Brooke + Joshua's Carillon Beach Wedding

From the Bride: We had a small, intimate wedding on Carillon Beach with our closest family and friends and what made the entire wedding week special was being able to get away and all spend time together on the beach the whole week leading up to the wedding. Both mine and Josh's families rented houses right down the street from each other, which was also just a 5 minute walk from the beach and the reception venue - extremely convenient and made for a great flow of the wedding day! We had our rehearsal dinner at The Red Bar in Grayton Beach, followed by a beach bonfire where all of our wedding party shared their stories, advice, and best wishes for us. It was a very stress free week leading up to the big day. I loved picking out and putting together the welcome bags for all of our guests. We included "his" and "her" favorite treats, water bottles with our monogram on them, sunscreen, a 30A sticker, a cookie with our monogram on it (made by Maddie's Cookie Co. in Lexington, KY) all wrapped in a Carillon Beach tote bag and we delivered them to all of our guests as they arrived.

My favorite parts of getting ready on the morning of my wedding was just looking around and seeing all of my closest people bonding and hanging out together. My mom gave me a very special gift of "something borrowed and something blue" which was my recent late grandmother's wedding band to tie around my bouquet with a blue ribbon. I gave all of them a handwritten card, robe/pajamas, and also had earrings custom designed by Vivian Drew for myself and all of my girls. They were so uniquely gorgeous! Josh received his late grandmother’s handkerchief to put in his pocket that day. He gave his groomsmen a bottle of Weller and socks with footballs on them since they all played football together in college.

Josh and I had our first look in the promenade in front of the Meeting House. We read our personal, handwritten vows to each other. It was such a sweet and intimate moment. Our ceremony was held on the beautiful emerald coast beach of Carillon and officiated by Josh's dad, which was so special because he knows us and our relationship so well and it really encompassed that family feel we were going for. After the ceremony, the cocktail hour was held on the deck of the meeting house, with signature drinks and appetizers served. The cocktails were the "Just Married Mule" and "The Carillon Cutie". We had crab cakes (my favorite), pigs in a blanket (Josh's favorite), and Mac & Cheese lollipops served as the appetizers. Josh and I were introduced during cocktail hour, which I loved because it gave us time to grab a Carillon Cutie cocktail and a crab cake and mingle with our friends and family before we went inside for dinner - we truly got to enjoy every aspect of our reception!

Dinner was served inside the elegant, quaint chapel called The Meeting House. The layout was 2 long banquet tables- it felt like an intimate dinner party with all of our closest family and friends. I loved our place settings with the oyster shell placecards- a cool way to accent the beach venue. Josh and I slipped away while everyone was eating to take some sunset photos on the beach- they turned out amazing! Right after dinner, we cut the cake - our favorite white cake with buttercream from Publix Bakery- with a simplistic style and white gum paste magnolia flowers- it was absolutely delicious! Our first dance was to "Do it with me" by Old Dominion and we took dance lessons to prepare. I would totally recommend to any couple taking dance lessons before your big day- it was such a fun little date before the wedding- our parents joined us too for the dance lessons and got to jump in and learn some moves - it was so much fun! Then everyone joined us on the dance floor. Our DJ was amazing and knew how to perfectly mix the music to keep everyone on the dance floor all night! Halfway through the dancing, I changed into a fun feather jumpsuit, so I would be more comfortable to dance and have fun. At the end of the night, Josh and I had our last dance alone on the dance floor to "Take the World" before our grand confetti toss exit in a 1962 Rolls Royce. I truly believe the love and joy we share was so evident that day, not only for Josh and I, but for our families and all that were in attendance. Everyone had so much fun and it was the most perfect day!

Bride’s Advice: For the longest time I pictured myself having a huge wedding in Kentucky and inviting everyone we knew, but I loved our decision to have a smaller, more intimate gathering with our very closest family and friends at a place we love so much. We actually got to spend time and make memories with the people who know and love us most. We got to intentionally create moments that Josh & I and all of our guests would remember about that day and experience. Planning my own wedding has prompted me to start a wedding planning business called "Bliss By Brook" and the goal behind my business is "creating moments that matter." I feel like anyone can have a wedding or event, but it takes a special person to be able to create a moment that matters and that everyone will remember for the rest of their life!

Photography: Jenna Kaye Forbes | Location: Carillon Beach, FL | Venue: (Ceremony) Carillon Beach (Reception) Carillon Beach Meeting House | Wedding Planner: Tammy D'Agostino of The Eventful Planner | Caterer: Emerald Coast Catering | Cake: Publix Bakery | Rentals: 850 Event Rentals | Music: DJ 30A | Transportation: A Bride's Ride | Hair + Makeup: Gallant Glam | Bride’s Attire: Randy Fenoli from Bridal and Formal (Reception Jumpsuit) Hazel & Olive Boutique (Shoes) Miss Priss | Groom’s Attire: Macy's, Tommy Hilfiger | Credits: (Bridesmaids’ Dresses) Azazie