Captain Sandy Shares Which 'Below Deck' Franchise Stars Were Present at Her Wedding with Leah Shafer (Exclusive)

Captain Sandy Reveals Which Below Deck Franchise Stars Attended Her Wedding to Leah Shafer

Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

Captain Sandy Yawn‘s wedding with Leah Shafer featured several Below Deck franchise stars.

During an exclusive interview with We, Sandy, 59, discussed how she chose who to invite to her big day.

"We only had space for 60 people, so it was tough to invite everyone we wanted from Bravo," she shared on Friday, May 17. "We decided to have our close family and friends who have been with us since the beginning. They've seen me from my single days when I first started the show, all the way to when I met Leah – I couldn't stop talking about her."

Sandy also managed to include executive producer Nadine Rajabi and Bravo's Vice President of Current Production, Josh Brown, in the celebration.

"We had Nadine and Josh Brown, as well as people from NBC who have been a part of my life," she mentioned, referring to Nadine who officiated her wedding. "We also wanted Kate Chastain there, even though we don't interact daily. And of course, Aesha Scott was there too."

Although not everyone could attend the event, the captain expressed her desire to have Bugsy Drake present. She explained, "We couldn't invite everyone due to the venue's capacity of 60 people, but that doesn't mean we didn't want them there."

Ahead of their wedding day, Sandy and Leah, 50, even received a gift from Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen.

Captain Sandy Reveals Which Below Deck Franchise Stars Attended Her Wedding to Leah Shafer

"He was so generous! He sent us a very generous gift and even expressed interest in attending. He said, 'Yes, send me the invite,'" Sandy shared. "It would have been amazing to have him there, but it was really touching - his message and his gift."

Leah and Sandy were thrilled to mark their love with a special day after dating for several years. They first connected in 2018 when Leah messaged the reality star about her popular Bravo series. Sandy mentioned how supportive Andy is, noting that he even responds to Leah's messages, which they both find really cute.

Leah was previously married to entertainer Ross Shafer for 20 years before finding love with Sandy. They had a daughter named Lauren before parting ways. Sandy and Leah have shared special moments from their relationship leading up to their wedding.

After their wedding ceremony, Sandy and Leah revealed their future plans to Us.

Leah expressed, "At this point in our lives, every moment we spend together feels like a honeymoon. It doesn't have to be planned in advance. For example, yesterday in Tampa, we came across a small green boat and decided to take it out on a whim. Every moment we share is like a honeymoon for us."

She added, "We feel incredibly lucky to have found this kind of love at this stage of our lives, and to have the support and acceptance of our family and friends. It truly is a beautiful love story and celebration, and that's the reality of it."

Leah shared her excitement about getting married and changing her last name to Yawn after the wedding. She expressed how surreal the experience was for her and how amazing it felt to be taking her partner's name. Leah is currently in the process of changing her name to Leah Rae Yawn and no longer being just a girlfriend. She mentioned how good it feels to now be called Sandy's wife and how when they check into a hotel, it's the "Yawn party," which gives her a great sense of pride and happiness.

Below Deck Mediterranean premieres on Bravo on Monday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET

Editor's P/S:

Captain Sandy Yawn's wedding to Leah Shafer brought together a select group of Bravo's Below Deck family, including executive producer Nadine Rajabi and Vice President of Current