We arrived in Alabama late Tuesday night and pretty much
went to sleep soon after unloading at Mr. Tan Lines’ childhood home. We woke up
early Wednesday morning and headed for the beach, but there was one quick stop
before. We had to pick up our marriage license!! It was SO surreal. The office
was very quiet and empty, it felt very business-like and formal. The clerk was
very stone faced but Mr. Tan Lines and I kept looking at each other thinking “OMG!
We’re about to really do this!” This process only took 20 minutes and after
that we were off! I was able to convince Mr. Tan Lines to rent a convertible
car so it was a fantastic drive down to the beach with the top down! We arrived
in Orange Beach in very high spirits! The resort we selected for our guests was
located directly next to where the reception was and across the street from
where the beach ceremony was, it was called Caribe Condos and Resorts. We
checked into our room, on the penthouse level and were so relieved to finally be
there! The first picture is of our view of the beach and the second picture is of our view of the bay and Robinson Island!
The rest of the week we had a few final appointments with
the reception coordinator and the florist, but other than that it was really
relaxing! Our family and friends slowly fizzled into town and we were so happy
to see all of them! The Thursday before we went boating and ate lunch at a
famous water front restaurant called Tacky Jack’s, we drank fruity beach drinks
and ate super fresh seafood :)
Friday morning was the “official” start of our wedding
weekend and excitement was in the air! My (then future) mother in law and her
friends offered to throw me a bridal luncheon, inviting all of my lady family
members and friends to attend. It was held at her room in Caribe Resort that
had a wonderful view! They had mimosa’s ready to go and a ton of food! There was
chicken salad sandwiches, salad, ham and yummy petite fours! It was fun getting
to see everyone in such a relaxed atmosphere and also giving them all a chance
to meet. While I was at my luncheon the boys went off to play golf, Mr. Tan
Lines reported back that they had A LOT of fun! I got my fun little "bride" headband from an Etsy shop, as well as my "bride" lacey tank top!
Here I am with my mom and (then) future mother in law!
After everyone regrouped it was
time for the rehearsal on the beach. The company we hired to provide the
ceremony services also provided a day-before coordinator that helped walk us
through the ceremony. The weather was beautiful and everyone was so excited!
Here is a picture of one of my bridesmaids and I on the beach during the
rehearsal!
Orange Beach were we got married was actually featured on
this list of the most beautiful beaches in the U.S. not to miss!
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/12/travel/beautiful-beaches-united-states/index.html
After the rehearsal it was time to get ready for the
rehearsal dinner! Here are Mr. Tan Lines and I leaving the resort and on our
way to dinner!
Mr. Tan Lines' parents rented out a private room at a water
front restaurant to serve as the location for the dinner. The restaurant was
called The Compleat Angler and it was situated right next to the dockyard and
bay! We offered up a classic shrimp boil for our guests complete with shrimp,
red skinned potatoes, corn on the cob and Conecuh sausage (TO DIE FOR!!) There
was also an open bar and an acoustic guitar player to help set the mood! It was
a fabulous evening and I think as guests started arriving it really hit me that
this was all in preparation for OUR WEDDING! It was so exciting!! Everyone ate,
laughed and mingled, it was a great time! Here are some fun pictures from the
rehearsal dinner!
After dinner we had told guests ahead of time that we
planned to go out for a bit at a local (and famous) beach bar called The
Flora-Bama. It is a HUGE beach bar located right on the Florida-Alabama state
line and was just 2 miles from the Caribe Resort! The bar has 4-5 different stages
with bands performing and 10-12 different rooms you can lounge in, not to
mention the outdoor areas. About 30 guests came with us after the rehearsal
dinner and each and every one of them could not stop talking about how much
they loved the Flora-Bama and how much fun they had! It was a great taste of
the South for them :)
All in all it was a wonderful day and the perfect start to
our wedding weekend!! I can’t wait to share all of our wonderful wedding day
details with you on Monday! Here is a sneak peak of what’s to come!! Have a
great weekend everyone!
