Jaklyn & Keith
Tropical Wedding at the Sheraton Golf & Spa Resort
Panama City Beach, FL
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Like most couples in 2020, Jaklyn and Keith were forced to postpone their beach wedding earlier this spring. It sucked. It really sucked, but they did everything in their power to stick to their original plan as much as possible. Their tropical beach-themed celebration took place seven months later at the Sheraton Panama City Beach Golf and Spa Resort. The entire weekend was a fiesta of colors and tropical flowers that surrounded guests with their toes in the sand while puffy white clouds hung in a bright blue sky. The guests that couldn’t make it sent videos of well-wishes and those in attendance soaked up the weekend’s events like a sponge. Jaklyn and Keith’s southern hospitality was at full tilt and they were thrilled so many of their friends and family could be there to celebrate with them.
Jaklyn is a lawyer by trade but I think her true calling is in crafts. What that woman can do with strips of plastic and paper is frankly astonishing. Her friends confided that one of the greatest honors for them is when Jaklyn plans an event. No baby shower could ever compare to one of Jak’s. So for her own wedding, she put just as much love into every hand-painted sign, oyster shell place card, and elaborate paper flower. But this wedding wasn’t just a marriage between Jaklyn and Keith. It was the official bonding of a ready-made family. Keith’s three young sons love Jaklyn as much as he does. So when it came time for their first look, it was fitting for the boys to be there. They walked down the aisle together and all five of them exchanged vows, in a promise to honor the family they have become.
Shortly after the ceremony, guests made their way down the long dock to the Capt Anderson boat ready to take the party-goers across the bay to the reception at the Shrimp Boat Restaurant. Unfortunately, an uninvited guest moved in and literally blew those plans to hell. The outer bands of Hurricane Sally arrived and in less than one minute, bore down tropical force winds, driving rain, and caused us to run for cover. The Capt. Anderson had to move back to deeper waters, guests still on the boardwalk hightailed it to cover and the rest of us took refuge inside to watch it all fly by. An hour later, we picked up right where we left off, on a party boat heading to a long night of much-needed celebration.
With all that crap piling on top of a pandemic delay, you’d think that would put a damper on things. But both Keith and Jakyln just brushed it off. If anything, it made them more grateful to be there, surrounded by their families and enjoying every minute, every song, and every hug. Even without a hurricane, it would have been an unforgettable wedding. Jak and Keith are certainly an unforgettable couple. They are loving, generous, kind, and patient and to those who know them, it’s obvious their dedication can weather any storm.
