Leah Shafer and Captain Sandy Yawn Courtesy of Sandy Yawn and Leah Shafer
Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Sandy Yawn and her wife, Leah Shafer, have been living a “fairy tale” since their wedding.
“We already did a little [honeymoon]. My boss, John Flynn, gave us his boat — it’s a brand new Sunseeker 90-footer with a crew — and we went to Little Palm Island,” Yawn, 59, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, May 17, during a joint interview with Shafer, 50. “We don’t have a lot of time because we’re building a house and we’re moving and Leah’s daughter’s graduating so we had three days on his boat.”
The Bravo star added, “It’s where you go where you don’t want to be bothered. [It] is the most exclusive island ever since the last hurricane that came through did a lot of damage.”
Yawn and Shafer went on wave runners in “the bluest water” and “explored” the town in Florida.
“We had great food. I ate a lot because we didn’t eat a lot before the wedding,” Yawn added. “We made up for it. We slept a lot. Oh, my God we rested, we played in the sun … [and we were] playing in the water.”
Yawn and Shafer have been together since 2018. They wed earlier this month in a “beautiful” ceremony aboard a yacht. While their honeymoon was abridged due to prior commitments, they are planning a secondary getaway.
“I got my fairy tale, but [in] July, [we] will probably take a trip,” Shafer said. “We’re going to do something.”
Captain Sandy Yawn and Leah Shafer Courtesy of Sandy Yawn and Leah Shafer
Until then, the couple are basking in their newlywed bliss.
“At this stage of our lives … every moment we have together, we make it into a honeymoon,” Shafer told Us. “Like, it doesn’t have to be set days. Even yesterday, we’re walking around Tampa and we just saw this little green two-seater boat and we’re like, ‘Let’s take it out.’ You know, every second is a honeymoon for us.”
She continued, “We’re just to find this kind of love at this stage in our lives and to have the acceptance by our family and friends. It really is a beautiful love story and celebration, and that’s the truth.”
The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner, Lauren Alaina, Usher and more celebrities went to the chapel in 2024 and got married. Turner met Theresa Nist during the inaugural season of the Bachelor Nation spinoff, which aired in late 2023. Weeks after their televised proposal, Turner and Nist wed in a live TV ceremony on January […]
Shafer is also currently in the process of changing her last name.
“For me, [getting married] was so surreal,” Shafer said. “Sandy was telling everybody that she didn’t realize how in marriage felt so amazing [and] to know that I’m actually going to take her name — and I’m in the midst of changing my name to Leah Rae Yawn — [and] to not be a girlfriend anymore, it just feels good to be like, ‘Wow, I’m her wife.’ When we check into a hotel, it’s like, ‘It’s the Yawn party.’ It’s a really good feeling.”
With reporting by Amanda Williams
