Nasri, Lewis Wedding

You never know when love will find you: on a beach, at the movies or while traveling. Sometimes, love is even stumbled upon while just going through the motions of your everyday routine. This is what makes each day so exciting. You never know when Cupid is waiting to strike and change your whole life.
 
This is what happened to Virginia Marie Nasri and Norris Hawks III who found love at work. They officially shared a last name on November 7, 2009 at the Resurrection Catholic Church in Destin, FL., and carried their perfect day over to the breathtaking Sandestin Beach Resort where the reception was held.
 
When the pair met, they were both working for the same engineering firm but in different departments. Virginia is a true born-and-raised native of Destin, while Norris moved from Mesa, Arizona to Orlando, with his parents at the age of nine. Virginia moved to Orlando for college in 2002, and after receiving her degree in Civil Engineering, she accepted the job that would lead her to find her future husband.
 
Norris had several surprises up his sleeve when it came to the proposal. While Virginia spent a long, fun day in the sun at Disney’s Epcot celebrating the birthdays of some friends, Norris was supposedly “fixing his car.” Of course, he was actually planning meticulously and calculating a perfect, romantic evening. For dinner, Norris and Virginia planned to meet for a casual, laid-back dinner at a local restaurant, but instead, Norris drove Virginia to a Disney resort she had never been to, Port Orleans Riverside. There, Norris greeted Virginia with a picnic basket, a backpack and then led her to a horse and carriage ride… just in time for sunset. The surprise was almost ruined when an onlooker asked the pair if they had just gotten engaged. Virginia laughed it off and explained that they had a year and a half to go before that happened.  Little did she know!
 
After the ride and grabbing a glass of wine at Grape, a local winery, Norris asks Virginia to accompany him for another drink at Jack’s Bar, a special restaurant that the pair often visited for special occasions). When Norris insisted on going in through the front door and not straight to the bar, Virginia was a bit embarrassed, but then she heard the maitre de call out “Lewis, dinner for two.” As Virginia is overwhelmingly led to the most romantic and best table in the place, she finds handpicked flowers and a bottle of her favorite Chianti waiting to greet her on the table. When dinner was wrapping up, Norris excuses himself to the restroom and returns with a gift bag. Virginia opens the gift to find a paper weight that was made to look like a diamond ring. Finding the gift funny and oddly fascinating, it was just enough to distract her while Norris got down on one knee with the real thing. Of course, she said “YES!”
 
Since Destin is home for Virginia, it was only natural to have the wedding there. It was also a plus that her parents and immediate family live there, as well. Sally Giang acted as the wedding planner, and helped pull all the intricate details together for the magical marriage event.
 
The talented Micah Jones of Micah Jones Photography in Destin, was sure to capture every single laugh, smile and kiss of the day. He made the pair feel super comfortable, and took pictures with the happy couple from Disney’s boardwalk- for their engagement photo shoot-  to the beautiful Destin beach, on the day of their wedding.
 
About 150 guests attended the ceremony at Resurrection Catholic Church in Destin. Monsignor Crawford and Virginia’s uncle, Father Nasry, did the officiating. Stunning Virginia walked down the aisle dressed in Mori Lee ivory gown that was to die for! The gown was complete with a full a-line skirt and chapel-length train. The strapless gown also had crystal beaded organza lace overlays and a border of beaded lace around the hemline. Virginia accessorized with a pearl bracelet and pearl earrings that her mother gave her. Norris delivered yet another surprise the day of the wedding with a female replica of his wedding ring that he had specially made for Virginia.
 
Virginia’s bridesmaids were stunning in Cornflower Blue dresses from David’s Bridal accented with a pearl necklace, pearl earrings and a pearl bracelet given all as gifts from Virginia for their hard work. Norris’s groomsmen were decked in brown and tan suits by Perry Ellis, ivory shirts and Cornflower Blue ties to match the bridesmaids. The groom looked handsome in a simple ivory pinstriped suit rented from a local bridal store.
 
After the ceremony, the dynamic duo took the party over to Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in the Sandestin Bayside Ballroom where the memories and magic continued to flow. Norris’s dad sang and played guitar for the first dance, a special touch that meant a lot to the lovely couple.
 
Chef Philippe at Sandestin catered the unique cuisine, which consisted of Mediterranean dishes perfect for pleasing Virginia’s Egyptian pallet, a heritage that comes from both sides of her family. A huge salad bar supplied guests with an array of toppings, including: humus, kalamata olives, feta cheese and Mediterranean dressing. A carving station with delectable meats was also set up with beef. To add to the deliciousness of the night, grilled chicken breasts with a lemon caper sauce and coconut-marinated Mahi Mahi was also served. Yum!
 
Sandestin and Sally Giang provided most of the lighting décor at the reception. The centerpieces were simple and elegant, consisting of three-tiered cylinders. One tier of the cylinders was draped with white hydrangeas, while the other two cylinders had floating candles. Guests were greeted with a white organza bag of Jordan almond candies with color-coordinated tissue paper as they sat down at the table, a special touch Virginia’s mom helped out with!
 
Guests danced the night away to traditional Egyptian music and dancing, and the bridesmaids even showed off some authentic Egyptian dance moves with scarves draped around their waists.
 
When it was time to say farewell and drive off into the night, the couple were pleasantly surprised with a red Mustang convertible that Virginia’s dad loaned them for the weekend. Of course, it was decorated with car chalk, magnets and soda cans clanking in the back as they drove off, making for a perfect and playful touch.
 
For the night, the couple stayed at the Courtyard by Marriot at Sandestin Boulevard, and then went for a mini-moon in Naples, Fl., complements of Virginia’s parents. Since the couple spent all week at the beach leading up to the wedding in two gorgeous rental houses, (one in Mainsail subdivision and the other named “A Shore Thing” in Terra Cotta Terrace) they postponed the honeymoon for a couple weeks. When the honeymoon finally rolled around, they spent a glorious 7 days on a Norwegian Cruise Line that departed from Miami. Together, the newlyweds were able to see Roatan, Honduras, Belize and a private island in the Bahamas. While on the cruise, they were able to go snorkeling, cave tubing and hiking in the various places they visited.
 
The happy couple now reside in Kissimmee, Florida., just south of Orlando. They are currently living in a house Norris bought before meeting Virginia, but look forward to one day moving back to the beautiful Northwest Florida Gulf Coast, and starting a family near the most beautiful beaches in the World.
 
One thing’s for sure: this couple knows how to soak in the sun, the love, and the happiness.
 
 
Accommodations, Catering and Venue:
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
www.Sandestin.com/gcbride 
866-219-5614
 
Photographer:
Micah Jones Photography
Destin, Florida
www.micah-jones.com