Who:

Amy + Justin

What:

Wedding

When:

April 27, 2008

Where:

Eden Gardens State Park | Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort

I remember the first time I met Amy face-to-face. Charles and I were in Atlanta for the wedding of Heather + Michael last July and Amy agreed to swing by and meet us at our hotel restaurant. We had already spoken via phone and emailed back and forth quite a bit and Amy + Justin had even signed a contract and retained us for their wedding date - so this meeting was more of an excuse to get to officially meet and chat about her big day… and I just remember how incredibly striking she was to me. And it was more than just ‘wow, she’s a beautiful girl’ - which is undeniable, but more the absolute joy she shared when she spoke with such excitement about marrying her very best friend. We did not have the opportunity to meet Justin until we shot their engagement session in Seaside late last year, but in that session I could see her affections were returned. Just the way these two look at each other… It makes you want to fall in love all over again.

With such amazing chemistry between these two, how could I not make this wedding another 100:1 feature?

Again, we’re trying to share a little bit more about how we ’see’ a day, start to finish - so here’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Pay special attention to their ‘first sight’ in the garden - I think that just maybe you can actually FEEL the love:

Girls spend hours primping, hugging, and even a little bit of crying.

Guys dress in a matter of minutes, throw a football in the house, and hit golf balls in the backyard. Incredible.

Eden Gardens State Park is a gorgeous venue located just north of 30-A in the Santa Rosa Beach area. As far as outdoor ceremonies go, it is definitely one of the favored non-beach spots along the coast.

Amy + Justin’s first sight was just breathtaking. Even Charles cried a little.

It was so touching to see two people so in love, and so overcome by emotion. They began the long walk towards each other here…

… and I’ll never forget Amy saying, barely above a whisper, “Come to me faster.” I was a pile of tears when Justin eagerly RAN to meet his bride!

The magic moment:

A thoughtful gift from his bride - a locket with a photo of Justin’s late father that he wore down the aisle.

Following the first sight, we were supposed to meet up with the bridal party and family and roll right in to group formals, but with a setting so perfect and such awesome chemistry between the soon-to-be weds, we had to take a few minutes for some couple work.

And because we don’t show group formals much outside of 100:1 features, here are a few extra for you:

If you thought the first sight was something, just wait for the ceremony:

The reception was held at the lovely Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort.

The couple was greeted by their fans on the waterfront patio & had their first dance as the sun was setting… unfortunately, with overcast skies we didn’t get that pretty orangey pink hue overhead, but the upside was nice, even light!

The best man ended up stealing the show with a musical toast. It had an Adam Sandler-esque quality & delivery… I’ve never laughed so hard!

All in all, a beautiful and emotional day that reminded us why we love what we do. Thanks for letting me share.

- Meg

Who: Susie & Lee
What: Engagement Session
When: February 18, 2007
Where: Eden Gardens State Park

Y’all have seen the adorable Susie (I call her Suzy Q around the office - which I had never told her, but I guess she’ll know now!) on here a few posts back for her bridal session - now here she is again with fiance Lee in tow!

Toward the end of the session, Charles asked the couple if they had any ideas or specific requests they were hoping to implement in the shoot and Susie piped up with her “pinkie promise” shot idea. She asked if we could find a way to incorporate their pinkies, hooked together like that (which is one of their little “things” that they do - you know, the cute things you do BEFORE you are old and married - LOL - just kidding!!)… and this is what we came up with on the fly. Can you guess which idea is Charles’ and which is mine?

Soon-to-be-weds

Who: Mia & David
What: Wedding Day
When: February 17, 2007
Where: St Rita’s Catholic Church
AND Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

Yesterday we shared Mia & David’s gorgeous rehearsal dinner with our blog readers - which was really awesome, right? We thought so, too. I remember heading back to the hotel and saying to Charles - if I wasn’t already excited enough for their wedding, I’m totally jazzed now! …

We started the day with Mia at her family’s home in Sandestin:

Yvette Nation did an awesome job with Mia’s makeup. Yvette, by the way, is an amazing makeup artist that we’ve had the pleasure of working with on several occassions in and around the Santa Rosa Beach area and is highly recommended! Contact us if you’d like her phone number.

I just wanted to share these because I liked them so much!

David

Ceremony at St Rita’s Catholic Church in Santa Rosa Beach, FL

I adore the way Mia’s big sister is looking at her in this moment:

I do!

Dining by candlelight

That’s the wedding cake in the middle of the gigantic wine encased glass room!

The entire team over at It’s A Shore Thing pulled out all the stops for this reception!

The head table

Who: Mia & David
What: Rehearsal Dinner
When: February 16, 2007
Where: Sandestin Marina
AND Marina Cafe in Destin, FL

Is it just me or are rehearsal dinners and post-wedding brunches beginning to rival the wedding reception for most spectacular event? Don’t me wrong - I’m not complaining! (Not one bit!) Actually, I think it’s really fantastic. Think of it this way - why, when all of your family and friends are in town for the wedding day activities, would you ever try to limit your together/celebration time to a mere 4 to 6 hours on one day?

I think Mia & David were thinking the same thing when they planned their fabulous rehearsal dinner at the Marina Cafe in Destin, Florida. It wouldn’t be right to post all of these gorgeous detail shots and not mention their awesome coordinators over at It’s A Shore Thing that helped it all come together so beautifully!

Charles and I started that afternoon at the Sandestin Marina where the bridal party was about to board their boat to take them around the coast and over to their final destination at the Marina Cafe in Destin. Yep, they were arriving in style to their rehearsal dinner - but just scroll down to see what happened next!

The yatch:

The boys showed up first - this shot taken by Charles kind of reminds me of the Rat Pack!

A lovely sunset departure:

We raced over (by car) to Marina Cafe so we would be setup in time for their arrival. This is the view that greeted us onto the deck:

They’re heeeeere:

And then it was magic. Mia and David were greeted by a big crowd of family and friends on the back deck, who had been anxiously awaiting their arrival. David took the microphone and gave a nice welcome speech and at the end he said “and now for a little surprise!” It really was awesome because just then you heard a pop and fizzle and saw the light - FIREWORKS!!!

A guest standing nearby said to his date “And can you believe - this is only the REHEARSAL!?” LOL Amen, brother.

They even had heart-shaped fireworks!

Nice ambience:

Maybe my favorite detail - these were hanging from the rafters throughout the space! This is exactly why I *heart* It’s A Shore Thing! Visit their site It’s A Shore Thing.

Soon-to-be-weds:

Mia - from what I gather - was rehearsing a dance, as taught by David’s mother (in the ladies bathroom!!) - that had been performed by brides for their grooms for generations within his family:

A nervous Mia - about to dance for her groom in front of everyone:

Mia is a trained dancer - she had nothing to worry about:

Mom and Dad looking on in the background:

We ended the night with my favorite - speeches! I always love hearing the funny little stories and touching moments from family and friends:

Who: Susie
What: Bridal Session
When: January 28, 2007
Where: Eden Gardens State Park

Just a quick pull to share a handful of images from Susie’s bridal session. She makes my job too easy…

Jessica might remember this ‘pose’ which she came up with at her bridal session! (I told you then Jess that you were making me look good!) < --- Susie saw the resulting shot on the blog and liked it so much that at the end of her session she says to me "Meg, can I have a shot like you took of Jessica where she's on the ground - like on your blog?" (I thought her mother, who was there for the shoot, was going to faint at the thought of Susie sprawled out on the porch in her wedding dress!) Here's take two with Susie:

Check back soon for more with Susie when we introduce her fiance Lee to the blog for their engagement session!