JOIN US AS WE SAY "I DO"

Here it is folks, your one stop shop for travel related details and wedding day events. For starters, THANK YOU for being amongst our closest friends and family that we would be honored to see in attendance on our big day. While we know that attending a destination wedding is a big commitment and expense, we welcome you to take this opportunity to plan your family vacation in beautiful Destin, FL to enjoy the white sandy beaches and turquoise waters that the Emerald Coast provides. Then while you are there, plan to attend our wedding and celebrate with us as our beautiful blended family becomes ONE. We decided that a destination wedding tied into our family vacation next summer was a nice way to keep the ceremony intimate and the overall day as stress free as possible. Ok ok who are we kidding?? Sara wanted a destination wedding, she loves Destin, and Michael being the wonderful gent that he is agreed to it. We all know that a happy wife equals a happy life, right?? - Sara and Michael

IT IS TRUE WHEN THEY SAY THAT YOU WILL FIND THE RIGHT PERSON WHEN YOU AREN'T LOOKING OR WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT! MICHAEL AND SARA MET AS SOCCER PARENTS, WHILE THEIR DAUGHTER'S ASHTON AND ALYSSA WERE PLAYING FOR THE SAME CLUB SOCCER TEAM. THE TWO GIRLS HAD PLAYED SOCCER TOGETHER FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR BEFORE MIKE AND SARA NOTICED EACH OTHER ON THE SAME WEEKEND AT AN OUT OF TOWN SOCCER TOURNAMENT. MIKE WOULD MAKE THE FIRST MOVE IN APPROACHING SARA AFTER A GAME TO ASK HER ABOUT A NEW TATTOO ON HER ARM. SARA WAS DEFINITEY SMITTEN BY MIKE BUT SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME. SHE WENT TO WORK THAT WEEK AND HAD MENTIONED MIKE TO A FEW CO-WORKERS AND HE WOULD BE KNOWN AS "HOT SOCCER DAD" UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING. TWO WEEKENDS LATER MIKE AND SARA RAN INTO EACH OTHER AGAIN AT THE NEXT OUT OF TOWN TOURNAMENT. MIKE SENT SARA A FACEBOOK FRIEND REQUEST THAT DAY AND A MESSAGE THAT SAID "HEY WHAT'S UP, THIS IS MIKE!" SHE RESPONDED WITH "HEY! HOW DID YOU FIND ME? I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME." HIS REPLY... "I MIGHT'VE HAD SOME HELP FROM MY WINGMAN AKA ALYSSA." NEEDLESS TO SAY SHE ACCEPTED THE FRIEND REQUEST, THEY BEGAN CHATTING NON-STOP FROM THAT MOMENT ON, AND THE REST IS A BEAUTIFUL FAIRYTALE OF LOVE FOR A BLENDED FAMILY.

After a year + of being together, the talks of engagement had started to come up in conversation. Michael had started asking Sara about rings and pictures were exchanged about what she liked. It was decided that they would visit a store together so to Zales they went one Saturday afternoon and by the end of the visit a custom engagement ring had been designed and bought. It would be a few months though before the ring would be ready, and on December 31, 2020 when Michael received the call that the ring was in, he knew he wanted to propose that night as the year rolled into 2021. All of the kids would be at the house this particular night so it just made sense to do it with all of them present. Sara was scheduled to work the next day at the hospital, so there were no big plans to be had other than hanging at home with the kiddos, then straight to bed after the ball dropped. So here the whole family was, gathered around the TV counting down from 10 as the new year approached, Sara freshly showered and in pajamas, no makeup or fancy wardrobe to be had, Michael drops to one knee as a selfie video of the whole production was being taken, and somehow through all of his emotion managed to get out the words "will you marry me?" Though Sara knew the ring had been purchased, she was not expecting the proposal during this moment and was completely caught off guard. Tears were shed (Michael) and happiness was in abundance in the room as this all took place. Looking back, Sara pieced together that something was going on as the kids kept encouraging her to "go back upstairs and put on some better clothes, put on some makeup and do something with your hair for our New Years family picture" when she came downstairs in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Her reply? "Uhhh no thank you, I am going to bed as soon as this is over with." Little did she know her night, and world was about to be changed forever.