The beach house was around 7000 sq ft. It had 10 bedrooms and baths with another loft that slept 4 more people. We had been scanning for months online to find the perfect wedding venue at the Gulf. We didn’t care where in the gulf but Orange Beach was our thang. It was our hangout, our beach and where our love grew.

We looked at outdoor venues, parks, vacant beach lots. Only thing that mattered was that we said our vows with our toes in the sand at the Gulf. I bet we looked all over the damn place to find the perfect spot. We literally drove to the end of the road at Orange Beach.. and there she was. The Halekai beach house right at the end of the cul de sac. Instead of stressing over where to stay and where to get married we decided to combine them both. I jumped out of my jeep and walked up to the property. Like all the other beach houses on the strand it sat atop of huge pillars with around a ten foot clearance under the house. I walked up to a housekeeper and asked her if she minded that I measured off the square feet of the home with my feet and she raised an eyebrow and then her shoulders and said “Si” and I did my thing. I wrote down the square footage and mapped out the floor plan in my head. By the time we got back to our actual condo I had a floor plan mocked up with 8 foot table rounds, chairs and where the DJ would go. We would do a Low Country Boil buffet for dinner and an open bar. We’d have our ceremony on the beach in front of the house. To save some money on chair rentals we wrote little notes on the folding chairs on the beach to bring them with you to the tables under the house if you want to eat. It worked brilliantly.

All of our closest friends came down to the gulf for the week to celebrate. The wedding party all stayed under the same roof in one of the 10 bedrooms. Two full sized kitchens, jacuzzi, several outdoor grills. It was the perfect venue.

Families met families for the first time.

Friends became friends. The best of friends.

We played games in the sand, laughed until we cried. We had a house filled with our restaurant family too so you know there was a good time to be had.

I’ve been so busy over the years that this could possibly be my first reflection on this event since the day we celebrated. We laughed and cried during toasts, I got to dance with my mother probably the only time I had.

I left two chairs vacant in the front row for my father and brother David. You walked down the beach house steps in your beautiful white gown and your insane (perpetual) tan while Israel Kamakawiwoʻole sang Over The Rainbow. The only complaint I have from that ceremony was that you walked too fast down the aisle. I just wanted to watch you for a bit longer.

That song still makes me cry to this day.

My stepfather Tom was my best man. The man who had the impossible task of replacing my father. I don’t think he stopped smiling the whole week. I miss that man greatly.

That whole week was a blur. We karaoke’d at The Pink Pony, showed some of y’all the iconic Flora Bama all the while getting our hues darkened.

Our little monkey Lily was passed around and hugged by probably 100 different folk and can you blame them? She’s always been a flower.

It would take a funeral to get everyone together like that again and man we’ve had a few since that day. I look back on the old photos fondly. I see some faces I’ll never see again and some that I don’t see enough. It’s a shame you can’t throw a party like that every year but lort that might get expensive.

It’s surreal to watch the wedding photos shrink over the years. The first year our house was littered with dozens on them. Over the mantle, up the hallway stairs, in our bedroom and all the guest ones. After a bit one may fall or you paint a wall and don’t want to mess with holes over the fresh paint. Sometimes you move and they get wrapped up in bubble wrap never to see a shelf again. We keep a couple handy on display and one that my friend made with a poem and driftwood for our wedding present hangs in our living room no matter where we move. This little journal may require me to break them out again. I miss some those faces especially now.

14 years man. That’s a solid score. The things we’ve experienced over those years have been nothing short of extraordinary. With tears and laughter although our wrinkled smile lines have overtaken the frowns over the last few years.

This has me jonesing for sandy feet and some Bang Bang shrimp from Cobalt.

If I didn’t say it enough I’ll say it again, I’m extremely grateful for all of my friends and family. Not just because of the shared ceremony or gifts but also the quality of life I’ve had because of all of you.

Cheers to 14 years.