This, my friends, is an amazing wedding. It’s simple and sweet, set against a breathtaking ocean backdrop and filled with sooo much love, it’s palpable. In other words, it’s pure perfection, from the soft, neutral color palette to the crazy gorgeous DIY details (the Mother of the Bride is awesome) to one beautiful moment after another captured by Jennifer Blair. See them here.
From Jennifer Blair Photography… After becoming engaged, Taylor and Chase knew they both wanted an intimate celebration with their closet friends and family. Santa Rosa Beach was a natural choice, since both their families love to vacation there. Taylor loves meaningful details and infused that love into so many aspects of their day. Taylor’s Mom and family created the stunning family style table set up on the lawn adjacent to the beach. They filled the tables with Taylor’s favorite muted colored oysters (a nod to the seaside theme), a plethora of candles and handmade arrangements. Guest signed two boat oars that they will keep in their home. Even the officiant was Taylor and Chase’s good friend and Taylor’s old soccer coach.
Their love is so natural and they were both so joyful throughout the whole day. I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed two people more thrilled to be joining their lives together. Everything about their day was beautiful, simplistic and focused on their sweet family and friends.
From the Bride… When Chase and I got engaged, a dear friend of ours told us that “Your wedding is the only time, this side of heaven, that everyone you love will be in one place.” With that in mind, we knew we wanted to do a destination wedding, where selfishly, we could truly savor every second.
Growing up, my family vacationed in the Santa Rosa Beach area each year. Some of my favorite memories are on that beach and now my favorite of all! Beginning Thursday, our friends and family took over a strip of 30-A and for all the times I have seen that beach, it has never looked sweeter than it did filled with those we love most. We welcomed guests with a Low Country Shrimp Boil on Thursday, held our wedding on Friday evening and spent Saturday at the beach with our guests.
In the beginning, above all, we knew that we wanted our wedding weekend to be laid-back and full of fun. We searched high and low for a venue that offered a seaside home with a lawn. We wanted a space that felt intimate but was large enough to accommodate our guests – The Highlands House offered just that. Being that the beach and venue were both so beautiful in their own rights, we chose a neutral palette to compliment the white sand beaches and seaside vibe of our reception venue.
At our rehearsal we laughed at the very idea of it because at best we hoped that everyone would simply make it down the aisle in some way. Our wedding party was disproportionate, included 14 children and my brother-in-law stood among my bridesmaids. One of our dearest family friends married us beneath a cross built by my dad, and the flowers were flown in and arranged by mom and her best friends.
The dresses didn’t match, but were rather hand-selected with love by seven women that I simply couldn’t live without. During the ceremony and the evening, babies ran around, danced and giggled and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. In the end, the sea air did a number on my hair and the dance floor but dancing with bare feet in a soaked gown with my new husband is one of my favorite memories of the day.
The small details, likely meaningless to others, were the most treasured to us. Both University of Kentucky alums, Chase gave his groomsmen UK cufflinks and the little boys each wore belts handmade in Lexington, Kentucky. We placed a “Thank You” note at each seat and every child received a box containing a headlamp, a pencil and list of items that were hidden for them to find throughout the night. For our reception, our guests enjoyed dinner brought in from our hometown and we chose family style seating as we regard everyone in attendance as such.
It’s true what we were told, October 10, 2014 was nothing less than a little slice of heaven. The day was filled with enough love and joy to last us a lifetime. We are so incredibly blessed by the people we get to do life alongside and we wouldn’t change one thing about the first day of the rest ours.
We are forever indebted to our families and friends who worked tirelessly, our guests who traveled far and wide, and to Jennifer Blair Photography for capturing the greatest day of our lives.
Photography: Jennifer Blair Photography | Floral Design: Sam's Club | Cake: Publix Bakery | Invitations: Howl Creative Co. | Bride's Shoes: Jack Rogers | Hair & Makeup: Deana Kale | Band: The Atlanta Wedding Band | Tuxes: Jos. A. Bank | Bride's Dress: Mori Lee | Flower Girl Dresses: Smockadot Kids | Little Boy's Belts: R E Fennell Co | Location: Highlands House | Rentals & Lights: Highlands House | Ring Bearer Oyster: BHLDN