Miss Gwendolyn Anne Spivey and Mr. Michael Todd Calhoon were united in marriage in the afternoon of July 28, 2012. The wedding was held at the Camp Helen State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida.

Miss Spivey is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tommy (Kathy) Spivey and the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Harold (Donna) Webster and the late Mrs. Joan Spivey and the late Mr. Johnny Spivey. Mr. Calhoon is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike (Cindy) Casteel and the son of Mr. Todd (Valorie) Calhoon. He is the grandson of Mrs. Betty Dawkins and Dr. Brenda Casteel.

The wedding was held on the porch of the Main Lodge of the park with the bridal party surrounded by family and friends. The bride was given away by her father, Tommy Spivey, after being accompanied down the interior staircase to meet her groom. The ceremony was conducted by the Rev. Wayne Locklar, pastor of Good Hope Baptist Church, Troy, Alabama, where the bride has been a life-long member.

The ceremony included traditional music and the bride entered to the traditional wedding march, The Wedding Chorus, by Richard Wagner. The bride and groom exchanged vows and rings as they committed themselves to one another. The Rev. Locklar led all in a prayer of commitment and blessing for the newly married couple. A Sand Ceremony signifying the coming together of the bride and groom was performed to the music of Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk. The couple ended the ceremony by exiting the porch to the music of the Recessional March by Felix Mendelssohn.

The bride chose a strapless gown with a lace overlay. The gown featured a sweetheart neckline and a ruched bodice. The light ivory gown featured iridescent sequins decorating the lace. The train of the wedding dress was chapel length, giving a glimpse of the bride’s bare feet. Gwendolyn wore her hair up in side swept curls and accented with a rhinestone hairpiece. The matron of honor, maid of honor and bridesmaids each wore identical guave strapless dresses. The dresses featured a ruched bodice and a flowing knee length skirt.

The groom wore a white button down shirt with khaki linen pants. The best man and groomsmen wore the identical shirt and linen pants attire while serving the groom.

The wedding party included family and friends of Gwendolyn and Michael.

The bride was attended to by Matron of Honor Kimberly Ethridge of Troy, Alabama and Maid of Honor Faith Rhodes of Auburn, Alabama. Her bridesmaids were Nikki Craig of Panama City, Florida, Kelly Kelley of Panama City Beach, Florida, Katy Spivey of Troy, Alabama, Faith Spivey, Troy, Alabama, Natalia Spivey, Troy, Alabama and Tiffany Tranum of Luverne, Alabama. The flower girl was Bailey Casteel of Macon, Georgia.

The groom was attended by best man, Scott Calhoon of Macon, Georgia. His groomsmen were Mike Casteel of Macon, Georgia, Charlie Casteel of Macon, Georgia, Chris Griffin of Macon, Georgia, David Spivey of Troy, Alabama, Matt Watts of Macon, Georgia, Chris Willis of Atlanta, Georgia and Patrick Willis of Atlanta, Georgia. The ring bearer was Landen Ethridge of Troy, Alabama.

The flowers for the wedding bouquets and boutonnieres included orange roses, white disbuds, miniature pink carnations, and gerbera daisies in assorted bright colors. The bridal party bouquets also included light fern leaves and baby’s breath and were completed with quave ribbon and pearl accents. The groomsmen’s boutonnieres included an orange rose and carnation bud with light fern leaves and a bit of baby’s breath wrapped in floral green and completed with pearl pins. The bouquet of the bride and the boutonniere of the groom were additionally adorned with a cream lace ribbon, original to the wedding dress of the maternal grandmother of the bride. Flowers of similar design were presented to family members in addition to those in the wedding party.

The Reception was held on the first floor and porch of the Main Lodge. The food and drinks were presented on several tables arranged along the perimeter of the first floor. The serving tables were adorned with white tablecloths, fresh flowers, tulle, and scattered seashells. The flowers included orange lilies and elephant ears, as well as the flowers included in the wedding party arrangements. The white draped dining tables were adorned with bud vases filled with sand and a single orange rose. Seashells were scattered around the guave sateen centerpiece to complete the dining tables arrangements. The chairs where draped in brown sateen which tied in the back. The tables were arranged on the covered front porch which spanned the length of the Lodge. The main fireplace was adorned with fresh flowers arranged in a galvanized bucket, which was decorated with guave ribbon and a pearl brooch. On each side of the flowers were the decorated buckets containing the bubbles later blown as the couple departed from the reception.

Guests were served a traditional shrimp boil with all the trimmings: sausage, corn and potatoes. Chicken strips and a variety of sauces were served. Fresh fruit and vegetables were beautifully presented including fruit arranged on skewers. A variety of cheeses, crackers and bread were artfully arranged and served. A chocolate selection included dipped pretzels, nuts, cookies and bacon. The bridal cake was a square three layer vanilla cake. The cake was decorated with seashells, both sugar and natural, as well as pink sugar pearls. The cake was topped with a ceramic “C” which was also decorated with tiny seashells and starfish to complete the beach motif. The bridal cake table was decorated by several fresh flower arrangements and completed with guave sateen and seashells. The groom’s cake was traditional chocolate and peanut butter. The two tier rectangular cake was chocolate with dark chocolate icing dripping from the top and onto the sides of the cake. The groom’s cake was decorated with fresh fruit and surrounded by chocolate selections.

The wedding and reception flowers were created and arranged by family members of the couple. The reception, including the food, preparation, and decorating, were lovingly given as a gift to Michael and Gwendolyn by family and friends of the couple.

After photos of the wedding party were complete, the couple shared a toast and cake as their guests looked on. After a time socializing with guests, dances were shared by the bride and groom and their parents. Gwendolyn and her father, Tommy, danced to The Father Says I Do by The Benton Brothers. Michael and his mother, Cindy, danced to My Wish by Rascal Flatts, a selection made by the mother of the groom. The dancing concluded with the bride and groom dancing together to Crazy for You by Madonna.

After a short honeymoon at the beach, the couple has begun their wedded life together in Atlanta, Georgia.