Wedding: Allie and Michael

PHOTOS BY BRL PHOTOGRAPHY and GOOD LORDE PHOTOGRAPHY

It was the perfect culmination of a day filled with love
and harmony when Allison Givens and Michael
Christie held hands and said “I do” on March 14, 2020.

The ceremony and wedding reception were held at Allie’s family home, the Stevenson Estate in Panama City’s Cove neighborhood.

Gathered in the garden that overlooks St. Andrews Bay, the couple’s family and friends witnessed the love the bride and groom share, and the undivided attention they gave to one another. The celebration was planned to be unconventional, with a large pizza and charcuterie buffet instead of formal dinner seating, as well as a ceremony by the water’s edge.

Blue and white flower arrangements complemented the waterfront views, and as the sun began to melt into the horizon, Allie and Michael said “I do.”

It was through their large family that Allie and Michael found each other in the first place. “First, we were just friends. We started spending a lot of time together, and everyone just started thinking that we were together,” Allie remembers with a smile. affected by Hurricane Michael, leaving dead trees in the aftermath.

“Allie is one of the most hardworking people I know, and her dedication to and love for her family is very much like my dedication to my family,” Michael says, smiling.

As they are taking their plans to start their own family slowly, the couple has moved in together and live happily close to family and friends in Panama City while pursuing their careers. Michael is a Realtor, and Allie is a marketing agent for one of the large local resorts and, together, they are also venturing into real estate investing.

“We live very busy lives, but our time with family and friends is important to both of us,” they say. The couple feels lucky that their wedding was relatively unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, except for one of Michael’s groomsmen, who was stationed overseas and whose life-size cardboard stand-in at the wedding made everyone miss him even more.

As for advice for other young couples who are planning their marriage, Allie and Michael find that the best approach is to see what comes naturally and not stress about details or conventions. “Just be happy and enjoy every moment.”