A Change of Plans: Greer Cotton and Bill Black Destination Wedding

Greer Cotton and Bill Black originally planned to have a small wedding at a traditional church in Birmingham.
They'd even booked the church and date. It was to be family only. After all, it was a second wedding for both. Still, something didn't feel right about hosting such a small ceremony in a large space. After talking it over, the couple decided the beach would be the best place for their wedding ceremony and celebration.
"We had both done the church thing," Greer says. "We thought, what's more beautiful than God's creation? When we thought about what we really wanted, it was to get married on the beach with our children and closest family and friends present."
They moved up their wedding date by almost a month, and on March 22, with the ocean as their backdrop, they married on Grayton Beach in Florida.
The couple decided to marry during spring break . Greer's a teacher at Crestline Elementary, and it allowed their children — they now have five combined — to attend without missing school. It only gave them about a month to plan, but more were able to join in on the celebration since they were beach bound anyway.
Their children served as their wedding party, and friends and family pitched in to help make the event happen in such a short time.
Donnie Sasser of Montgomery's Two Blessings created the flowers arrangements with baby's breath and burlap ribbons, as well as the arbor draped in burlap that the couple said their vows under.
Another friend drove the some five hours to the beach with their three-tier cake from Olexa's. Brian assembled it himself. The couple's Birmingham pastor officiated, and close friend Heather Durham was their photographer.
On the day of the wedding, family and friends set out the chairs, and Bill made the sign directing guests to leave their shoes as they headed to the beach for the ceremony.
Before saying their vows, the soon-to-be family of seven spent time together exchanging gifts. The couple gave the four girls cross necklaces, and their son a compass. "We've been very fortunate," Greer says. "They've all got along really well since we introduced them."
After the ceremony, they posed for family pictures on the beach before heading to a nearby beach house for the reception.
Family and friends pitched in again to provide the food. In all, about 100 attended their wedding event at Grayton Beach.
After a honeymoon in Mexico, the couple returned to another celebration, this one in Birmingham. Friends again came together to host a Birmingham reception for the couple.

"We really do feel like everything just all fell in place," Bill says. "Everybody did such an amazing job."