Fair warning, your Pinterest boards are about to get a lot prettier and it’s all thanks to Lauren Kinsey and this stunner of a Rosemary Beach wedding. Because when you’ve married the talented vision of Shelby Peaden Events with the flourishes of Plume Calligraphy you’re guaranteed magic, but even more? The Bride (who is a singer/songwriter in Nashville) surprised her husband with a ballad she’d recorded for him as their first dance – how sweet is that!? See that all and more below and in The Vault!
From the Bride… Ever since I was little I’ve wanted to get married on the beach. Inlet Beach, Florida has always been dear to my heart. My great grandfather and grandfather built one of the very first little cottages in the area, and we’ve been vacationing there since I was born. My grandfather even proposed to my grandmother there. After looking into several more glamorous venues in the area, we just didn’t feel right about any of them. We wanted a lot of creative freedom, and like any engaged couple, we wanted our wedding to feel unique and reflect who we are as a couple. I knew I wanted a simple beach ceremony, followed by a reception on a pretty green lawn by the ocean. After chatting it through with my mom and fiancé, we realized we already had that…right outside our little family cottage! We just needed help making our dream a reality. So we enlisted Shelby Peaden with Shelby Peaden Events. We knew we couldn’t plan this thing on our own, especially from Nashville, Tennessee.
The challenge initially for us was style. Jess and I are pretty modern in taste, but I also wanted an organic, rustic element that felt true to our environment. I loved the idea of using greenery that was native to Inlet Beach, so we brought in Milk and Honey Flowers. Rosemary grows wild in the area, and I loved how they incorporated that into our place settings. My mother bravely tackled the DIY project of making concrete candle holders for our community table, and it was a success! We used Big Day Rentals for our ceremony and reception. They helped us mix modern and rustic by providing ghost chairs to go with their grey wooden community table at the reception, and we loved the idea of using white benches on the beach instead of folding chairs. Jess and I like to keep things fairly minimal and classic, so white, ivory, and grey mixed with lots of greenery were our colors of choice. My dress was Monique Lhuillier, and my bridesmaids wore long ivory dresses in different styles made by Dessy. The groom and groomsmen all wore custom grey suits made by our friend Jonny at J&HP in Nashville.
We could not have asked for better weather that day. The ocean was like a lake, and the sunset even turned from pink to a fiery red towards the end of our ceremony. We brought in a friend to DJ our ceremony from Nashville, and we danced the night away under stringed lights on the lawn. I’m a songwriter in Nashville by profession, so I surprised my husband with a song I had written and recorded for him for our first dance. He was incredibly surprised, and there wasn’t a dry eye around. Our wedding was truly perfect, and it was so special to share it with friends and family at Inlet Beach…a place so rich in family history and so dear to our hearts.
Photography: Lauren Kinsey Fine Art Weddings | Event Planning: Shelby Peaden Events | Event Planning: Merren Events | Floral Design: Flowers By Milk & Honey | Cake: Bake My Day | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Dessy Collection By Vivian Diamond | Catering: Paradise Catering | Invitations + Calligraphy: Plume Calligraphy | DJ: Jesse Gregg | Venue: Private Home, Rosemary Beach, FL | Bridal Gown: Monique Lhuillier | First Dance: Mark & Kelly Wonderlin | First Dance Song: Producer And Co-writer, Matthew Bronleewe | Hair Artist: Deana Kale | Rentals: The Big Day Event Rentals
