Villa Rosa...A Lifetime Ago

On August 11, 2001, a once in a lifetime event occurred in a very special place surrounded by a hundred friends and family members; truly letting us know how much we were loved since it was a destination wedding and everyone had to travel. It was an amazing day that I will never forget and the setting was absolutely perfect. Ben and I were so extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to return to that amazing place that we hold so close in our hearts two weeks ago surrounded by the family we have since created.

Then: 

Sunset and barefoot on the beach...

 

 Cutting into one of the four cascading tiers...

 A post-wedding picture(we look so young!)

Spring forward 12 years and we return to the very same beachfront house on the gulf that served as the backdrop for our ceremony under the arbor on the sand and our all night party of a reception, not to mention the first half of our honeymoon enjoying the amenities that this amazing home had to offer. Truly, the home has changed minimally in the last decade and it was wonderful to spend a week reminiscing.

Gulf Front

 View from deck

View from our bedroom balcony

 The Spanish style side entrance

 From the drive

Beautiful living room with baby grand piano

 

Grand staircase

 Breakfast and sitting area...where we spent the majority of our time not on the beach

 

 

 Media/TV room...AKA the boy's playroom for the week

 The boys' bedroom for the week

 Amazingly, there were very few details that have changed and I loved walking through each room revisiting the past. I would post pictures of the other bedrooms and the luxurious bathrooms, but they were "lived" in and the house is so beautiful that I prefer to remember it this way. 

What struck me so much about this vacation was that 12 years ago when we were married here we were so easily able to set up and arrange the house to create a dance floor and seating on the beachfront deck with 2 guitarists and a sound system, an open bar with seating on the front drive deck, a full buffet reception inside the house as well as a separate bridal table and a separate groom's table, casual settee seating for fifty inside, and still have plenty of room for people to mill around and stand around talking with friends without feeling claustrophobic. Nothing felt compact and everything seemed to have a natural flow, it was a perfectly sized space. And once again, this past week when we didn't have anyone in the house other than our small group, we still used every space in the house. It felt cozy and again, like it was a perfectly sized space. I'm sure I feel this way because of the fond memories I hold here, but I believe that this is the most PERFECT place in the world. Our little slice of heaven on earth. Dr. Paul and Betty Appel did an amazing job when they built this home in Santa Rosa Beach and we are forever grateful for their willingness to share.