A Stunning Lowcountry Wedding With Bright Florals and Timeless Details

Joined by their closest friends and family, the couple wanted to inspire their guests with vibrant colors from the coast within the sunny historic district of the Jekyll Island Club. Adison has an affinity for bright colors mixed with timeless details so the design of the reception and ceremony were meant to simply enhance the beauty of the chapel and Cherokee Cottage.

Jordan and I were coming up on our fifth anniversary and had just moved to our third state together. I knew we would get married one day but I didn't think it would be anytime soon so to say I was surprised, is an understatement. It was labor day weekend (2022) and we were going to check out St. Simon's Island for the day, with our golden retriever, Bandit. As we're walking down the beach, Jordan notices something in the sand and starts walking over towards it. He has Bandit with him and I keep telling him to be careful and not to "mess up whatever someone has planned." That's when he got down on one knee, in the middle of a heart made from long stemmed roses, with our dog and I pulled out my phone to take a picture saying "okay this IS cute but everyone is going to think you proposed." Then, I saw the ring through my phone camera and he said "I hope someone does." He asked me to marry him and I said yes, obviously. Then Jordan's brother and his wife, aka my best friend, popped out with champagne and flowers and told me they were taking photos the entire time. They live about 5 hours away, and Jordan and I met at their wedding, so it was a really special surprise to have them there. The four of us stayed on the island that weekend and celebrated. It was perfect!

I wanted a classic, simple elegance look and chose an ivory strapless gown from Anet's Bridal in my hometown of Lafayette, LA surrounded by my sister-in-laws, mom and mother-in-law. I chose a veil with white, floral details to complement and add a special touch to my look.

The couple did not have a wedding party but Adison requested the guests wear coordinating colors to bring a fun vibe to the night's affair.

After the ceremony, we wanted our guests to have a little fun while we took pictures so we set up a cocktail hour with hor d'oeuvres on the lawn. We had a full, open bar and served lamb lollipops, raspberry and basil crostinis and bacon wrapped scallops. We then served a three course, plated dinner that included a Caeser salad appetizer and guest's choice of Ashley Farms Chicken Breast served with local vegetables and risotto, Beef tenderloin with Yukon whipped mashed potatoes and local vegetables or Award Winning Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage to nod at my Southern roots.

I wanted bright, happy florals and my florist absolutely understood my vision from the beginning. She even surprised me with big beautiful peonies after learning it's my favorite flower, that I actually have a tattoo of. Because of the natural beauty of the resort, I didn't have much décor other than the florals. I chose clear acrylic with white lettering for table numbers and other signs so that they would blend in and let the flowers shine. I ordered blue chargers for the place settings last minute and they really popped and made the tables look more cohesive.

We ordered our wedding cake from a local baker in Jesus who makes the most delicious desserts. The brides cake was lemon-blueberry pound cake with cream cheese frosting and the groom's cake was yellow cake with chocolate icing. We each had two round tiers, decorated with simple stripes all the way around. The brides cake had a special surprise on the side - a small figurine of our golden retriever, Bandit, stealing a bite of cake.

Our acoustic guitar artist played Little Martha by (the groom's favorite band) the Allman Brothers as I walked down the aisle and he played Blue Sky during the recessional. We were married by our very close friend who has been a second mom to us over the last five years. She texted both of us ahead of timing asking why we loved each other and then incorporated our answers during the ceremony. We were surprised to learn our answers were incredibly similar with each of us saying the other is "goofy" and referencing how "great of a dog mom/dad to Bandit" the other is. She closed out the ceremony with the Apache Prayer.

As a thank you gift, we gave each guest a glass fishing bobber. It serves as a special reminder because of their history in Jekyll Island: (From https://www.jekyllisland.com/signature-events/island-treasures/) In the early 1900s, east coast fishermen used hollow glass balls, or floats, on their nets as markers. Occasionally, the floats would break loose and wash ashore for lucky beachcombers to find and keep. Collecting these rare, highly sought-after glass floats became a hobby in the 1950s.

I took photos with the bible my grandmother carried down the aisle to marry my grandfather in 1946. This heirloom was a special detail that I had to make sure wasn't forgotten when photos were taken.