Julie moved to Pensacola in March of 2009. Julie had just gotten out of a long relationship & needed a change in her life, but was definitely not looking for a new relationship. At the same time, Brian had just gotten out of a long relationship himself & was in the same boat Julie was, basically just concentrating on himself & not looking for anything. Fast forward to July 19, 2009...Julie’s now sister in law, Carrie & Julie had gone out for a girls night. They were having a good time at Seville by themselves when a lady came up to them & told Julie that she had a guy that she needed to meet. Keep in mind that for the past few months Julie had blown off every single guy that even looked her way, but that night she said ok, definitely not thinking that she was about to meet the man she was going to marry.
PW's Real Brides - Julie
Brian & Julie talked for about an hour before Seville closed for the night, he got Julie’s number & called her as soon as they left. They stayed on the phone for about an hour & decided to meet the next day. Julie told Brian that she would be taking her dog to the dog park the next morning & if he wanted to meet her there he could. Sure enough Brian showed up, they talked, let their dogs play & planned to go on their first date that night. They've been inseparable ever since!
Brian proposed to Julie on Thursday, September 2, 2010. She had known since March that he was planning on proposing because he had asked her dad & couldn't keep it a secret! It was still special though. Julie had come home from work & he was already there. The house was super clean, there were flowers, music was playing & Brian was standing there waiting on her. She got really nervous & basically just started walking around the house, Brian grabbed her arm, turned her around & got down on one knee & asked her to marry him. Of course Julie said yes and then he told her that she had 1 hour to get ready, a limo would be picking them up, taking them to her brother & Carrie's house for pictures & then taking them to dinner at Global Grill. Brian had called Julie's boss weeks before, told him the plan & asked if Julie could have the next day (Friday) off. It was perfect, neither of them wanted the night to end.
The ceremony was perfect, they couldn't have asked for better weather in June. It had been so hot, but that day around 5:30 it got a little overcast & breezy...thank goodness! The ceremony began at 6:30pm on the lawn of Palafox Wharf overlooking the water. Brian's stepfather, Dennis King, was our officiate, he got his notary just for them & did an excellent job. Julie and Brian each had 4 bridesmaids & groomsmen. The bridesmaids
wore Mori Lee one shoulder, floor length, chiffon dresses in grape purple & carried apple green round bouquets made up of roses, spider mums & button mums. The groomsmen wore gray slacks, ivory dress shirts & purple vests & ties with a green button mum boutonnière. Brian wore a gray suit, with an ivory dress shirt, silver vest & tie & had a boutonnière made of a purple rose. Julie wore a mermaid style Mori Lee Bridal dress in ivory satin covered in embellishments & carried a bouquet made up of purple & green roses, spider mums and many other purple & green flowers. Julie’s dad escorted her down the aisle & gave her away to Brian. Sandy Norton of Tulips was the florist & made pew markers out of waist high iron candlesticks wrapped in curly willow & topped with silver buckets of purple hydrangeas. Julie had a lavender aisle runner & two waist high black urns filled with huge sprays of palm leaves, & purple & green flowers to mark the altar. The mothers & grandmothers were escorted to their seats to the music of What a Wonderful World (the Hawaiian version), the bridesmaids walked down to Ben Harper's Happy Ever After in Your Eyes & Julie walked down to the Bridal March by Jonathan Cain of Journey. All music was courtesy of D.J. Jerry Ryan*. Everything turned out gorgeous!
Immediately following the ceremony was a cocktail hour on the deck for everyone while Julie and Brian took pictures. The reception followed inside Palafox Wharf. Julie and Brian danced the night away thanks to DJ Jerry Ryan & were pulled in every direction for cake cuttings, garter toss, & everything else that goes along with a reception, it was such a blur, but by far the best night of their lives so far! Paul Silivos of Nancy's Haute Affairs was our caterer, they had buffet style food with cheeseburger sliders, lollipop chicken wings, salad, grilled veggies, fruit & cheese, shrimp & crawfish savannah & had a mashed potato bar with all the toppings you could imagine. The food was amazing & Paul was such a pleasure to work with. The reception ended with Julie and Brian leaving by boat from the pier behind Palafox Wharf. It started pouring down rain about 5 minutes before they were supposed to leave, but cleared up as soon as they stepped out of the building - they say that's good luck, right? :) Their boat ride to Pensacola Beach was the perfect ending to a perfect night.
*DJ - Jerry Ryan ....932.9952..
