A St. Thomas by the Sea Catholic Wedding

I very rarely photograph weddings at the beach. Since my wedding packages include a minimum of eight hours of coverage, adding drive time to and from the beach makes for quite a long day. If it’s busy season and the traffic is heavy, it means that drive takes even longer.

When I received Jessica’s email inquiring for her mid-May date, two things stood out to me. First she mentioned that she was a bridesmaid for one of my 2018 weddings. Knowing she was friends with Maggie made me feel pretty certain we were going to have fun working together.  Then I noticed she signed her note, “Go Jackets!”

I’m not sure if loyalty to one’s high school alma mater is as much a thing with other schools as it is at McGill-Toolen (McT), where Jessica and I both went to high school in Mobile. I knew that McGill was a special place from my first day of school there, but it wasn’t until I graduated that I realized just how special the McT Family really is! From the moment I saw the “Go Jackets” in that initial email, I knew that a drive to the beach was going to be worth it!

Jessica and Quentin are such a laid back couple, which meant a beach wedding was the perfect way for them to celebrate with all their family and friends. Many of their out-of-town relatives made a mini vacation out of this wedding weekend. By the time everyone was together at the reception, they were ready to dance into the night!

Fisher’s at Orange Beach Marina

When you’re at the beach for a wedding, you definitely want a nice view at your reception. Fisher’s at Orange Beach Mariana provided the relaxed, casual vibe that Jessica and Quentin wanted for celebrating with family and friends. I love when afternoon receptions have both an outdoor and indoor space for guests to enjoy. The weather was so nice on Saturday and everyone was loving the outdoor views and being able to watch the sunset over the marina from the upstairs porch.

If you’ve never had the chance to eat at Fisher’s, it is one of the best restaurants in Orange Beach. They were hit hard after last year’s hurricanes, so I was happy to see them back open! Their food is seriously out of this world delicious!

I love that Jessica surprised Quentin with a Hawaiian shirt for his wedding gift, which he wore for most of the reception. Even better was the surprise that all of Quentin’s groomsmen also had Hawaiian shirts for the reception! It perfectly fit the vibe of this space and Quentin’s personality.

Jessica and Quentin, thank you for having me be part of your special day! Cheers to a lifetime of happiness together!

Jessica also surprised Quentin with this AMAZING groom’s cake by Couture Cakes!

Another highlight of the reception was Quentin’s friend joining the band on stage for a song!

I LOVE getting to see past clients at weddings! I can’t believe it’s already been three years since I photographed Maggie and Ross’s wedding!

VENDORS

Second Photographer | Alexis Williams

Photographer’s Assistant / Third Photographer | Regina Gomez-Guillen

Planning | Jenna Laine Weddings

Videographer | For Him Films

Getting Ready Location | Turquoise Place Condos

Ceremony | St. Thomas by the Sea Catholic Church

Reception + Catering | Fisher’s at Orange Beach Marina

Florist | Wildflowers

Cake | Couture Cakes

Makeup + Hair | Gallant Glam Co.

Rentals | Soho Events + Rentals

Band | 2nd Coming

Bride’s Gown | Wedding Belles – Jenny Yoo

Bridesmaid Dresses | Wedding Belles – Amsale

Groom + Groomsmen Attire | Jos A. Bank

Invitations | The Keeping Room

Save the Dates | Caitlyn Fryar Designs

Bridesmaid Earrings | Katherine M Designs