Ashley & Justin

Sunny Miramar Beachside Wedding

Destin Florida

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Wedding Super Hero

If you had to pick a time for everything to go wrong, it wouldn’t be at your Miramar Beach wedding. Ashley and Justin certainly didn’t, but that’s kinda what happened. Decorations couldn’t be delivered on time. That sucks, but it’s fine. Ashley is hospitalized with a 104 fever two days before the ceremony. Then they lost the caterer. Weddings can be crazy but this had the makings of a total disaster.

Mere mortals would have responded with tears, a bottle of jack and some very heated words. But Ashley handled all of this – and more – with an upbeat attitude. This is undoubtedly one of the many reasons Justin loves her so much. I adore them both myself and I’m extremely grateful to have been a part of their wedding. I’m also extremely grateful for Betsy with White Sand Weddings because, without her, I seriously don’t know what would have happened!

Ashley & Justin

These two have been in love for years and know each other so well. They have a daughter, Knightly, who can make the sun shine brighter with her adorable smile. Both of them light up when they talk about her. But when I catch Justin or Ashley looking at one another, they can’t stop the dreamy look on their face. It’s as if they are just realizing they have fallen in love. Then again, Knightly just turned one, so maybe that’s sleep deprivation.

In the end, the wedding turned out to be pretty fabulous. They rented a three-story home in Miramar Beach with huge balconies, a view of the water, a pool, a fire pit and what felt like a never-ending staircase. With the girls on the third floor, the guys on the ground level and the reception in the middle, the house accommodated everyone. The ceremony took place on the beach just before sunset and the reception stretched from the pool to the kitchen upstairs and back again. Later in the evening, both dads made a heartfelt speech that opened the floodgates to nearly a dozen more toasts – each one funnier than the last. I can’t recall any specific roast toast, but I remember simultaneously laughing and crying. I subsequently did again while editing.

It was such a fantastic day. With everything that went wrong, you’d expect me to say there was a horrible storm or the police showed up (which they did) but everything just fell into place. Little disasters continued to strike, but it didn’t matter. Ashley and Justin had each other, their daughter, their families, their wildly fun friends and a little cake in the face. Even I, their brilliant yet clumsy photographer, managed not to fall in either the pool or the fire pit. Realistically, that alone made this wedding a success.

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