Amelia Island is a special place for many reasons, and those who have had the opportunity to spend an extended amount of time here understand the draw that Amelia has. That feeling is no different for Erin Zelin, who spent every summer here visiting her grandparents in Amelia Island Plantation. “Amelia Island has become a special place in my heart,” shares Erin. “I have many fond memories of time spent here, especially the golf cart rides with my grandfather to Walkers Landing to site see and fish.”
So it wasn’t difficult for Erin when it came time for her to pick a wedding venue. “’It was so special for me to get married where I have so many great memories with my grandparents. Clayton fell in love with Amelia the first time we visited together and never envisioned we would be married in such a perfect place.”
Like many couples who had weddings scheduled in 2020, the threat of Covid almost halted their plans for a wedding at their beloved Walkers Landing. “For a long time, Walkers Landing was closed due to COVID. It was our first choice and we were sad at the potential we would have to move. A few weeks before the wedding, we got the go ahead and were ready to go with our décor.” Erin says, “The largest hurdle was ensuring our guests safety with Covid, and thankfully, Amelia Island has so many great outdoor activities that made social distancing easy to do. We had some family and friends that did not feel comfortable traveling, but many others came from Arizona, California, Washington, Colorado, and New Mexico. Everyone was in awe of the beauty here on the island and at Walkers Landing.”
“We planned our wedding start to finish, decorating the entire venue ourselves, with help from Claytons uncles, aunts and mother and many of our friends. We had our rehearsal dinner at my grandmother Joyce’s house. It was classical themed with Christmas décor and Frank Sinatra and big band music,” Erin explains. “It was not easy to find people during covid. And, we enjoy doing the work to make things just how we would like them. It was fun to design the entire wedding.”
On the wedding day, it would be Clayton’s father, Terry, who would walk Erin down the aisle. Sadly, Terry passed 6 months before the wedding. Clayton’s uncle, Rick, stepped in to do the honors. “We have had a close relationship from the first time we have met. We had a dedication table for Clayton’s dad and Billy my grandfather at the wedding,” says Erin. “Christmas socks were Terry’s favorite, so all the groomsmen wore them in his honor.”
Due to Covid, Erin and Clayton had to get creative when it came to the food. They requested servers for each dinner entreé to reduce concerns. They had Bliss Cupcakery create a cake topper, but instead of a full cake, had several flavors of cupcakes from Bliss so guests could grab them individually.
The wedding day was not without it share of musical stylings. Local musician, Hallie Davis, sang pre- wedding, intro and post-wedding. Then she started off the night with music during the cocktail hour and dinner. After dinner, DJ FYRA kept the crowd dancing the night away. Susan Eason Photography and a friend of Erin’s captured every special moment. Flowers of Jacksonville did the flower arrangements, while Kristy Leigh from Changes Salon handled the hair and make-up.
Having just welcomed their first child, Cora Joyce, this past August, Erin and Clayton look forward to sharing the many stories of their life here on Amelia, and to creating new memories with their children at Erin’s beloved Walkers Landing.