Leslie and Billy wanted a destination wedding that included Catholic vows in front of immediate family, followed by beach vows in front of extended family and friends. Their celebration was a dream-come-true, with a green, blue, and white color scheme that reflected the water and white sand of Santa Rosa Beach.
THE BRIDE Leslie Rodriguez, 28, a PhD student
THE GROOM Billy Zeigler, 28, a media supervisor,
THE DATE April 30
Leslie Rodriguez and Billy Zeigler met during their junior year in college. "Well, he claims that we had met on two occasions before that, but I just didn't remember," says Leslie. She
does remember, however, spotting him at a party for the volleyball team at the University of Georgia. At that point, "Billy definitely caught my eye," she recalls. Leslie and Billy dated off and on for a little while. "Obviously there was a reason we kept coming back to each other," she adds.
Nearly six years after the couple met, they took a trip to Santa Rosa Beach, where Leslie, an avid runner, was competing in a half-Ironman triathlon. For Billy, the timing couldn't have been better. Leslie's sister was running the race too (and bringing her family), and his family was coming to Florida to cheer them on. Little did they know, a proposal was imminent. An hour before dinner reservations with the group, Billy suggested a walk on the beach. When they got there, Billy jumped in the water. Leslie yelled at him to get out, but then "he came running out of the water toward me, saying, 'Look what I found!' I'm deathly afraid of fish, and I thought he had a small one in his hands, so I started to run away from him." Then something caught her eye -- a diamond ring.
-- Kathleen Murray