The Date and Time
Well, after our Easter morning engagement on April 23rd, 2000, we've had time to think about when and where we'd like to get married. We started by planning it all around our honeymoon. We'd like to go to Italy and that, along with the weddings of my sister Gina on November 4th and my brother Anthony on January 6th, started to narrow down which dates were workable. After speaking with Daniela in Italy and finding out that June is the first season for figs, we've decided on June 2nd at 6:00pm. The weather will be a warm that time of year which should work well for an evening ceremony followed by a sunset reception outdoors on the beach. The average daytime high for June is 87 degrees and average low is 71 degrees.
The Theme
So get ready...we're going to have a Beach Wedding! The sand and the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico make for a very romantic setting. The reception will also have a beach theme and choosing a location, which offers a spectacular view, as well as all the necessities needed for a wedding ceremony and reception, has proven to be harder than first imagined. There are so many resorts stretched along the coast and not all of them are equipped for wedding ceremonies and receptions, but we think we've found the right place. We also found a local wedding coordinator who is experienced with planning all the details of a Beach Wedding from the ceremony in the sand to the steel drum band to the food and decorations. Cynthia's been putting her creative juices to work on the wedding favors and table decorations. I'm sure everyone will be impressed with the way they turn out. She also designed the invitations to set the mood for the wedding and we sent them out on April 2nd. So wear your Tori Richard or Tommy Bahama tropical shirts and leave your shoes at home. This will be one fun wedding!
The Location
We've selected the Eglin Beach Club. They have a large 30'x60' outdoor pavilion right on the beach. This location allows us to decorate and add all sorts of personal touches for our wedding. A lot will depend on the weather since it's outdoors on the beach, but June 2nd should be in the mid 70s in the evening and the waters along the Gulf of Mexico will be perfect for a swim. The ceremony will take place right in the sand and the reception under the pavilion. Cynthia and I met with the wedding coordinator on May 21st to review the pavilion decorations and go over the logistics one last time. After several e-mails and phone calls all of the RSVPs are accounted for and the final total will be 69 guests. Cynthia designed the seating chart with each table having its own beach theme and special favor. Everything looks ready to go. We'll have a photographer and videographer there to capture our day.
The Food and Drinks
We booked Classic City Caterers in Pensacola. They came highly recommended and we've heard nothing but good things about them. We met with them in February after going through their huge menu and choosing items which best suit our Beach Wedding theme. They have a great selection and everything looks delicious. How do Coronas and frozen drinks sound? David made it easy and drafted up a menu for us. We can't wait to see how it all comes together. We also went to the bakers and selected the wedding cake which should taste as incredible as it looks.
The Wedding and Reception
Because of all the odds and ends associated with putting together a Beach Wedding we've hired Sheryl McCowen as our wedding consultant. She will be able to help with everything from finding the right wedding cake to sending us down the aisle. We're working with her on the invitations, limo, music, photographer, favors, table and pavilion decorations, rentals, and setting up the ceremony on the beach. She'll also be setting up the pavilion the day of the wedding and making sure that the tables look perfect. Cynthia's put a lot of work into the favors and place settings and I know her thoughfulness and attendtion to detail will show. We also received the rings from Ben The Jeweler. All we can do now is sit back, relax, and pray for good weather.
Attire
Since this is a June beach wedding, everyone is expected to come in casual resort wear or tropical attire. What is "tropical attire"? Well, most guests will have on tropical shirts with shorts or casual slacks. Ties and jackets or beaded gowns are a no-no. Even shoes are optional. Have fun with it! Cynthia traveled to Atlanta with her mom and they picked out a beautiful wedding dress (so I'm told). As for me, I've been to the tuxedo rental place and we've looked through the books there and selected one that should match well. For the reception, I'm losing the tux and getting into a Tori Richard tropical shirt which I purchased during our trip to Hawaii in August. Cynthia's keeping the top of her 2-piece wedding dress and opting for a more tropical look during the reception. I think everyone will have fun with the beach wedding theme. We'll have anything but black and white wedding photos with all those tropical shirts!
Golf
We will be playing golf Saturday morning at the Bluewater Bay Golf Resort. They have four 9-hole courses which were designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate. We will be playing the Lake/Marsh courses. We have a rate of $54 per person, which includes green fees and cart. Check out their web site for details. The first tee time is 9:46am. Looks like there will be 6 of us playing. Everyone getting married that day gets 4 strokes a side - men play from the blue tees and seniors, with a valid ID, can play from the white. Directions from Okaloosa hotels: Take highway 98 east for 9.7 miles, left onto the Mid Bay Bridge for 6.7 miles ($2 toll), left onto SR 20 west for .2 miles, left onto Bluewater Bay Blvd for 1 mile (follow signs to the Club House). So bring your balls and don't forget your soft-spikes!
Travel Plans
There are two airports which service this area: Pensacola (PNS) and Ft. Walton Beach (VPS). Pensacola is sometimes cheaper and has a larger variety of jet services, but is about 50 miles from the Eglin Beach Club. Ft. Walton Beach is about 10 miles away and you can get some good deals flying into there if you look. We've flown both Delta and AirTran from Ft. Walton Beach. Aside from your travel agent you may want to check Expedia.com or Travelocity.com for the best fares. I picked up a map from the Ft. Walton Beach airport which shows you the best way to get to the hotels and the Beach Club.
Hotels
Several people have already asked about hotels in the area. These 3 are all less than 10 miles from the wedding location all along the beautiful Emerald Coast on Highway 98 on the beach. To make things easy we've spoken to Donna Tucker at the Radisson and she's given us the following discounted rates: atrium-view rooms for $119 and pool-view rooms for $129. Suites with sofa beds are also available. The Radisson has a large pool right off the beach with a poolside Tiki Bar and offers shuttle service to/from the Ft. Walton Beach airport. Click here to see the Radisson brochure. Of course, there are many other less expensive hotels right on highway 98 that are not on the beach. The
Destin-Ft. Walton Beach web site as a hotel locator, maps of the area, weather, virtual tours, and activities offered in the area. With the wide variety of hotels in the immediate area everyone should be able to find one to suit their taste and budget. Just click on the links below to check out the accommodations and availability at the 3 larger hotel resorts on the beach.
Radisson Beach Resort
1110 Santa Rosa Boulevard
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
Reservations: (877)333-4904
Local Number: (850)243-9181
Sheraton Four Points Hotel
1325 Miracle Strip Parkway
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
Reservations: (800)874-8104
Local Number: (850)243-8116
Ramada Plaza Beach Resort
1500 Miracle Strip Parkway
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
Reservations: (800)874-8962
Local Number: (850)243-9161
The Registry
Cynthia and I took a trip up to Atlanta to register for our wedding. The selection of stores in and around our area left much to be desired. We found the Mikasa Libretto pattern at Macy's and registered with them. Their registry is linked with many other stores in the Federated department store chain and easily accessible to many of our friends and relatives. After going to New Jersey for my brother Anthony's wedding on January 6th, we decided to register at Fortunoff as well. Click on either store to go directly to that registry.
The Honeymoon
As some of you might suspect, this entire wedding is based on fig season in Italy. On Sunday, June 3rd, we're off to Rome. We'll spend a few days with my cousins in Torre Orsina and Terni eating figs and trying to communicate without the aid of the younger bilingual relatives. Cynthia has an Italian language CD and is brushing up on her Italian. We've also communicated with Daniela, both by telephone and e-mail, and everyone is looking forward to meeting. We will be departing on Wednesday for Rome and spend a couple days exploring the Vatican before we start our tour. On Friday we begin a 10-day Globus tour. This one is called Italian Treasures and will take us to Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Siena, Bologna, Assisi, and many other smaller towns. This is basically the same tour I took in 1997, but this time I'll get to share it with Cynthia. She's been reading all kinds of Italian books in anticipation of the trip. Then on Sunday the 17th we fly back to Florida. We've booked the tour and I was able to use my frequent flier miles to get us 1st class tickets on Delta Airlines. I know Cynthia's thrilled about that and so am I.
Updates
We'll keep this page updated with all the newest wedding plans, so mark this page and check back from time to time. I know that everyone has lots of questions and now we can answer the most important question of "When are you two getting married?". It's June 2nd! Hope to see you there.
