understated, sunlit cocktail hour to the carefully curated details at the dinner table, every moment felt deliberate yet uncontrived. THE WED member Les Vaques captured the celebration with a wedding movie, preserving the energy, spontaneity, and joy of the weekend.

Our Love Story

^{The Day We Met}

We met in the summer of 2021 at a restaurant opening for one of our mutual friends. Alex was invited by the owner, and I was invited by the owner’s wife, who both happen to be our long-time best friends. It was a very sly setup, but it almost went south when I had a hard time understanding Alex’s Australian accent. Our second date was filled with a lot of repeated questions, and once we got through those, the rest was history.

^{The Proposal}

Alex proposed at Inness in Upstate New York during a weekend getaway in March 2024. He did it on the balcony of our cabin—just the two of us. We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating with the two friends who introduced us.

^{The Engagement Ring}

Alex worked with Sophia from Sophia D New York to design my engagement ring and our wedding bands. By coincidence, we bumped into Sophia at Maçakizi two years before getting engaged, so when the time came, it only made sense to have her be a part of our story.

Our Wedding

^{The Vision}

Our vision for the weekend was to create a celebration that felt true to both of us—intimate, genuine, and centered on spending time with our families and closest friends, especially those who traveled so far to be with us. Most of our 80 guests stayed at Maçakizi, which allowed us to be together and enjoy Bodrum throughout the entire weekend. Some of our guests were even lying by the water in the sun with just an hour left before the ceremony, and we loved that.

^{Our Team of Vendors}

Planning an international wedding is no easy feat, and it truly could not have come to life without our amazing wedding planner, With Lotte. From the start, she understood what we envisioned our weekend to look like and managed multiple vendors effortlessly. Our amazing photo team (Cara Mia) and video team (Les Vaques) were so much fun to work with and made us feel incredibly comfortable, allowing us to truly live in the moment.

^{The Location}

Our first international trip together was to Maçakizi in Bodrum in 2022, and we always knew we’d find our way back—we just didn’t know it would be for our wedding! When choosing a location, we wanted a place our friends and family would love just as much as we do, and Maçakizi was exactly that. The food, the drinks, the music, the people, and being on the water are unmatched. They call it the magic of Maçakizi for a reason.

A Romantic and Sunlit Waterfront Wedding Weekend in Bodrum

^{The Ceremony}

Our ceremony took place on the lower deck over the water just as the sun was setting. With the view as our backdrop, we wanted to complement the sunset with a pop of orange and white florals lining the aisle. Our celebrant did an amazing job sharing our love story, and we were both so happy we read our vows in front of our friends and family.

^{The Cocktail Hour}

We hosted our cocktail hour on Maçakizi’s upper deck with a beautiful view of Türkbükü Bay. We wanted to keep our décor simple and opted for crochet fabric that we were able to source with With Lotte leading up to our wedding. We sprinkled the speeches throughout the night, with my dad kicking things off during cocktail hour and Alex closing it out at the end of dinner.

^{The Reception}

Our reception was held on the lower deck over the water and took place just after the sun went down. With one long table lined with candles, the team created a beautiful tablescape with overlapping fabric that complemented the seaside setting perfectly.

^{The Special Touches}

As our guests found their seats at the table, we asked everyone to turn over their name card, where they found personal notes written by Alex and me, sharing how much they mean to us. Following that moment, our MC welcomed everyone with a toast of rakı—a traditional Turkish spirit. Our guests sipped on it throughout dinner and during the speeches.

^{Our Favorite Moment}

It’s hard to pick just one moment, but our recovery day was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend. From our previous trip to Bodrum, our favorite moments were spent by the sea, so we wanted to host a day doing exactly that. On the deck that Sunday, we relaxed in the sun, jumped in and out of the sea, and recovered from the night before with plenty of rosé, food, and lemon sorbet.

Our Style

^{The Bridal Looks}

Luckily, my best friend, Lauren Burke, is a bridal stylist and was able to help me with my bridal wardrobe. For the welcome party, I wore an ivory Taller Marmo ruffled dress, Jimmy Choo archive collection heels, and pearl drop earrings. Before I started looking at wedding dresses, I always knew I wanted three details included: an elongated waistline, a dramatic train, and a lace-trimmed veil. The dress I chose for my ceremony was the Lucky Gown from KYHA. With those details and the beautiful duchess satin fabric, it was everything I had ever imagined myself getting married in. At my bridal shower, I was gifted gorgeous Rosanne Pugliese white topaz drop earrings and ivory satin Danielle Frankel slingback heels—the perfect finishing touches to my look.

For the after-party, I worked with the Alexandra Grecco team at their New York atelier to design my dream look—a sheer lace shift dress with long sleeves that just slightly covered my hands. For the recovery, I kept it simple and comfortable with an eyelet wrap skirt from Elle Sasson and a white bikini that made it easy for me to jump in the water at any moment.

^{The Groom’s Looks}

Alex wore two custom looks from P. Johnson throughout the wedding weekend. For the welcome party, he wore a chocolate brown linen suit, and for the wedding, he wore a classic black tuxedo.

Our Advice

^{For the Planning Process}

Try to enjoy the process—whatever is meant to be will be!

^{For On The Day}

It’s your day! Live in the moment and do what feels best for you and your partner. We were having so much fun during our after-party that we forgot to cut our wedding cake. We ended up cutting it the following day after our recovery, which made it that much more special.

A Romantic and Sunlit Waterfront Wedding Weekend in Bodrum

^{For Post-Wedding}

Post-wedding bliss can’t be replicated! If you can, plan your honeymoon immediately after your wedding to soak it all in. We stayed at Maçakizi for a few extra days to relax and enjoy being newlyweds—it was perfect.