What emotions were apparent on the wedding day?
“Debbie and Mike have been married for 30 years! My first reaction to meeting them was that they seemed like a couple of teenagers in love. Seriously, what an amazing thing! And what a beautiful blended and joyful family they are! Mike’s sons Matthew and Andrew were 5 and 2 when Debbie and Mike met. It was obvious how much they love this woman who has become another Mom (and friend) to them. A few years into their marriage they were blessed with another amazing son, Dustyn and what a sweetheart he is too!
They recently made Portofino Island Resort their second home and thought there was no better place to renew their vows and celebrate a great life together. Their sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren were involved in every aspect of the renewal and I could tell it meant the world to them. The icing on the cake was that their original best man (Mike’s brother Chris) and maid of honor (Debbie’s best friend LeeAnn) stood up with them again. From start to finish it was such a wonderful evening.”
Did the weather cooperate on the wedding day?
“Simple answer, no. No, it did not. But that did not get anyone down and everyone had a blast celebrating. Jessica at Portofino was awesome and had the rain plan all sorted out far in advance so everyone was comfortable and dry. And, in true Florida fashion, the rain stopped for just a few minutes at sunset so we were able to do family and couple portraits out on the beautiful beach.”
Where there any children involved in the ceremony or reception that were memorable?
“Children, grandchildren, cousins, you name it! It was obvious that their family adores each other. Their son, Matthew, officiated the vow renewal and his sweet words had me tearing up while I was shooting. Their youngest son, Dustyn, asked him Mom to dance during the reception and it was the sweetest thing ever! In Debbie’s own words ‘Dustyn had asked me to dance for the first time ever do I dropped what I was doing and took 100% advantage of that.’ Their son, Andrew, gave a toast that had everyone laughing and crying all at once.
Again, Debbie’s words about their sweet family… ‘We have been blessed with two amazing daughter-in-laws, Katie and Amy Rogers. I have been surrounded by boys for so long and it is wonderful to have these two women in my life. Always tons of laughter and happy meal preparations together. Our beautiful grand babies are Elliot, Leona, Drew and Aiden. The kids get along great together and love coming to Pensacola with GiGi and Pawpaw!’
I am definitely hoping to run into this family a lot over the years on our beautiful Pensacola beaches!”
