Meant to Be—A Romantic Vineyard Wedding During COVID-19

A little over a year later, Amanda was prepared to get down on one knee and ask Britanee to be her wife.

“Amanda surprised me with a horse carriage ride through St. Augustine during their Nights of Light where the entire downtown is decorated in Christmas decor. After that, we were walking around and [came upon] two people seated on a bench singing This Is It by Scotty McCreery—my favorite song! They were halfway through the song when Amanda got down on one knee and proposed to me. Little did I know, some of our friends were [even] hiding in the bushes there and film[ed] the entire proposal [as well as] had my mom on Facetime to watch it.”

A proposal that's totally worth gushing over.

From there, Amanda and Britanee set their wedding date for September 13, 2020, but panic began to set in when the COVID-19 pandemic was suddenly at the forefront of the news. They quickly realized that they were going to have to cancel their bachelorette parties and even reenvision their original wedding day dreams.

Even though the wedding they ended up having looked a little different than their original idea, the ceremony was still magical. Britanee looked absolutely stunning in Martin Thornburg’s Iris—an ultra-flattering fit and flare wedding dress with delicate floral lace embroidery and plunging V-neckline.

“I knew that I wanted an open back dress. I tried on my wedding dress at Allure Bridal Boutique in Gainesville, FL, and I really loved the style and fit of it. After lunch, I went back to Allure and bought it!”

They tied the knot at the dreamy Kaya Vineyards in Dahlonega, Georgia—a venue set against the backdrop of idyllic mountains and spacious skies.

“Our guests were able to stay in cottages on the property which made it very fun and convenient to hang out with everyone.”

Britanee also wants to let other real brides know that she highly suggests having a first look before your wedding day begins!

“The most memorable part of my day was our first look. The day was so hectic and stressful at times, so [it meant a lot] that we were able to spend some time together to really soak it all in before we saw everyone else.”

The couple had their first dance to the same song that played when Amanda proposed to Britanee under the Christmas lights of St. Augustine’s downtown: Scotty McCreery’s This Is It.

Yeah, we’re not tearing up—you are.

Even though COVID-19 shook up their original wedding day plans, Amanda and Britanee found beauty in their intimate ceremony and ended up preferring it to their original arrangements.