My good friend and colleague, Elizabeth “Betsy” Bell Torti (Senior Account Executive for Arkansas Bride) wed her sweet hubby Nathanael “Nate” Lee Tilley this past summer on the beach.
And we’re sorry it’s taken us so long to share it with you, but here we go!
Nate and Betsy, both from Little Rock, knew each other through mutual friends for years, but just “didn’t really run with the same crowd,” as she says.
“After we started dating, we would joke about how we have so many mutual friends yet never hung out,” Betsy said. “We decided that timing was everything, and all those years in the past just weren’t the right time for us.”
The couple spent eight months planning their dream destination wedding before finally saying “I do” on Aug. 11, 2011 on Henderson Beach in Destin, Fla., in front of 125 of the closest family members and friends.
Here’s more about their wedding from the bride:
What was your overall inspiration? After starting to plan a Little Rock wedding, things started to get too big and that was not what either of us really wanted. Since we were also in the middle of planning my family’s summer vacation, Nate said ‘Why don’t we just get married on the beach?’ I immediately fell in love with the idea and called my parents! They were excited about it too. About a month later, my mom and I drove to Destin to meet with the coordinator and look at venues.
How did you customize? Since the beach is so beautiful, I knew I didn’t want to do too much to distract from its natural beauty. I choose yellow for flowers, bridesmaids and extra little touches because I feel the color looks beautiful on the beach.
What one detail truly made the wedding yours? Nate and I are both pretty laid back people, who love our family and friends. We were excited about having a small, intimate wedding and we were absolutely blown away by all the friends and family who made the trip to support us.
Tell us a little bit more about the day: It rained the whole day of the wedding, but about two hours before it cleared up and was the most beautiful day. People ended up toasting us at the reception, because they weren’t able to at the rained out rehearsal dinner, and it ended up being so sweet and special to Nate and me.
The Details
- Event planner/Caterer/Drinks/Rentals/Lighting: Susan Parker, The Destin Wedding Co., Destin, Fla.
- Wedding Stationery: Something Blue, Conway
- Florist: Jules Design, Fayetteville
- Cakes: The Cake Destination, Destin, Fla.
- DJ/Band: Gulf Talent Services
- Wedding gown: The Bridal Cottage, North Little Rock
- Jeweler: Roberson’s Fine Jewelry, Little Rock
- Bridesmaids attire: David’s Bridal, Little Rock
- Groom/groomsmen attire: Tuxedo Junction, Little Rock
