bridal feature
WRITTEN BY JAN WINDHORST PHOTOS BY PAIGE KIRKLAND
Amber & Eli
AMBER WHITESIDE AND ELI MURPHY met in 2013 when they were set up by friends to attend a school dance. Eli was 15 and attending Hannan High School and Amber was 16, attending St. Scholastica Academy. Amber received her Marketing degree from Southeastern, and Eli will graduate in December of 2020 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Eli proposed in February of 2019 during a stroll on the Mandeville Lakefront after a romantic dinner. He had secretly arranged for a photographer to be on site to capture the moment and had a surprise party waiting for them at the home of Amber’s mother, Karen Celestin. The date was set for August 29 and the wedding planning started immediately, recalls Amber, with Benedict’s Plantation the choice for both the ceremony and the reception. “I liked their layout because I wanted an outdoor ceremony and an inside reception. Everyone there was very nice to work with.” On the recommendation of a friend, Amber and Eli selected Paige Kirkland to capture the event in pictures with videography by Chuck Billiot. The couple also chose those with personal connections to help celebrate the day. Eli’s former baseball coach, Jeff Tircuit, with Mobile Beat Entertainment provided music along with lighting and a photobooth, and family friend Lucien Gunter presided as the officiant. After searching locally without luck, Amber said ‘Yes to the Dress’ at Azarue’s Bridal and Formal in Bossier City while celebrating Thanksgiving in Ruston with Eli’s family. The bridal outfit was a low-cut, shouldered ball gown accented in lace with a button-up back and extremely long train. 28 Sophisticated Woman | October 2020
