1. /-
Walton/
Where the Perfect Beach Wedding Doesn't Have to be on the Beach
By E/wa Smith
Photos by
Pure 7 Studios. Destin, Florida www.pure7studios.com
Paul Johnson Photo, Panama City Beach, Florida, www.pauljohnsonphoto.com
Rae Leytham Photography, www.raeleytham.com
Kara Teppert and Rich Teisling of Knox-
ville, Tennessee, exchanged vows on Oc-
tober 15, 2010 at WaterColor Inn & Resort, it was amid a
scenic setting with beautiful views of shades of green. How-
ever, this green was not the emerald green waters of the
Gulf of Mexico for which Beaches of South Walton is best
known. It was a lush green lawn encircled by coastal pine
forest on the shore of the resort's tranquil Western Lake.
"As much as we love the beach, this better suited our per-
sonalities," said Kara, a non-profit executive search consul-
tant, adding, "We were able to enjoy the best of everything
- a lovely ceremony in the woods, an adjacent poolside re-
ception and a post-reception party with views of the most
beautiful beach, just minutes away." Kara and Rich's recep-
tion was held at WaterColor's Western Lake pool, with after-
party at the iconic Bud & Alley's Bar in neighboring Seaside.
The couple departed their reception by boat on Western
Lake. "There were two bubble machines going, and we had
our own bottle of bubbly in hand," remembers Kara. "It was
so nice to have some quiet, alone time as a married couple,
while looking up at the stars."
Michelle Broussard and Drew Dupree of Lafayette, Louisi-
ana, also chose WaterColor for their wedding held March 26,
2010, opting for the resort's Cerulean Park as their setting,
then moving on to the Beach Club for their gulf-front recep-
tion. An interior designer by trade, Michelle had enlisted her
colleagues to do some destination research on her behalf
while attending an industry convention at the Sandestin
Golf and Beach Resort in 2009. "Having visited often, Drew
and I knew we wanted to get married in Beaches of South
Walton," says Michelle. "However, we wanted something
other than the traditional beach wedding, and WaterColor's
Cerulean Park provided the perfect setting."
Beaches of South Walton enjoys a geography unique to
most beach destinations. Bordered on the south by world
www.gcbride.com GulfC.?n*M i'"»i. '

2. renowned sugar-sand beaches and greens. In Rosemary Beach, couples
gentle turquoise gulf waters, and on the can choose among three outstand-
north by the wooded shores of Choc- ing beachside locations for their spe-
tawhatchee Bay, this 26-mile stretch of cial day. Both the eastern and western
paradise offers surprising variety. The greens are on grassy bluffs overlooking
gulfside ribbon of Scenic Highway 30A the Gulf of Mexico, with dune walkovers
boasts architectural diversity, courtesy easily accessible before and after the
of 12 charming beach communities ceremony. The rustic Town Hall is also
dotted with undeveloped state forest available, with access to an outdoor
and natural dune lakes. That diversity courtyard. Alys Beach offers wedding
continues farther west along Scenic venues ranging from the Gulf Green
Highway 98 with three additional beach with sweeping gulf views to the lush
communities, including the 2,400-acre lawn of Central Park or the refined inti-
Sandestin resort, serenely nestled be- macy of Fonville Press.
tween the beach and bay.
If bay views are desired, Bentley's on the
&
Choctawhatchee Bay was the draw for Bay provides a unique and memorable
Nicki Pruett and Mike Catling of Mis- setting directly on the Choctawhatchee
sissippi, who chose to wed under the Bay. Couples can exchange vows under Destimm • • • mint for
aptly-named Wedding Tree at Eden Gar- a willow tree overlooking calm, clear about 1!i pet. on) nl .H idlitiQS, and
dens State Park on June 12, 2010. The bay waters, then move to the expansive that numlx Ii iimue to
most magnificent of the ancient, moss- deck for dancing under the stars. grow. They nti r.-piiltu Im ,i number
draped oaks dotting the park's 104 acres of reason;,, .HMI.IHI iht.m UM< opportu-
nestled along Tucker Bayou, the Wed- If the water itself is the primary focus, nity for tin- cuiifjli • Iwndnd lamily
ding Tree has been the inspiration for a SunQuest wedding cruise aboard the and friend1, in ! • > n, « i- i in I-now each
many couples married in Beaches of Solaris allows couples to sail away and other ovei t i n - HUH - >i il«ty« instead
South Walton. A self-described 'south- wed on the sky deck, serenaded by sea of hours. Dm- i" H ""I ii.ivel re-
ern girl,' Nicki notes that Mike's parents birds as the sun slips into the shimmer- quired, the:.i •• i ..HI, in..) in MI.DC likely
visit South Walton yearly. "From the be- ing tides of the bay. SunQuest's full-ser- to be intim.ii. .11 ... < .11,, i ih.in large
ginning, we wanted our wedding there. vice wedding planners boast "you bring events, attended i . , - i i " . - • i"M-,t to the
I was determined to find the perfect spot the dress and let us do the rest." couple. Notes K.H.I (lit. people who
that embodied the image of my south- mattered most to u« w • ' • • idem, and
ern roots, and when I discovered a pho- Speaking of planners, all three brides we weren't oveiwdolimM with .m enor-
mous crowd."
Of Note . . . Though if a lain*' iiowd is preferred,
Beaches of South W.ih"M h«i venues
for those, as well, iMch«idn, the Hil-
• Destination Weddings & Honeymoons highlighted WaterColor Inn & Resort in its September/ ton Sandestm I'.i-.n l> OnM Hesort &
October 2010 issue as the location for the "perfect American wedding." Spa's spacious I mei.ild Halltoom ac-
• Bentley's on the Bay received the award for best wedding venue in the 2011 WeddingWire commodates up in i '.no guests for an
Bride's Choice Awards™ over-the-top ifiepimn m.i t i u > Emer-
ald Deck expand-, in Mi.ne than 4,500
•SunQuest Cruises'Solaris received The Best Wedding Reception Venue award by The Knot
square feet and pinviil.-. , spectacu-
lar view for a letepimn ut almost any
to of that tree online, I knew I'd found recommend hiring a competent wed- size. Bayside, Sande'.im < mil and Beach
it." In fact, the location was so southern ding planner to handle the details. In ad- Resort's Grand llm. I i. alines classic
that when she visited Eden in January dition to multiple venue choices, Beach- southern-inspired architectural design
to finalize the details of her June wed- es of South Walton offers an excellent and detail, with sweeping two story ve-
ding, the park's annual Civil War reen- selection of wedding planners. Each randa, lushly landsi aped i|,udens and
actment was in progress. "You can't get bride spoke almost reverently about her soothing water founi.nir. sin rounding a
more southern than that," laughs Nicki. planner, with Kara calling WaterColor's restful poolscape. Multiple ballrooms in
Cheryl Walton "awesome." Michelle the adjacent conference! center can ac-
As these brides discovered, options agrees, adding that having a planner commodate up to 600 t|uests, with deep
abound for storybook weddings in "was so much easier than trying to co- verandas providing additional space.
Beaches of South Walton, whether on ordinate everything on my own." Nicki
the beach or elsewhere. Choices in the chose Shelby Peaden to plan her wed- It is estimated that the vast majority of
scenic town of Seaside include the in- ding, and was satisfied that she "han- visitors to Beaches of South Walton have
timate Seaside Chapel, a beach pavil- dled everything perfectly, down to the visited before, and many of those visi-
ion sunset ceremony, barefoot in the smallest detail." tors return at least annually, making the
sand, or on one of Seaside's lavish town destination a sort of 'home away from
46 • Gulf Coast Bride www.gcbride.com

3. There, lots of bonding time on the can enjoy fabulous sunsets
links. Fishing enthusiasts can from along any of Beaches
If you fly: choose between inshore and of South Walton's numer-
offshore charters. Shoppers ous vantage points (the area
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in can choose from options as boasts nearly 60 beach and
Panama City bay accesses) or offshore by
vast as Silver Sands Factory
(850)763-6751
Stores (the nation's largest way of available cruises and
www.iflybeaches.com
designer outlet center, with boat rentals.
over 100 designer names)
Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS)
to intimate boutiques with Getting to Beaches of South
(850)651 7160
unique offerings and art Walton recently got a bit
www.flyvps.com
galleries with one-of-a-kind easier, with the opening of
finds. Dining choices range Northwest Beaches Interna-
from casual beachside eater- tional Airport (ECP) in Pan-
Beaches of South Wnltmi is luc.itotl within a few hours' drive
ies - where bare feet are not ama City in May 2010, and
of major southern cities, including Atlanta (315 miles), Memphis only welcome, but expected the subsequent expansion
(485 miles), Birmingham (280 miles), New Orleans (260 miles) and - to fine cuisine prepared of air service both there and
Jackson (300 miles). by internationally renowned through Northwest Florida
chefs and served in relaxed, Regional Airport (VPS) in Fort
More info iiliout plmmim) your next getaway or destination yet upscale settings. Bicycle Walton Beach. Once almost
wedding on (he beautiful Beaches of South Walton, call or visit rentals provide a fun way solely a drive-to destination,
them today. to tour the length of Scenic Beaches of South Walton is
Toll free: 800 8?? 68/7 Highway 30A via the Tim- quickly expanding its reach
www.beachcsolsiiiilliwi-illon.com poochee Trail, a paved pe- to include visitors from out-
destrian/bike path running side the southeastern U.S.,
the highway's entire 19-mile enabling couples with fam-
home' for many couples and ties. "We celebrated Mardi length, or to enjoy the Sand- ily and friends around the
their guests. All thn-o brides Gras this year at (Sandes- estin Golf and Beach Resort's country to easily and conve-
have either already returned tin's) Baytowne Wharf and 2,400 acres. If you'd rather niently host their weddings
to the area with thc-it new just spent some time relax- someone else do the pedal- in Beaches of South Wal-
husbands, or plan to do so ing together," says Michelle. ing, there's a new pedi-cab ton. "Rich is from Chicago,"
sometime in 2011. Michelle service available on 30A, and notes Kara, "so for many of
and Drew d<:<:id<-d to spend While relaxation is a favorite nearby stables offer horses his friends and family, this
Mardi Gras 2011 there, since pastime for visitors to Beach- instead of bikes, for those was their first experience in
it closely coincided with their es of South Walton, wedding who prefer four legs to two Beaches of South Walton.
wedding anniversary date couples and guests also ap- wheels. They were blown away by
and since the imminent arriv- preciate the variety of enter- the beauty of the beaches,
al of daughter Caroline, due tainment options, regardless Naturally, in warmer months, and all plan to return."
May 5, precluded Michelle of season. For the golfers the beach beckons for sun-
from participating in many in the group, there are 107 ning and swimming but even When asked about a favor-
traditional Maidi Gias festivi- holes of golf nearby, offering in the cooler months, guests ite memory from her cer-
emony, Nicki calls the entire
experience "magical." She
and Mike, expecting their
first child together, plan to
return in September, adding
"we just love it there." Kara
agrees, saying "it just could
not have been a more beauti-
ful day, and the weather was
spectacular the entire time."
Since their wedding, she and
Rich have been "dreaming
and scheming" of ways to
someday make Beaches of
South Walton their perma-
nent home. Michelle also
found it impossible to choose
just one moment. "The
whole thing was perfect. Re-
ally, it was just perfect." •
www.gcbride.com Gulf Coast Bride • 47