Buchanan, McDowell wedding

Amanda Buchanan and Houston McDowell, of Memphis, Tennessee became husband and wife May 3rd, 2009 on ‘The Lawn’ at ‘Above it All’ in Seagrove Beach, Florida.

Amanda best describes  how she and Houston met by telling the story of what came to be known in their circle of family and friends as ‘Destiny in Destin’.  “I was on my way down to Destin for my best friend Lauren’s Bachelorette Party and while we were driving down Lauren and another friend, Cristen, were talking about this guy they went to high school with, Houston McDowell. Cristen had ran into him the weekend before and she was telling Lauren about it. My friends went on and on about Houston and what a wonderful person he was. They were saying, how he was such a kind person, extremely good looking, athletic, and the list goes on….It relly sounded like this Houston guy had it all! They went on to talk about what a perfect couple we would make…the only thing was I lived in Memphis and Houston lived in Virginia. How in the world would we ever meet?”

 Little did Amanda know that she would meet this Houston guy the very next day in Destin, Florida. Houston was in town for a work meeting and by some strike of fate Amanda and her girlfriends ended up in the same place as Houston. That, Amanda explains is why her father dubbed the meeting of his daughter and son-in-law, as ‘Destiny in Destin’.

After meeting Amanda and Houston were both interested in each other but, were not able to spend much time around each other because both of them were with friends and coworkers.  The two exchanged numbers and after that weekend talked on the phone for the next three weeks.  Amanda says that she and Houston couldn’t wait to see each other again so they arranged to meet halfway in Nashville. After spending one weekend together she and Houston both knew it was meant to be and Amanda says leaving that Sunday was a very difficult thing for her. After this the two were inseparable, according to Amanda.

As for popping the big question, Houston had this all figured out. Amanda had just been hired as a pharmaceutical rep and had to train for five weeks in Chicago. Houston decided that on a weekend in between Amanda’s Chicago trips he would take Amanda on a weekend getaway to Hilton Head, South Carolina. Once there, and after an incredible dinner at Red Fish Restaurant, Houston was in a hurry to get back to the beach before the sunset. Amanda wondered what the rush was. The rush on Houston’s part was that he had left earlier in the afternoon and wrote, “Will You Marry Me?” in the sand, hoping that Amanda would see it on their walk home.
After an early dinner, Amanda insisted on stopping at the grocery store to pick up some limes, as well as a few other items. Houston told her, they didn’t need anything, but Amanda was so insistent that Houston politely agreed, but begged Amanda to be fast.  Houston grabbed the limes and a few other items while Amanda took her precious time going down each aisle. By the time they got back to the condo it was dark so plan B had to be initialized.

The two set out for a walk on the beach but of course the writing could not be seen. While walking, Houston grabbed her hand and cupped the ring inside it and with confidence asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. Amanda says she cannot remember vividly what happened after that except it was followed with about 20 minutes of screams, and her jumping in Houston’s arms. It turns out that Plan B worked  just fine for Houston, and he would now be getting  his bride.

When it came to choosing a wedding location nothing could make quite as much sense as the place where it had all started, Destin, Florida.  Amanda and Houston hired Stephanie Tate of Savoir Faire Weddings,  and began planning their perfect day.

The ceremony held at Pearly White Properties, ‘The Lawn’ –adjacent to Pearly White’s ‘Above it All’ beach house in Seagrove Beach- was over-the-top, but somehow just right. The décor left nothing to be desired, with details like 5,000 hot pink rose petals down the aisle, and cones filled with flowers on each aisle end –with the couples initials monogrammed on them. There was even a table set up with lemonade for anyone that wanted to have a cold drink before being seated. Amanda and Houston were married at an arbor of flowers, candles and a hand painted white cross- painted by Amanda’s mom. The arbor construction and all of the florals were provided by Patricia Bilbo of It’s a Perfect Day.

The couple were married in front of over seventy of their close friends and family members in a ceremony performed by their own minister, Greg Depriest who made the trip to unite them.

Amanda wore a Marisa Couture dress mated with hot pink Christian Louboutin shoes. She has a thing for hot pink, and says this matched her personality perfectly. She also wore a borrowed strand of pearls from her mother, along with an old pendant of her grandmothers. She even had the blue covered by having her initials AGM sewn into her dress in- you guessed it- blue thread. new: was my dress, my borrowed: were my moms strand of pearls, my old: a cameo pendant of my grandmothers, and my blue: was my new initials “AGM” sewn into my dress in blue thread.

Amanda’s bridesmaids wore dresses in clover green and Jessica Simpson shoes that she gave them as their gift! And guess what? They carried hot pink bouquets. Houston and his groomsmen wore khaki suits with green orchids on their lapel.
Hunter Dawson from BBOY Productions of Destin performed live music during the ceremony, including “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz as Amanda and Houston exited.

After the ceremony the couple and wedding party headed down to the beach for some great photo opps caught in stills by the talented Josh Malahy, based in Memphis and Atlanta.

The reception took place under a huge tent, and included lots of dancing and a great time by all. Paradise Cuisine provided the buffet style dinner, serving up such delectable edibles as: Filet Mignon, Shrimp, Cucumber, and Dill Aoili. There was even a Grouper Taco Action Station, mini crab cakes, shrimp, an array of vegetables and even fresh fruit, and gourmet cheeses.

The great dinner was followed by a “T” shaped University of Tennessee cake with white chocolate dipped strawberries on top. The Rocky Top themed cake was created by  the pros at Just Say Cake, and was a definite crowd pleaser.
At each table were hot pink table cloths with flower arrangements that had limes in the vases- a significant part of the couple’s engagement that they decided to incorporate it into their reception. Stephanie Tate of Savoir Faire did a tremendous job of making everything come together, with touches such as orange sashes on each chair and personalized coasters at each place. How about handmade pamphlets that were titled “Meet the McDowells” placed at each place setting?
The well known, and highly reputable guys from H&M Tents & Party Rentals provided the tent, lighting, dance floor and tables for the event, .while BBoy Productions handled the DJ duties for the party.

 As everyone left the reception they were given a CD with many of Amanda’s and Houston’s favorite songs, just before lining up, sparklers in hands, to wish the happy couple off as Amanda and Houston climbed into the back of a chauffeured stretch SUV and waved goodbye.

The couple honeymooned at Sandals resort at Dunns River Falls, in Jamaica for a week before returning home to Tennessee for a welcome home party in Memphis, for those that did not get to attend the Destin area festivities.

Amanda and Houston are now enjoying life as newlyweds at their home in East Tennessee, where  Amanda is a pharmacuetical sales rep for Abbott Laboratories and Houston works in  surgical sales.