Amelia Islanders hold many things close to their hearts, and the Bean family is one of them—and if you ask Averi Welborn, she couldn’t agree more. “Davis (Bean) and I were high school sweethearts,” laughs Averi, sharing how they met at Fernandina Beach High School in their sophomore year. “We were two youngsters who fell in love, broke up for a short spell at the start of college, but found each other again before spring break of our freshman year at the University of Florida.”
In September 2019, Davis decided to make it official and surprised Averi with a weekend getaway to Charleston, South Carolina. “Charleston is special to me, with so many family memories there, and I will always treasure our engagement,” says Averi.
Davis was very savvy with his proposal plans, arranging for a mini engagement photo shoot followed by a sunset cruise, where their closest friends and family surprised Averi!
“Growing up on the island, we always knew we’d have our wedding nearby,” the couple shares. “But we have a big family, and when we visited the Ribault Club, we knew this was the perfect venue to accommodate us all.”
The enormous oak tree canopy, the historic building, and the old Florida greenery sold Averi and Davis, who enlisted the talents of Brett Carter to bring their wedding dream to life. “The basket lanterns from the tree branches, the rose petal aisle, every detail, including the flowers by Dottie B’s and Island Flower and Garden, were perfect.”
In addition, Averi added her own personal touch to the wedding celebration by using her talents to create the beautiful art on the wedding stationery and the unique design on the koozies, which featured the Beans’ Golden Retriever, Remington, wearing a bowtie!
As fabulous as the venue was, the rest of the weekend on Amelia Island was equally memorable, offering family arriving for the wedding plenty of intimate time to enjoy with the couple. Highlights included dinner at Lagniappe and a bridal brunch at The Addison Inn. “We had quiche and mimosas, it was picture perfect,” Averi smiled.
The families celebrated the rehearsal dinner and welcoming party at The Boat House, one of Fernandina Beach’s newer scenes. “We took over the whole place,” the couple laughs. “Our friends made speeches, we tried everything on the menu, it was so much fun!”
The groomsmen made the most of their weekend, too, sharing a home on Amelia Island Plantation. Meanwhile, the ladies focused on their prepping at the bride’s family home, where photographer Pam Bell joined the party to capture the memories on film.
“One of my favorite moments was the first look with my dad in the garden,” says Averi smiles. And Averi shared that Davis’s first look did not disappoint either! “He surprised me with a custom tuxedo lined with imprinted photos of us through the years and embroidered with our wedding date.”
A favorite moment of the ceremony was when their pastor sang “The Lord’s Prayer,” reminding all in attendance of the reason for the holy union and carrying on a family tradition. Averi and Davis also cherish memories of their friend’s angelic voice singing “I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles as the wedding party made their way down the aisle. After saying, “I do,” Davis escorted his bride into forever with a gigantic smile and a good ole “Yes!” to the crowd. And with that, the celebration began!
“The food for the reception prepared by Brett was just amazing—shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and an array of desserts to complement our beautiful three-tiered wedding cake from Publix,” the couple reminisced. The couple also shared that Davis’s sister, Savannah, offered a sentimental Irish Blessing before the meal. All the fancy goings-on aside, the favorite part of the evening for the young guests was the University of Florida Gator cupcake-cake, which was a surprise to Davis, too. “The kids all had big, green smiles,” they laugh.
Looking back, Averi and Davis would do it all again—exactly the same—including enjoying their married life on Amelia Island. “We have a cute home we are fixing up downtown, and live up our special time together roasting oysters, hanging by the bonfire, on the beach—or in the fall enjoying football at The Swamp!”