Andy Cohen couldn’t attend Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Sandy Yawn‘s wedding to Leah Shafer — but he sent a memorable present.
“He was very generous — he sent us a very generous gift. He actually wanted to come. He said, ‘Yes, send me the invite,'” Sandy, 59, exclusively told Us Weekly. “It would have been awesome to have him there but it was really sweet — his message and his gift.”
After Leah, 49, called Andy “so supportive,” Sandy opened up about their bond with the Bravo executive producer, 55, adding, “He responds to Leah’s messages. It’s really cute.”
Sandy has been a Below Deck staple since she joined the Mediterranean iteration in 2017. The first (and only) female captain in the franchise also made history when she briefly crossed over to the OG series, stepping in for Captain Lee Rosbach, in 2023.
Fans who have watched Sandy lead Below Deck Med will get a glimpse into her personal life when she gets engaged to Leah on the upcoming season. In addition to the proposal, Sandy and Leah’s wedding on May 11 in Florida was filmed for Bravo — and viewers might catch a glimpse of some other Below Deck alums too.
“We only had a capacity of 60 people. So with our family and our intimate friends, it was hard to invite people that we really wanted there from Bravo,” Sandy explained. “So we had the people that have been in our lives since the beginning. Because they saw me, [when] I was single when I started the show. Then everybody knows when I met Leah because that’s all I talked about.”
Sandy still found a way to incorporate people from Bravo and NBC in her special day, including executive producer Nadine Rajabi and Vice President of Current Production for Bravo Josh Brown.
“[We had] Nadine there and Josh Brown and just people that have been in my life from NBC. We really wanted people there [such as] Kate Chastain [even though] we’re not in each other’s lives on a daily basis. And then Aesha Scott, of course,” she said of two of the franchise’s most popular chief stews.
After tying the knot in front of their friends and family, Sandy and Leah opened up to Us about their excitement for their future.
“At this stage of our lives … every moment we have together, we make it into a honeymoon,” Leah gushed. “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 couple said they had been living a “fairy tale” since their wedding — and, naturally, they honeymooned on a yacht.
“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 [in Florida],” Sandy shared. “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. 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.”
Sandy had nothing but praise for Little Palm Island, adding, “We had great food. I ate a lot because we didn’t eat a lot before the wedding. 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.”
With reporting by Amanda Williams
Below Deck Mediterranean premieres on Bravo on Monday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET
