A wedding in Key West

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The management could not have been more helpful as we planned our wedding. They do not allow children under 16 years old however, and are concerned that if you party, that you cut it off at 11 P.M. The rooms are somewhat small, very clean and all in a tropical decor.

It is very centrally located so with bikes you can get just about anywhere. For the money, I highly recommend it.

We held our wedding reception in the upstairs private rooms and could not have been more pleased with our meal and the service.

The manager would not let me make a final decision on the meal until one week before the wedding...she wanted to make sure that we had only the freshest seafood and beef that she could find!

We finally decided on a choice of turtle soup or lobster bisque. Our guests didn't want to go on to the next course, they just wanted more soup! Next came a salad with an oriental dressing that was like nothing I had ever tasted before.

Our guests had a choice of the entree being either yellow fin tuna with mango sauce, crab cakes with a sort of honey mustard sauce or steak with a peanut sort of sauce. I tried all three and had to agree with my guests raving over the meal.

It is so difficult for establishments to prepare large amounts of food that is not either too cold, under cooked over cooked or pass the serving stage, and I have to say that Louie's absolutley out did themselves with our wedding dinner. Our guests still rave about it and two of them have gone back to Key West to try Louie's again. And don't forget to try the Key Lime Pie.

The restaurant overlooks the ocean, has twinkle lights at night and is step terraced to the beach.

Arrive early so you can sit out on the afterdeck and enjoy a glass of wine before you are seated at either your outdoor or indoor table.

If you can only have one splurge meal...this is the place to do it.

Writing this makes me want to make a plane reservation now to go back...great memories!

Don't pass up a chance to snorkel. If you have a car, head north on Route 1 about 15 miles to Loue Key. Any of the snorkeling companies there are great and reasonable ($15.00 of season, $30.00 high season) and will take you to some of the best snorkeling sites in North America. While in water in many cases no deeper than 12 to 20 feet, you will be swimming with angel fish as large as your dinner plate, and you will see colors of neon that you thought only existed in magazines. If you cannot make it to Loue Key, many of the boats in Key West will take you to some pretty good sites that are still worth the cost. We sailed on the Sea Witch, so we had a half day of sailing and snorkeling.

And last but not least, sea kayak. We took the eco tour with the Key West fishing and eco tour company, 1-305-304-0337. These warm, calm and clear waters are legendary for their rich marine life. We explored some of the flats to the mangrove islands aboard kayaks specially designed for eco-touring and getting us through incredibly small holes in the mangrove swamps. A fun and interesting day.

Out of the many gorgeous places to choose from, we chose Martello Gardens, an old fort that is now beautifully and lovingly maintained by the Key West garden club. It is on the southern end of the island and it directly on the ocean. They rent it for the incredibly inexpensive fee of $100.00 for the evening.

We had a truly gifted non-denominational minister who worked with us ahead of time to get a feel for what we wanted. Her marriage vows brought tears to everyone. Her name is Reverand Deborah Benedict and her address is P.O. box 2873, Key West Fl. 33045. She is wonderful.

We had a flautist and harpist play during the ceremony who also spent much time with us working out the music. As a surprise to us, immediately after we were married they played "Danny Boy" because I am Irish.

We had champagne toasts and then headed to the beach for pictures. The reception was at Louie's backyard which I feature in the dining section.

It could not have been more romantic.