A Panama City Beach Destination Wedding

The Gulf Coast is my happy place. Every year in September, Shawn and I take a trip down to Gulf Shores Alabama and we seriously look forward to it all year long. 

So when our friend Kelsey asked if we’d be willing to travel to Florida to photograph her beachside ceremony, you can imagine how excited we all were when we found out our trip overlapped with her wedding day (how amazing is that)!? The icing on the cake is that photographing a beachside ceremony was on my photography bucket list. If you’re a photographer, you’ll know what I mean. We all have that one thing we would secretly photograph for free if given the opportunity. It may be a ballerina dancing in an alleyway, an engaged couple in front of hot air balloons, a proposal on horseback… you get the idea.

Needless to say the photos we captured that day we’re an absolute dream.

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It’s funny funny how we remember what our brains tell us to remember from a certain day. You can’t tell from the photos, but there was a red tide and there were dead fish along the shoreline for miles. It was difficult to breathe but everyone pushed through like a champ. We ended up traveling inland a bit that night because it made us sick, but that part seems blurry now. Instead, I remember the way Kelsey’s father teared up when he saw his daughter in her wedding gown for the first time. I remember the way the details on her dress glinted in the sunlight and her dress flowed in the salty breeze. I remember how genuinely happy the bride and groom looked on their wedding day. I look back and remember the joy. At the end of the day nothing else matters but your marriage – it’s not about the flowers, the venue, or the pretty details. Ten years from now you’ll remember the way you felt. 

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since James & Kelsey got married, and we’re back on the same beach ourselves this week celebrating our own 11th year of marriage. The years may pass quickly, but we have forever to go and many more adventures to come!

Happy first anniversary, James & Kelsey!!!

Hugs,

Hayley & Shawn