Abby and Tyler got married on an island today. Not a metaphor. The Hollow is a veteran-owned, ten-plus acre outdoor wedding venue in Venice, FL, offering couples two different ceremony sites to choose from, a chapel and the island. The island site is exactly what it sounds like, a small piece of land surrounded by water on every side, reached by nautical walkways, where couples say their vows under a white pergola framed by tropical foliage. The water itself has a real story behind it, the space used to be a quarry, and what’s left is more than 60 feet deep in places, all natural rainwater. Abby and Tyler chose the island.

This venue is family for Abby and Tyler in more ways than one. Tyler’s own dad is The Hollow’s property manager, and the venue’s owner, Tyler, and his dad are all originally from Rhode Island. The owner built the property out of a background in concrete work, and it shows, the stunning rock formations and hidden caves scattered across the grounds are as much his craft on display as they are a wedding backdrop.

Tyler flew in from North Carolina with Abby a week ahead of the wedding, and once he was here, he spent several of those days working alongside his dad to get the grounds ready. Florida had just come through one of its coldest winters in 15 years, back to back freeze events in January and February that state officials later called some of the most damaging in Florida’s history, with subfreezing temperatures reported across 66 counties. The Hollow’s tropical vegetation took a real hit. So in the week before his own wedding, Tyler rolled up his sleeves and helped bring the property back to life.

On the day itself, family flew in from Ohio and Rhode Island to watch Abby and Tyler say yes with the water glittering around them.

The First Look at Solis Hall

Before any of the ceremony madness, Abby and Tyler shared their first look at Solis Hall, Wellen Park’s waterfront event space in Downtown Wellen, just a short drive from The Hollow. Solis Hall sits right on the community’s 80-acre Grand Lake, with floor to ceiling windows and a front porch that doubles as a stage overlooking the Great Lawn. It made for a quiet, beautiful backdrop for this one private moment, just the two of them, before the day opened up to family, friends, and eventually a whole island full of people.

Doing Our Homework

We like to be over prepared, and this wedding was no exception. We attended Abby and Tyler’s rehearsal, and we had already walked The Hollow’s grounds before, on a tour years earlier with a different couple whose wedding there ended up getting cancelled because of COVID. We also visited Solis Hall ahead of time specifically to check the venue’s event calendar, since we wanted to make sure nothing else was scheduled there that could interfere with Abby and Tyler’s first look. Small world moment while we were there: Casey, the planner working at Solis Hall that day, turned out to have gotten married herself at Bakers Ranch, one of our other favorite venues to shoot.

When the Shuttle Breaks Down, You Uber In

No wedding day goes exactly to plan, and this one had its own story to tell. The shuttle bus hired to bring guests in broke down that morning, and rather than sending a replacement, the company ended up cancelling on Abby and Tyler entirely. Shy Chic Boutique had their hands on every part of this day, full coordination, decor setup, and planning from start to finish, and when the shuttle fell through, three of their team members were on site helping guests reroute on the spot. The guests did what any determined wedding crowd does: they Ubered in, one carload at a time, and the ceremony started right on schedule anyway. Nobody missed a thing. Shy Chic’s support didn’t stop there either, at the end of the night, Larry, Cheyanne’s husband, offered to personally shuttle guests back to their hotel.

Welcome to Florida, Guests

Water on all sides makes for stunning wedding photos, but it also comes with a very real Florida detail. The alligators swimming around the ceremony site were real, not decorative, and more than a few out-of-state guests spent the day convinced otherwise. Consider this the local wisdom, passed down for free: if the water looks like sweet tea, you don’t go in unless you’re ready to throw down with a dinosaur. Welcome to Florida.

A Day Worth Every Mile Traveled

Between the freeze cleanup, the shuttle drama, and a few surprised out-of-state guests learning about Florida wildlife the hard way, Abby and Tyler’s wedding had every reason to go sideways. Instead it turned into exactly the kind of day we love shooting, a little unpredictable, deeply personal, and surrounded by people who traveled real distances to be there for it. Congratulations again, Abby and Tyler. We’re so glad your island said yes right along with you.

If you’re planning a wedding at The Hollow, Solis Hall, or anywhere else in the Sarasota, Bradenton, or Venice area and want to talk photography or cinematography, we’d love to hear from you.

Kaline and Aland celebrated their Sarasota Courthouse wedding with an intimate ceremony last month. While we couldn’t photograph the ceremony, we captured stunning couples formals at Caspersen Beach in Venice, FL. Check out their beautiful beach session!

Rachael and Nathan met just days before Rachael moved from PA to FL, and it was only fitting to have their engagement session at one of their favorite beaches here in FL! 🏖️ Their love story is as beautiful as the sunset we witnessed. 🌅 We can’t wait to celebrate their wedding at Sarasota National later next year! 💍✨ Here’s to many more cherished moments together! 💕

Megan and Aaron had married during the 2020 COVID restrictions. Due to the recommendation at the time, their wedding was only the two of them and their officiant. With restrictions lifting, they wanted to have time to celebrate with friends and family. 

They quickly realized they wanted professional photos after seeing their own cellphone photos from the ceremony in 2020. Thanks again for having us!