Anclien, Brennan wedding

Amy Diane Anclien and Blair Diedrich Brennan were united in marriage on October 25, 2008, in a lovely outdoor ceremony held on the lawn of Rutherfords 465 at Regatta Bay Golf and Country Club in Destin, Florida.

Amy, from Atlanta, Georgia, and Blair, from Austin, Texas, met through mutual friends while attending Southern Methodist University in Texas.  On Blair’s birthday, he got down on one knee and asked Amy to “give him the greatest birthday present ever,” and promise to spend the rest of her life with him.  She said yes, and the next day’s birthday party, which he had asked Amy to plan months earlier, was a celebration of Blair’s birthday as well as their engagement.

When Amy and Blair started planning their wedding, they immediately  realized that there would be travel involved for their guests, however they wanted a place that was beautiful and fun at the same time- and neither really wanted a wedding in Atlanta or Austin.  Destin was a natural choice because the couple had visited there often and both felt it would be a great place for all of their guests to get away to for a little R & R around the big day. 

Amy and Blair both knew that planning their perfect day would be a big task and one that shouldn’t be taken on by just anyone…so, they enlisted the professional help of one of the best known and most reliable wedding planning companies on the entire Gulf Coast, It’s a Shore Thing Wedding & Event Planning, in nearby Grayton Beach. Jennifer  Lewis, Cheryl Walden and the entire crew of It’s A Shore Thing have a reputation of being the very best in the Destin, 30A and surrounding areas when it comes to putting on the perfect wedding with some of the best connections to the most reputable and reliable wedding service vendors along the Gulf Coast of Florida.    

Once the location, the award winning Ruthorfords 465, was decided, the next exciting part was planning the wedding, and the selection of what to wear was one of the key aspects for the big day.

The bride wore a soft white Ulla-Maija duchess satin empire gown with draped bodice and softly side draped skirt.  Her veil was a Vera Wang mid length veil, with trim, and her shoes were a Jimmy Choo white closed toe, with a sling-back heel.  Amy’s bridesmaids were dressed in chocolate brown dresses in a variety of styles by Thread Designs. 

The groom and groomsmen wore chocolate striped tuxes by Jim’s Formal Wear, with individually selected ties, and no vests.  The fathers of the bride and groom also wore chocolate tuxes, but each with a matching style tie.

The ceremony was held on the lawn of Rutherfords 465, and was performed by the Reverend Bob Breihan from Austin, Texas. The couple chose Reverend Breihan for a few special reasons, including the fact that he was a good friend of Blair’s late grandfather, and also performed the ceremony uniting Blair’s parents in marriage twenty-seven years earlier.

The music for the ceremony was performed by a guitarist.  The couple chose nontraditional wedding music, such as Van Morrison and Billy Joel.  The beautifully performed selections were quite moving and enjoyed by the whole crowd, no matter what their age.
 
The couple’s 150 guests were treated to pre-ceremonial cocktails  before witnessing Amy and Blair becoming husband and wife.  With the wedding being held in an outdoor venue at the country club golf course, the guests were  served from the club’s beverage carts their choice of bottle water, beer, wine, or champagne.  The refreshments were served in the couple’s signature glasses and matching custom coozies. 

The reception was held at and catered by Rutherford’s 465, located on the beautiful grounds of Regatta Bay Golf & Country Club.  Amy and Blair selected a menu of heavy appetizers, which included Kobe beef sliders, imported cheese and fruits, blackened tuna squares, and, tempura fried grouper.  These sumptuous, tasty bites were served at different stations in different rooms at the club.  There was also a “kid’s buffet, offering ball park size hot dogs and homemade macaroni and cheese. One special room that opened at 9 p.m. was the Chocolate & Cordial room.  It featured a variety of chocolate candies, hot chocolate, and coffee and cordials…all very popular this night.

Dance music at the reception was provided by Meet the Press, and the guests were delighted to dance the night away as part of the evening’s celebration. The lighting, and foyer drapes were provided by Showtime Events, while  Nationwide Tents and Events provided the dance floor, chairs, and other pieces that added to the fun had by all of the couple’s family and friends.

Celestine’s Special Occasions of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida provided the flowers, in lovely fall colors of oranges, greens, and reds.  These colors complemented the warm chocolate colors of the bridal party’s dresses and tuxedos.   As well as providing the flowers, Celestine’s provided the candles, special items, and some of the furniture used for the couple’s ceremony.

The photographer was the nationally renowned Sheila Goode of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. With offices in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Santa Rosa Beach, Sheila is one of the most popular photographers in the Destin area and her work often tells the story as to why.

Running through rose petals, the happy newlyweds left the reception in a chauffeured Towne Car, and headed for their suite at Legendary’s Emerald Grande.  After checking in, Mr. and Mrs. Brennan joined their friends next door at Destin’s new, Pat O’Brien’s to continue celebrating with those who were not quite ready for this special night to end…and celebrated they all did until well into the early morning hours.

Amy and Blair spent their honeymoon at Excellence Riviera, an all inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico.  They had a beautiful honeymoon suite, and honeymoon package stay of seven days and nights, during which time they were treated like royalty and admittedly enjoyed every moment of it.

After the honeymoon the couple returned to Dallas, Texas where they are now settling into life as the Brennans.