Manske, Robertson wedding

It was the typical line that we all hear from a friend or two at some point in time, “oh you two have to meet, because I just know that the two of you would be perfect for each other!”  Well, in this case, the friends were right.  Clay Robertson and Baylee Manske, who both hale from Georgia, were practically inseparable from the moment they met.

The couple took a snowboarding trip with friends to Breckenridge, Colo., in late February 2009.  On the first day everyone hit the slopes and on his second run down the mountain Clay stopped for a much needed ChapStick break.  After applying lip balm and sharing some with Baylee, Clay reached into his pocket to put it back, and pulled out a ring box.  Surrounded by a blanket of white snow, and their close friends, Clay popped the question and an overly excited Baylee replied, “Yes, of course!”

Ever since the couple started discussing marriage, they both agreed on a beach wedding.  The bride’s parents have a house in Grayton Beach, Florida, and the white sands and emerald waters of the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast made the decision on location very easy for them. Baylee chose the beautiful Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club as the place to host her dream wedding.  It was she met, Christine Walker -Santa Rosa Club’s  talented wedding and event planner- who helped Baylee plan her big day and make it all come together to form what Baylee describes as, “the best day ever”.

On July 31, 2009, in front of approximately 86 guests the bride walked down the aisle in an ivory gown designed by Robin Jillian.  Her veil matched her dress with beading all along the edges, and she pared it with a tiara adorned with pearls and crystals. Both pieces served as her ‘something borrowed’, all from one of her bridesmaids, Lori.  Underneath the dress was a very important accessory – her Florida State University garter.  In her hands she held a bouquet of flowers that consisted of white Calla lilies and coral roses.  The bride was escorted by her Papa, in honor of her late father, and by her stepfather.  Her bridesmaids accompanied her in short coral pink dresses by After Six.

After her journey down the aisle -filled with coral rose petals tossed by the flower girls- Baylee met her groom. Clay was dressed in natural color, linen pants by Alfani and a white long-sleeved linen shirt designed by Perry Ellis.  His groomsmen stood by his side matching him accordingly.

Heather Forrester, shooting for Diva Productions, served as the photographer, while the professional videographers of Diva Productions captured every precious moment on film.   Additional photography was handled by Sean Robertson, a cousin of the groom, who owns a photography business in South Carolina.

The reception took place on the terrace of the Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club, overlooking the ocean.  The venue catered the event starting off with a cocktail hour featuring crab cakes, cheeses, fruits and of course cocktails.  After the photos wrapped up the guest began to form a line down the buffet that was filled with seared grouper, chicken skewers, steamed colossal shrimp, roasted red bliss potatoes, patty pan squash and zucchini, green bean alondine and mixed greens salad.  Emerald Coast Flowers decorated for the event, with white Japanese lanterns, flower arrangements of Calla lilies and fabric hung from the terrace. Fatty Patty’s  provided the wonderful two layer red velvet cake with cream cheese and almond cream frosting.  The cake was decorated with fondant and coral ribbon with two jeweled pieces and a Swarovski Crystal “R” as the topper.  The couple had an open bar for all their guests and great entertainment provided by A DJ to Go, who kept the music and dancing going well into the night.

From the reception the couple spent their wedding night in a suite at the world famous Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa, before heading out the following morning to share breakfast with their family and friends at Grayton Beache’s Red Bar.
Later the same day Baylee and Clay left for a Costa Rican honeymoon, where they stayed at the Paradisus Playa Conchal, and enjoyed deep-sea fishing, zip lining in the rainforest, tubing, snorkeling and horseback riding.  The all-inclusive trip was a great way to spend their honeymoon and offered a few more days of fun before heading back to reality.

The couple now happily reside in Acworth, Ga., with their two furry kids, Bentley and Riley, their boxers.