Carly & Anthony

from Jacksonville Magazine, May 2023

Only in Florida

Carly met Anthony through their jobs in July of 2018. Her job required monthly biology research under the supervision of a difficult and demanding boss. This prompted her to attend the University of Florida to be trained by Anthony in his field. After a rough day, Carly cried in a broom closet. She was wearing a giant t-shirt and oversized jeans and believed she looked like an absolute mess. However, Anthony came to the rescue as soon as he stepped into the office. Recognizing her distress, he offered coffee poured in his boss's unicorn mug.

“After that first time, I trained her,” Anthony recalls. “My boss, Andrea, was like, ‘well how’s your love life?’ I said there's not really much of one and she proceeded to ask, ‘well what do you think about Carly?’ I told her ‘I really like her a lot and I think she’s really cute.’”

His boss suggested he ask Carly out for a date. As for Anthony, he was completely oblivious to the fact Carly had a crush on him. “Does she have to hit you over the head with a stick? She made you cookies (when he was on a very strict diet but that didn’t stop him from eating every single one) and has been coming around here more frequently just looking for you! Yeah, dude, I would say she likes you,” Andrea told him.

Fast forward to dress shopping, something which Carly was nervous about because her mom passed away when she was 12. She was concerned she wouldn’t have the same dress-shopping experience as other girls, but her incredible mother-in-law Alice made sure that she didn’t miss anything and encouraged her to invite her aunts from her mother’s side. The initial shopping outing didn’t go well and, feeling discouraged and frustrated, the group headed for lunch. Trying to find a last-minute appointment, they discovered a store in St. Petersburg. On the front page, there was a dress called "The Ginger," the name of Carly's mother. While it wasn't the dress Carly ended up getting, the name led her to find one she loved.

She loved an off-white ball gown but it didn’t fit. So, some alterations were needed. Unfortunately, the first attempt at alterations was a disaster. With only about two weeks before the big day, a new set of alterations were undertaken. Fortunately, the second attempt was a success and the dress was picture perfect.

For the wedding and reception, Carly wanted everyone to enjoy the party and celebration. “My priority was that people could take off their shoes and just dance and have a good time and be joyful,” she says. The idea goes back to memories of “Crump Sandcastle,” a beach house in Fernandina Beach her parents built when she was a child. “That was such a place of joy and freedom for me.”

“One day, my dad was bike riding and kayaking, as he usually does, and he calls me and tells me he has the perfect place to get married,” Carly continues. “He went and met with the woman who was in charge of the Rebault Club and decided this was absolutely the place to get married.”

She admits to being a little nervous at first because her dad’s preferences don’t always align with hers. So, she asked her brother and his girlfriend check it out. They readily gave it the seal of approval. “It had the water, the land, and the privacy we wanted. It just had that beautiful feeling of being able to take your shoes off and look up at the sky and be so happy where you were. It was perfect.” u

Credits:

Location: The Rebault Club, Fort George Island

Planner: Eleanor Swanson, Coastal Coordinating