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Walton/Where the Perfect Beach Wedding Doesn't Have to be on the Beach

By E/wa SmithPhotos by

Pure 7 Studios. Destin, Florida www.pure7studios.comPaul Johnson Photo, Panama City Beach, Florida, www.pauljohnsonphoto.com

Rae Leytham Photography, www.raeleytham.com

Kara Teppert and Rich Teisling of Knox-ville, Tennessee, exchanged vows on Oc-

tober 15, 2010 at WaterColor Inn & Resort, it was amid ascenic setting with beautiful views of shades of green. How-ever, this green was not the emerald green waters of theGulf of Mexico for which Beaches of South Walton is bestknown. It was a lush green lawn encircled by coastal pineforest on the shore of the resort's tranquil Western Lake.

"As much as we love the beach, this better suited our per-sonalities," said Kara, a non-profit executive search consul-tant, adding, "We were able to enjoy the best of everything- a lovely ceremony in the woods, an adjacent poolside re-ception and a post-reception party with views of the mostbeautiful beach, just minutes away." Kara and Rich's recep-tion was held at WaterColor's Western Lake pool, with after-party at the iconic Bud & Alley's Bar in neighboring Seaside.The couple departed their reception by boat on WesternLake. "There were two bubble machines going, and we hadour own bottle of bubbly in hand," remembers Kara. "It wasso nice to have some quiet, alone time as a married couple,while looking up at the stars."

Michelle Broussard and Drew Dupree of Lafayette, Louisi-ana, also chose WaterColor for their wedding held March 26,2010, opting for the resort's Cerulean Park as their setting,then moving on to the Beach Club for their gulf-front recep-tion. An interior designer by trade, Michelle had enlisted hercolleagues to do some destination research on her behalfwhile attending an industry convention at the SandestinGolf and Beach Resort in 2009. "Having visited often, Drewand I knew we wanted to get married in Beaches of SouthWalton," says Michelle. "However, we wanted somethingother than the traditional beach wedding, and WaterColor'sCerulean Park provided the perfect setting."

Beaches of South Walton enjoys a geography unique tomost beach destinations. Bordered on the south by world

www.gcbride.com GulfC.?n*M i'"»i. '

renowned sugar-sand beaches andgentle turquoise gulf waters, and on thenorth by the wooded shores of Choc-tawhatchee Bay, this 26-mile stretch ofparadise offers surprising variety. Thegulfside ribbon of Scenic Highway 30Aboasts architectural diversity, courtesyof 12 charming beach communitiesdotted with undeveloped state forestand natural dune lakes. That diversitycontinues farther west along ScenicHighway 98 with three additional beachcommunities, including the 2,400-acreSandestin resort, serenely nestled be-tween the beach and bay.

Choctawhatchee Bay was the draw forNicki Pruett and Mike Catling of Mis-sissippi, who chose to wed under theaptly-named Wedding Tree at Eden Gar-dens State Park on June 12, 2010. Themost magnificent of the ancient, moss-draped oaks dotting the park's 104 acresnestled along Tucker Bayou, the Wed-ding Tree has been the inspiration formany couples married in Beaches ofSouth Walton. A self-described 'south-ern girl,' Nicki notes that Mike's parentsvisit South Walton yearly. "From the be-ginning, we wanted our wedding there.I was determined to find the perfect spotthat embodied the image of my south-ern roots, and when I discovered a pho-

Of Note . . .

greens. In Rosemary Beach, couplescan choose among three outstand-ing beachside locations for their spe-cial day. Both the eastern and westerngreens are on grassy bluffs overlookingthe Gulf of Mexico, with dune walkoverseasily accessible before and after theceremony. The rustic Town Hall is alsoavailable, with access to an outdoorcourtyard. Alys Beach offers weddingvenues ranging from the Gulf Greenwith sweeping gulf views to the lushlawn of Central Park or the refined inti-macy of Fonville Press.

If bay views are desired, Bentley's on theBay provides a unique and memorablesetting directly on the ChoctawhatcheeBay. Couples can exchange vows undera willow tree overlooking calm, clearbay waters, then move to the expansivedeck for dancing under the stars.

If the water itself is the primary focus,a SunQuest wedding cruise aboard theSolaris allows couples to sail away andwed on the sky deck, serenaded by seabirds as the sun slips into the shimmer-ing tides of the bay. SunQuest's full-ser-vice wedding planners boast "you bringthe dress and let us do the rest."

Speaking of planners, all three brides

• Destination Weddings & Honeymoons highlighted WaterColor Inn & Resort in its September/October 2010 issue as the location for the "perfect American wedding."

• Bentley's on the Bay received the award for best wedding venue in the 2011 WeddingWireBride's Choice Awards™

•SunQuest Cruises'Solaris received The Best Wedding Reception Venue award by The Knot

to of that tree online, I knew I'd foundit." In fact, the location was so southernthat when she visited Eden in Januaryto finalize the details of her June wed-ding, the park's annual Civil War reen-actment was in progress. "You can't getmore southern than that," laughs Nicki.

As these brides discovered, optionsabound for storybook weddings inBeaches of South Walton, whether onthe beach or elsewhere. Choices in thescenic town of Seaside include the in-timate Seaside Chapel, a beach pavil-ion sunset ceremony, barefoot in thesand, or on one of Seaside's lavish town

recommend hiring a competent wed-ding planner to handle the details. In ad-dition to multiple venue choices, Beach-es of South Walton offers an excellentselection of wedding planners. Eachbride spoke almost reverently about herplanner, with Kara calling WaterColor'sCheryl Walton "awesome." Michelleagrees, adding that having a planner"was so much easier than trying to co-ordinate everything on my own." Nickichose Shelby Peaden to plan her wed-ding, and was satisfied that she "han-dled everything perfectly, down to thesmallest detail."

&Destimm • • • mint forabout 1!i pet. on) nl .H idlitiQS, andthat numlx I i iimue togrow. They nti r.-piiltu Im ,i numberof reason;,, .HMI.IHI iht.m UM< opportu-nity for t in- cuiifjli • Iwndnd lamilyand friend1, in ! • > n, « i- i in I-now eachother ovei t i n - HUH - > i il«ty« insteadof hours. Dm- i" H ""I ii.ivel re-quired, the:.i •• i ..HI, in . . ) in MI .DC likelyto be intim.ii. .11 ... < .11,, i ih.in largeevents, attended i . , - i i " . - • i"M-,t to thecouple. Notes K.H.I ( l i t . people whomattered most to u« w • ' • • idem, andwe weren't oveiwdolimM with .m enor-mous crowd."

Though if a lain*' iiowd is preferred,Beaches of South W.ih"M h«i venuesfor those, as well, iMch«idn, the Hil-ton Sandestm I'.i-.n l> OnM Hesort &Spa's spacious I mei.ild Halltoom ac-commodates up in i '.no guests for anover-the-top ifiepimn m.i t i u > Emer-ald Deck expand-, in Mi.ne than 4,500square feet and pinviil.-. ,\ spectacu-lar view for a letepimn ut almost anysize. Bayside, Sande'.im < mil and BeachResort's Grand llm. I i. alines classicsouthern-inspired architectural designand detail, with sweeping two story ve-randa, lushly landsi aped i|,udens andsoothing water founi.nir. sin rounding arestful poolscape. Multiple ballrooms inthe adjacent conference! center can ac-commodate up to 600 t|uests, with deepverandas providing additional space.

It is estimated that the vast majority ofvisitors to Beaches of South Walton havevisited before, and many of those visi-tors return at least annually, making thedestination a sort of 'home away from

46 • Gulf Coast Bride www.gcbride.com

There,If you fly:

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) inPanama City(850)763-6751www.iflybeaches.com

Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS)(850)651 7160www.flyvps.com

Beaches of South Wnltmi is luc.itotl within a few hours' driveof major southern cities, including Atlanta (315 miles), Memphis(485 miles), Birmingham (280 miles), New Orleans (260 miles) andJackson (300 miles).

More info iiliout plmmim) your next getaway or destinationwedding on (he beautiful Beaches of South Walton, call or visitthem today.Toll free: 800 8?? 68/7www.beachcsolsiiiilliwi-illon.com

home' for many couples andtheir guests. All thn-o brideshave either already returnedto the area with thc-it newhusbands, or plan to do sosometime in 2011. Michelleand Drew d<:<:id<-d to spendMardi Gras 2011 there, sinceit closely coincided with theirwedding anniversary dateand since the imminent arriv-al of daughter Caroline, dueMay 5, precluded Michellefrom participating in manytraditional Maidi Gias festivi-

ties. "We celebrated MardiGras this year at (Sandes-tin's) Baytowne Wharf andjust spent some time relax-ing together," says Michelle.

While relaxation is a favoritepastime for visitors to Beach-es of South Walton, weddingcouples and guests also ap-preciate the variety of enter-tainment options, regardlessof season. For the golfersin the group, there are 107holes of golf nearby, offering

lots of bonding time on thelinks. Fishing enthusiasts canchoose between inshore andoffshore charters. Shopperscan choose from options asvast as Silver Sands FactoryStores (the nation's largestdesigner outlet center, withover 100 designer names)to intimate boutiques withunique offerings and artgalleries with one-of-a-kindfinds. Dining choices rangefrom casual beachside eater-ies - where bare feet are notonly welcome, but expected- to fine cuisine preparedby internationally renownedchefs and served in relaxed,yet upscale settings. Bicyclerentals provide a fun wayto tour the length of ScenicHighway 30A via the Tim-poochee Trail, a paved pe-destrian/bike path runningthe highway's entire 19-milelength, or to enjoy the Sand-estin Golf and Beach Resort's2,400 acres. If you'd rathersomeone else do the pedal-ing, there's a new pedi-cabservice available on 30A, andnearby stables offer horsesinstead of bikes, for thosewho prefer four legs to twowheels.

Naturally, in warmer months,the beach beckons for sun-ning and swimming but evenin the cooler months, guests

can enjoy fabulous sunsetsfrom along any of Beachesof South Walton's numer-ous vantage points (the areaboasts nearly 60 beach andbay accesses) or offshore byway of available cruises andboat rentals.

Getting to Beaches of SouthWalton recently got a biteasier, with the opening ofNorthwest Beaches Interna-tional Airport (ECP) in Pan-ama City in May 2010, andthe subsequent expansionof air service both there andthrough Northwest FloridaRegional Airport (VPS) in FortWalton Beach. Once almostsolely a drive-to destination,Beaches of South Walton isquickly expanding its reachto include visitors from out-side the southeastern U.S.,enabling couples with fam-ily and friends around thecountry to easily and conve-niently host their weddingsin Beaches of South Wal-ton. "Rich is from Chicago,"notes Kara, "so for many ofhis friends and family, thiswas their first experience inBeaches of South Walton.They were blown away bythe beauty of the beaches,and all plan to return."

When asked about a favor-ite memory from her cer-emony, Nicki calls the entireexperience "magical." Sheand Mike, expecting theirfirst child together, plan toreturn in September, adding"we just love it there." Karaagrees, saying "it just couldnot have been a more beauti-ful day, and the weather wasspectacular the entire time."Since their wedding, she andRich have been "dreamingand scheming" of ways tosomeday make Beaches ofSouth Walton their perma-nent home. Michelle alsofound it impossible to choosejust one moment. "Thewhole thing was perfect. Re-ally, it was just perfect." •

www.gcbride.com Gulf Coast Bride • 47