Real Weddings: Jessica & Heidi

from Coastal Weddings Magazine Spring 2025

Coastal Power Couple, Spring 2025

The old adage that the best marriages are built from the strongest friendships is true. Heidi owns an award winning salon in Gulf Breeze and had come highly recommended to me when I (Jessica) was looking to change hair stylists. The minute I sat down for my consultation, I felt at home. Heidi walked over and introduced herself to me like she does with all first time clients. Before I (Jessica) left, Heidi had told me her sister was moving to Gulf Breeze the following week and gave me her number to meet up with them.

We struck up an immediate friendship within days of her giving me her number and quickly transformed into best friends. She thought she was going to help her sister become good friends with me, but it was Heidi and I that really hit it off. Our circles became one another’s and a few times a week we were out watching a Saints game or meeting for “Supper Club” with our favorite people. After a few months we both started realizing our connection was more than just friendship, there was a chemistry that became undeniable. One night while out with some friends, we ended up kissing and sparks flew like a downed power line in a CAT 5 hurricane!

We slowly stepped into dating and then into a relationship together. We took our time to be intentional about making big decisions like moving in together and buying a home with one another. I knew from the beginning that my life was over as I knew it. She consumed me and all that I could see was her when I thought about the future.

On a trip home to Denver about 3 1/2 years, I walked out of the jeweler that my family had used all my life with a beautiful diamond set in a simple platinum band. I flew home with a gorgeous ring in my bag but no idea how to ask her to marry me. I was okay with that though, I wasn’t in a rush and was willing to wait for the absolute right moment. I pulled the ring out a few times a month to just stare at it though. The meaning it held and the story it would one day tell was beautiful to me.

About a year later we were at Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend festival and the Saturday night headliner was Sara Bareillis. Our song has always been “I Choose You” by Sara Bareillis so I thought before we packed up for the weekend, “I’m going to bring the ring. If Sara plays our song, that’s my sign.” Lo and behold, she played it right in front of us. After I caught my breath and calmed my nerves, I reached into my pocket and knelt down to ask her for forever. I used the last verse of “I Choose You” to close out my vows, and I even surprised her by jumping onto a chair and singing those lines to her during our first dance. Our love story came full circle as we shared that moment together. The rest, as they say, will be history!