HOW WE MET
Although Kevin and I were at SMU together since freshman year and we shared so many mutual friends, we never actually met until Ellen introduced us our senior year of college. I was a Pi Phi and he was a Fiji, and it’s so bizarre to think of how many mixers we attended together but never crossed paths! During our senior year of college, Kevin was interning at CBRE at the same time Ellen was working there. They spent a lot of time hanging out together at the office, and Ellen would always come back to our apartment and tell me stories about “the intern”, Kevin.
During our second semester of senior year, Ellen had the great idea for Kevin to ask me to the last Fiji Formal of the year. We had never met, so it was a bit nerve wracking for both of us – but we figured, why not! We had an absolute blast at the formal, went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans the following weekend, and we haven’t been apart since. Usually when a friend or family member plays matchmaker it doesn’t work out, but in this case we really hit it off and 5 years later we got married!
WHY WE CHOSE ROSEMARY BEACH
We initially planned on getting married at Kukio in Hawaii, but after about 4 months of planning, organizing our website for wedding guests, and hitting one road block after another (including a very destructive volcanic eruption!), we decided to change plans and move to wedding the mainland!
We decided to get married in Rosemary Beach on 30A, since it’s a beautiful location close to where we grew up! We loved how Rosemary is so easy for guests, as it doesn’t require cars or busses to get around – and it’s a perfect vacation spot for our friends and family flying in from all over. In addition, it was so helpful having our mom nearby to help work with vendors locally when a phone conversation didn’t seem to cut it. We chose the iconic Rosemary Beach Town Hall for our ceremony and held the reception on the Western Green.
Fun fact: we got married on the exact same day (6 years later) as Blair and Peter, February 23! See their Seaside wedding here!
WHERE WE STAYED
We wanted to keep the events (and everyone!) nearby, so we each rented a large house for our wedding parties to stay together. The girls were in Serendipity, which is near the Town Hall and the welcome party location, Pescado, and the guys rented Ohana, which is closer to the reception location. Both of these houses sleep 16 people and have heated pools! We had the BEST time having everyone under one roof… which called for some late night swimming…. Sorry mom!
OUR VENDORS
When Blair got married in Seaside 6 years ago, she hired Heather from Defining Moments as her planner and loved her! She was so wonderful to work with and the wedding day was absolute perfection, so we hired her immediately after we chose Rosemary Beach to plan ours too! Choosing a planner we trusted made the planning process so much easier, since we felt 100% confident she would make our day so special!
If you’ve ever attended a wedding at one of the 30A towns, you may have noticed they’re usually all outside under a tent – that’s because there are very few indoor venues! Luckily Florals by the Sea is a dream team, and they turned the Western Green into a beautiful reception!
One thing that we didn’t consider prior to wedding planning is that you have to bring your own kitchen for an outdoor wedding (generators, stoves, refrigerators, etc.)! Luckily, our caterers were AMAZING and knew exactly what to do! We used Townsend Catering, which is the same vendor Blair used so we knew we were in good hands. They were extremely easy to work with and all of their food was delicious!
Kevin and I of course wanted our wedding to look beautiful, but making sure it was FUN was equally as important! We spent a lot of time searching for the perfect wedding band, and we hired Momentum Party Band through East Coast Entertainment. They were an absolute blast, and they kept everyone on the dancefloor all night. The band is actually based in Atlanta, so if you’re hosting a party anywhere in the southeast, we highly recommend Momentum Party Band for your event!
*Keep scrolling for a list of all of our vendors!*
Wedding Venue: Rosemary Beach Town Hall
Reception Venue: Rosemary Beach Western Green
Design: Florals by the Sea
Catering: Townsend Catering
Wedding Planner: Heather Archdeacon-Williams
Photographer: Rae Leytham
Band: Momentum Party Band
Bridal House: Serendipity
Grooms House: Ohana
Hair/Makeup: Jessica Jones