Becker and I work in business management in Chicago, and we wanted our wedding to be a relaxing vacation shared with family and friends in our home state of Florida. We chose the resort village of Carillon Beach, where I had vacationed with family, for our wedding because of its walkability, with accommodations and wedding venues just steps from each other and the sand.
We found our planner, Avis Glenister of Carillon Weddings, on Pinterest and set the date: April 25, 2015. Most of our 105 guests stayed at the Carillon Beach Resort Inn and the Sunrise and Sunset Condominiums on the resort property; others rented private homes through onsite Carillon Beach Rentals.
On the Friday before the wedding, Becker’s mom rented a party school bus from Beach Party Bus and took us to Inlet Beach for a low-country seafood boil, vodka lemonade and dancing in the sand. On Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Jef Lamb, a close family friend, married us in a lighthearted ceremony in the resort’s Meeting House. Guests held sparklers above our heads as we exited.
Cocktail hour, featuring watermelon mojitos, was held on the adjacent Village Green, where dinner stations included beef tenderloin and rosemary chicken prepared by Townsend Catering Company. After a bouquet toss and toasts, DJ Paul Kirker of GTS Entertainment kept us dancing for hours. It was the highlight of an amazing weekend spent with all our loved ones in a beautiful and unique beach community.
