Jessi & Justin's Amelia Island Wedding

Even though this is a post for Jessi & Justin’s beautiful Amelia Island Wedding. I have to preface this a bit and let you know up front this is much more than happily every after. Their wedding day was not only about their commitment to each other but in merging their families and bringing their girls together as sisters.

It is a story of determination, courage and discovery. Sometimes the sweetest things in life come when we least expect them. After the storms, challenges and obstacles are overcome you find yourself standing at the peek of a mountain that you didn’t even realize you had climbed. We are blessed in this life when we find ourselves standing there on that peek overlooking the journey that got us where we are today. And we are even more blessed to have those who encourage us to go farther, never stop growing, learning or being our best self.

Jessi is that person- she is an inspiration in every aspect of the word. An encourager who won’t let anyone or anything stand in the way of lifting others up along with herself as she reaches and re-sets her goals.

We have been friends over a decade and I loved her since the moment I met her. She’s incredibly sweet, funny, thoughtful and the girl can seriously bake some delicious cakes!!! We’ve laughed, vacationed, cried and had many amazing girls nights out together. She is everything friendship and loyalty is supposed to be (yes, Justin- you are super lucky!) We all know that past relationships can be hard but they can force growth in such an amazingly positive path that we may not have reached otherwise- I think both Jessi and Justin have overcome so much but also have become so much stronger as a result. I have told Jessi many times she is such an inspiration and just had to take this opportunity to tell her again.

It’s no simple task to blend two individuals but it’s even more delicate when you are blending two families. Jessi and Justin took so much care and attention to include their girls in every aspect of planning and getting ready for the wedding and even incorporated specials gifts for them into the ceremony.  It was so incredibly beautiful to see the wedding and celebration through their eyes. I am thankful to have been there not only to capture these beautiful moments but to see first hand the love Jessi and Justin not only have for each other but for their girls as well.

Enjoy :)

We started at the salon for hair, makeup and lots of giggles with all the girls as they got pampered for the big day. From there we headed to the beachside hotel for finishing touches.

The girls were so excited to hold the door for Jessi & Justin's first look. They were beaming with excitement the whole time and couldn't wait to see Justin's reaction to his beautiful bride. 

Soft sprinkles of raindrops ended our pre-ceremony formals and everyone sprung into action relocating the ceremony chairs from the beach. Jessi and Justin handled everything with such grace and it was clear that these two were happy to focus on the bigger picture- they were marrying their best friend no matter where the ceremony took place. 

My absolute favorite part of the ceremony was when Jessi and Justin presented the girls with beautiful silver lockets. I don't think there was a dry eye in attendance.

The rain fell softly through the vows and cleared just long enough for us to finish up the formals and for Jessi and Justin to take a little walk for the first time together as husband and wife before it started to drizzle again. 

The reception began with such a lovely prayer from Justin's dad and guests enjoyed delicious goodies from a local beach fave, Slider's. Everything was beautiful, smiles, toasts, dancing and conversation all around. It's one of the absolute best things about small, intimate events. The couple gets to visit, hug and spend time with everyone there- they get to really be present, unhurried and truly take it all in. 

Below are the wonderful vendors who did such a wonderful job on this very special day:
Girls Hair & Jessi's Makeup: The Beauty Bar
Hair: Chelley Ellis, Teenies Inc.
Venue: Ocean Club of Amelia
Cake: Jessica Getzlaff


Congratulations & Love You both!!!