I am so unbelievably ecstatic to share Shields and David’s wedding day with you (and will also be sharing their rehearsal dinner & welcome party soon, as well)! These two high school sweethearts were married on an absolutely gorgeous November day at Coral Bay Club in Atlantic Beach, and Shields and David’s coastal wedding day was the most unforgettable, joyful, stunning, and love-filled day celebrating the two of them and their new marriage! From start to finish, it was a weekend abounding in love, joy, and beauty.

This was, unsurprisingly, one of my favorite wedding designs – and weddings! – of all time!! Oh my goodness. Wow to every single thing about this magical day!! I’d been dreaming and designing every aspect of Shields and David’s wedding for so long, and seeing it come to life took my breath away. Where to begin?! I started with a palette of vibrant chartreuse, verdant olive, & rich brown paired with striking pops of hot pink and orange for our color-loving, stylish bride, then tied in chic nods to the autumn season with rich textures, tortoiseshell, dark wood, and bold green marbling.

Shields and David wanted their wedding to be timeless, classic, and elevated yet with a polished, fresh, and fun twist, and I think we achieved just that! From the clear top ceremony tent overlooking the ocean to the lush colorful florals and six towering potted trees to the statement olive draping and banquette seating with magnificent greenery urns to a bold olive and white checkered dance floor to romantic candles and lighting with gorgeous linens, layered vignettes to countless personalized details. Above all, there was a sincere focus on celebration, gathering, fun, and heartfelt hospitality that married a bold and memorable design with an understated elegance and celebratory touch.

From the invitation suite to the bar menus to the matchboxes to the tambourines for the dance floor to to all of the design details, thoughtfully keeping things cohesive, seamless, unique, and memorable is a top priority! We adored Shields and David’s bold, green marbled envelope liner on their invitation suite (that marbling truly was unexpected yet elegant perfection!), and I intentionally wove this same pattern into other elements of their wedding day, like their matchboxes, their styling backgrounds, the dance floor tambourines, the bridesmaid gifts, & more! I’m not sure too many guests noticed (I hope they did!) but those of us who designed Shields and David’s wedding details and brought it all to life certainly did!

We also worked closely with the wonderful Surcie team to create a custom duogram and logo for the wedding with Shields & David’s initials, along with custom hand-penned calligraphy for their invitation suite and day-of stationery. This SD logo was simple stunning, and you can find it tastefully sprinkled throughout many of Shields and David’s design details, favors, and stationery, from their bar menus to their welcome signage to their koozies to their cocktail napkins to their drink stirrers to those fabulous tambourines for the dance floor. I am truly smitten with every singe design detail we dreamt up and brought to life for this wonderful couple! And the elevated accents of tortoiseshell and dark rattan kept it from being too green or too Spring-y.

These getting ready moments are always filled with so much anticipation, excitement, and sweet moments, and I love that Shields and David brought together the longtime friends that mean so much to them! I love a large wedding party, and this crew was no exception – so many of the bridesmaids and groomsmen have known both Shields and David (and each other!) for a very long time, and you could tell how close they all were. And talk about one stunning and dapper wedding party!! This crew was so, so gracious, thoughtful, and fun, and you could tell just how much they all adore Shields and David. And I’ll never not tear up watching my brides put on their wedding gowns with their mothers or during an emotional father-daughter first look or with a wildly heartfelt first look between the bride and groom. Witnessing these long-anticipated moments up close is such a privilege and incredibly moving, and there wasn’t a dry eye as Shields and David saw each other for the first time on their wedding day! Will I ever be over the abundance of joy, love, happy tears, and celebrations from Shields & David’s wedding at the coast?! Shields, David, their families, and their wedding party are as beautiful and radiant inside as they are outside; don’t you think?! They are all simply incredible! Planning and designing alongside Shields and her amazing mother, Rebecca, for the last year has been such a special, rewarding, and fun experience, and I adore these two so much.

I absolutely adore the combination of Lula Kate bridesmaid dresses we curated for Shields’ bridesmaids: a mix of three green Lula Kate gowns in various necklines, giving each gown personality while creating a cohesive, fashion-forward, beautiful blend of dresses. For the ceremony and personal flowers, like the bouquets, we also chose to keep the floral design more muted and soft with a romantic palette of creams, whites, pale pink, and greenery so that the flowers wouldn’t compete or distract from the gowns, as well as to keep the ceremony flowers more classic, soft, and harmonious with the feel of the momentous moments unfolding. And then we really turned on the color with vibrant, juicy hot pinks, oranges, and chartreuse for their cocktail hour & reception!

I also love that Shields first spotted and pinned her Lela Rose wedding gown many, many years ago when it made its debut in 2019, and it’s been the one wedding dress she’s had her eye on since then. It felt like kismet that it was still available for her wedding, and wow — this gown is unbelievably stunning and was just so perfect for our radiant bride!

First looks get me every single time, and Shields and David’s was no exception! With the ocean as the backdrop for their first look and then their portraits, it was a setting as beautiful as it was serene – and in a place so integral to their relationship and their life together. After ten years together, getting to witness these once-in-a-lifetime moments really does bring you to happy tears, and David’s reaction to his beautiful bride was so emotional and heartfelt.

This is what it’s all about – and it’s absolutely the heartbeat behind the work that I do: to celebrate the joyous start of strong marriages in the loving company of your treasured family and friends. From start to finish, Shields and David’s wedding was a day filled with unbelievable love, celebration, and beauty — and it was so apparent just how loved Shields & David are. With a clear top tent on the lawn with the ocean and rolling dunes as a backdrop, their ceremony was simply beautiful & deeply meaningful. From the picture perfect fall weather (not a single cloud in the sky!) to the wooden cross adorned with flowers to the lush aisle flowers and floral urns to the romantic tent draping with bamboo chairs, we chose every detail with such intention and heart.

And the ceremony, officiated by their Anglican reverend, was so incredibly moving, faith-filled, and Gospel-focused. What an utter joy it was as Shields & David were married and became husband and wife!

We wanted to keep all of the wedding day festivities in one location, and Coral Bay Club ended up being the perfect setting for Shields and David’s entire wedding day. The expansive back lawn overlooking the ocean – mere steps away! – was such a beautiful, gracious backdrop for their ceremony, along with part of cocktail hour. So that none of us had to worry about the rain or weather for an outdoor ceremony, we opted to have a clear top tent on the lawn, regardless of the weather. The picturesque clear top tent really distinguished the ceremony space and set it apart from cocktail hour, and the clear tenting overhead allowed the abundant sunshine to shine through. We also wanted to ensure the natural setting – the ocean views, the dunes, the grasses, the sky – was a focal point, and the softly billowing draping, dark bamboo chairs, and organic greenery allowed all of this.

And the flowers! We opted to keep the personal flowers (like the bouquets) and the ceremony flowers in a softer, more classic, very romantic palette of whites, creams, and soft pink with ample greenery to let the other design elements shine and the focus of the ceremony be on their marriage. We then kicked it up a notch for Shields and David’s cocktail hour and reception, injecting a punchy, bold palette of hot pinks, oranges, and chartreuse into all of the flowers and the design elements there. I loved how the ceremony design slightly contrasted from their cocktail hour and reception while still being such a seamless, cohesive transition.

We had the wonderful Hathaway Floral Design team build a custom wooden cross for us (not one bit rustic!) that was the focal point of Shields and David’s ceremony, and the cross and base of the cross were both adorned in lush flowers. We also had two towering pedestal urns (custom color-matched, of course!) framing the entryway of the ceremony tent to make a dramatic and memorable entrance alongside romantic draping and organic greenery on the tent entrance. And, of course, those bamboo chairs were further highlighted with the most beautiful aisle floral runners that were the perfect backdrop for Shields to walk down the aisle to her groom.

The design was so elegant, timeless, sophisticated, and classic, and seeing the tent filled with their beloved family and friends as Shields and David became husband and wife was, of course, the very best part!

Just married!! And time to let the festivities continue with cocktail hour followed by their mix & mingle stationed reception! I am smitten with all of the bar details, fun design elements, colorful flowers, and memorable moments that were interwoven into both cocktail hour and the reception, and I adore how all of these magical details came together for Shields and David’s celebrations! Their cocktail hour details were simultaneously elegant and timeless yet incredibly fun, fresh, and chic – perfect for our color-loving, fashion-and-design-forward bride who loves the little details and gorgeous stationery!

Cocktail hour took place on the open lawn overlooking the ocean, the covered terrace adjacent to the lawn, and the adjoining Ocean Room with a wall of windows overlooking the ocean, custom Atlantic Beach-inspired Gracie wallpaper, and gorgeous statement rattan chandeliers. We turned up the color with vibrant hot pink, orange, chartreuse, and olive paired with tortoiseshell accents and dark rattan features. I really wanted to make both the cocktail hour and reception design feel like “home” with gorgeous styled vignettes (with a purpose), welcoming seating arrangements, and ample details that really shone.

The Ocean Room featured a wooden double bar that highlighted both the beach-y Gracie wallpaper as a backdrop and the statement woven chandeliers, and we placed two statement colorful floral urns at each end of this long bar. The outdoor terrace featured a bar in the perfect shade of olive green with gold shelves as the bar back, which were outfitted with glassware, colorful floral arrangements, greenery, and tortoiseshell candles. All of the bars featured gorgeous chartreuse and olive green bar menus in tortoiseshell frames, signature cocktail menus in pink and orange (and in the same shape as the welcome party invitation in the invitation suite to carry this design element through), and then bespoke, colorful cocktail napkins, matchboxes, drink stirrers, and koozies that we lovingly designed with Surcie, all in rattan, tortoiseshell, and gold bowls, cups, or trays. We painstakingly designed and styled all of these details to be incredibly cohesive yet not too much of any one thing – the art of balance and restraint! I love the touch of that statement olive and chartreuse marbling and how it was woven throughout the design of the day.

We also had Hathaway Floral Design create colorful floral arrangements in large white clam shells to carry the oceanfront setting through the day, along with vignettes highlighting coral and other subtle nods to the ocean, and their guest book featuring Faith Teasley’s Saltwater Collection book. Servers carried carried trays of Shields and David’s signature cocktails (Ranch Water and a French 76) and champagne with each tray covered in gorgeous green and white floral linen napkins with a scalloped edge and a custom name card denoting each cocktail. These little details really make a difference!

We designed banquette seating in the Ocean Room, ample cocktail tables throughout all of the spaces, lounge seating on the terrace and the lawn for guest comfort (and to linger long after the sun went down), and plenty of tables with seats on the lawn to draw the guests back outside once the stationed reception began, especially with such a high guest count! I love how we were really able to utilize and maximize the various spaces at Coral Bay Club and ensure the day’s flow was seamless.

I am smitten with these golden hour photos on the beach, mere minutes after Shields & David were married! It’s hard to put into words how absolutely beautiful and emotion-filled these images are… and how joyful, love-filled, emotional, celebratory, fun, and beautiful the entire weekend was, truly.

I can’t get over the radiance of these two and their unparalleled joy, their unabashed love for one another, and the excitement and celebration that exuded from every single moment of this magical day. It was spectacular in every way. And sneaking away to the sand for a few minutes of dreamy golden hour photos was just icing on the cake as these two got to bask in their new marriage and the anticipation of all the fun continuing to unfold at their wedding. Simply stunning in every single way! Shields’s gown! Her veil! That bouquet! The light! Their love & joy!

Welcome inside the Coral Bay ballroom for Shields and David’s reception! And what a celebration it was!! We transformed a very white, large ballroom – a pretty blank canvas – in such a colorful, striking, intentional way, and it was such a beautiful sight to behold!! With such tall ceilings and vast open space – and with a guest count inching toward 400 – I knew we need to fill this space very thoughtfully and with ample creative seating while also ensuring it was unique, functional, thoughtfully designed, and even more stunning than Shields had ever imagined! I started with a palette of vibrant chartreuse, verdant olive, & rich brown paired with striking pops of hot pink and orange for our color-loving, stylish bride, then tied in chic nods to the autumn season with rich textures, tortoiseshell, dark wood, and bold green marbling. Shields & David wanted their wedding to be timeless, classic, & elevated yet with a polished, fresh, & fun twist, and I think we did just that!

We enlisted Hathaway Floral Design to really fill the space, height-wise, with four towering trees on each corner of the statement olive green and white checkered dance floor, along with two magnificent, lush urns of greenery inside the center of two groupings of banquette seating. Beaufort Event Rentals brought so much to life for us perfectly, and we even had them create several custom pieces specifically for this wedding. All of these teams were utterly phenomenal, as the reception design was fairly complex, intricate, and bespoke. We framed the Coral Bay Club’s built-in stage with custom olive green dupioni draping (which perfectly matched the custom pillows), had a custom green and white checkered dance floor, brought in several lounges to flank the dance floor and outside lawn, had custom dark wood bar tables built for high top seating, had banquette seating created to maximize both comfort, style, and function, had ample tables throughout in a variety of sizes, brought in four gorgeous and complementary linens, had four stations (with the most delicious menu ever!) scattered purposefully all around the ballroom, utilized the Coral Bay Club’s new built-in twenty foot bar and adorned it with organic greenery, tortoiseshell vases, lush towering urns, and all the bar accoutrements like framed signage, cocktail napkins, matchboxes, koozies, and drink stirrers. There were striking layered vignettes and personalized details aplenty!

Shields loves soft, romantic lighting (as do I!), and there was a big focus on candlelight, tabletop lamps, and pin lighting in the potted trees and urns. We brought in so many olive green and brown taper candles, loads of thoughtfully placed rattan table lamps and mini gold table lamps, and enlisted the best lighting team from High Performance Lighting to ensure those statement trees stood out once the sun went down and dancing really ramped up.

I absolutely loved the design and every single detail, from the incredibly symmetrical layout (in every direction!), the perfectly placed banquettes and towering greenery urns, the high-impact “dance floor moment” with a checkered dance floor, flowers along the entire top and bottom of the stage, olive draping behind the band, and the potted trees in each corner, and so much more. I spent a year perfecting every single detail, big and small, and I can only hope that Shields, David, and their loved ones felt like it was the perfect representation of the two of them, their vision for their wedding, and the most beautiful setting for their festivities to unfold. I am deeply, deeply grateful for a true dream team of vendors and partners who collaborated so well, were so hard-working, dedicated, and servant-hearted, and who are utterly phenomenal and talented at what they do. None of this would have been possible without this incredible team of vendors, my amazing week-of assistants, and a couple and families who trusted us wholeheartedly.

Above all, there was a sincere focus on celebration, gathering, fun, and heartfelt hospitality that married a bold and memorable design with an understated elegance and celebratory touch. And what an unbelievably FUN night it was!!!

I am so, so proud of how Shields and David’s entire wedding design – and even more importantly, how their wedding day, came together. Bringing to life so many intentional, romantic, timeless, and stunning details (and with seamless, perfect execution) is simply the best for a couple very, very near and dear to my heart! Shields and David’s wedding design was filled with such chic sophistication, timeless elegance, and romantic and memorable details overflowing with their personalities and showcasing their beautiful love story. Reception reveals will forever be a most treasured part of every wedding day, and there’s not much better than getting to see Shields and David’s reaction as they entered their reception ballroom for the very first time together. We spent countless hours during their year-long engagement meticulously and excitedly curating and selecting each and every detail, and it’s magical getting to bring it to life for them! I’ll treasure this moment and these photos forever. I love you, Shields and David!!

Shields and David’s reception was so darn fun and filled with so much celebration, laughter, fun, and sweet moments! Every bit of it was incredible, and you could tell at every turn just how beloved these two are – and how much their love their people, too. From the most deafening, excited reception entrance to the sweetest first dances to a delicious cake cutting and amazing stations to dancing all.night.long, it was pure magic!! I love seeing nearly 400 people having a blast and celebrating the bride and groom so well, and the dance floor stayed utterly packed for four straight hours. Later in the evening, espresso martini shooters were passed, along with late night snacks on the dance floor. And then it was time for a dress change, those infamous tambourines to come out, and feather boas and sunglasses to make their debut on the dance floor. What an epic evening of fun and celebration it was!

Shields and David are so deserving of every bit of this love and celebration, and I could not have asked for a more wonderful couple to work alongside. From start to finish, it was a day focused on joy & love, marriage, festivity, celebration, beauty, and gathering with their loved ones. These two are something special, and their wedding day reflected that so beautifully! The deepest heartfelt thanks for allowing me to be a part of your wedding; I’m am forever grateful and adore y’all so very much. Endless congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Liggett – you two are so, so very loved and celebrated!! Thanks for being the very best!!!