A Dreamy Beach Wedding With To Die For Greenery

By Janecia Britt

A brief meeting at Ken’s Tavern was enough for Montana and Josh to become Facebook friends…but it wouldn’t be until a few years later that they happened to see each other again in passing at a gas station.

“I’m not joking when I say we sent each other Facebook messages at the same exact moment to see if that was in fact the other that we saw. Although not the classiest place, I lovingly wear the coordinates to that gas station around my neck because that place made me believe in fate.”

“We knew before we ever got engaged that we wanted to get married on the beach in front of his grandparents home that has been a staple of happiness for our relationship over the last 3.5 years.”

Josh is the Graphic Designer for the Florida Senate and Montana is the Area Manager of a tanning salon franchise in Tallahassee.

“Him being a graphic designer he did almost all of our wedding paper designs, as well as most of our signage and most importantly our koozies for our guests wedding favors. That was awesome because it felt so personal and allowed guests to take home art he made.”

“My favorite moment of the day was 100% the personalized ceremony and reciting of our own vows. Neither of us are very religious, so we wanted something different that reflected our personalities and felt like something more than the same old readings that you see at many weddings.”

“Mark Zeigler, a communications professor at FSU and a dear friend of both our families was our officiant. WOW he blew us away with all the stories and comments he gathered from friends and family, not to mention shamelessly referencing FSU football many times. I loved being surprised by the vows Josh had written. We were laughing and teared up the whole time.”

“Our eucalyptus chandeliers were actually hand made by myself prior to the wedding. The night before the wedding, my maid of honor, my bridesmaid and my cousin all hand tied the eucalyptus to the hoop while slightly drunk at 2 a.m. The day of the wedding we were sitting at our table and a piece of eucalyptus fell off right onto my plate and my MOH looked up and said “ooops…I probably tied that one” and we busted out laughing. The macrame backdrop was hand made by Caity Mickelson a friend in Nashville who took my large macrame idea on and brought it to life. It was stunning and now a piece in our home. Our dog Delta Mae was a 100% must be included in our wedding not only was she a bridesmaid but she got to hang out for the whole wedding and dance and play.”

“Many of our vendors came as recommendations from friends. Our photographer, Charlotte, was the first person I booked even before a planner. She came highly recommended and once I met her we instantly clicked. Everything she does is pure artistic gold. Sam, our planner came as a recommendation from Charlotte our photographer after our original planner had to sadly step away after a life threatening car accident (she is okay, recovering, and in high spirits). Sam is very close to my age so she just totally got what we were going for, always delivered, and became a great friend that I can laugh with. Everyone she recommended from there I give 5 stars. Dexter with Amplify DJ’s was the perfect fit for our barefoot beach party and kept the vibe alive all day into the night. David from Burrito Boarder in Tallahassee, delivered the most delicious taco bar and although wind conditions did not allow for the originally planned queso fountains…guest raved about the food and cheesy goodness for weeks! All I can say is I was blessed with a top notch crew of people.”

“”Old Florida” is essentially what we wanted our guests to think of when seeing everything we put together. The Forgotten Coast and all of its rustic coastal charm is not what traditionally comes to mind when you think Florida beach wedding. We wanted to show off our “happy place” in all its glory…think oyster shells, driftwood, old docks, palm fronds, macrame, and a dance floor in the sand. We wanted nothing more than a big barefoot beach party with all our family and friends.”

“My advice to soon-to-be bride is not to over think things. You can make yourself go crazy with the amount of things there are to make decisions about. If it feels good and fits your budget, do it. If it feels GREAT and doesn’t fit your budget, then rearrange and decide what’s most important. If it is the dress or something else that has captured your heart then go ahead splurge and then go with a lesser option on something less important. If there’s something you 100% want to happen on the day (eat tacos, picture with your dog, special shout out etc.) let your planner or someone trustworthy know so they can make it happen. The day goes SO fast and everyone there wants to talk to the both of you, so it’s easy to get caught up and forget to do things you really wanted to. Finally, leave your phone and worries behind and soak in every ounce of the moments you have worked hard to build. Both your relationship and the wedding itself.

Photos courtesy of Charlotte Fristoe Photography

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