Inside Madison’s romantic Georgia coast celebration and the story of finding the gown she had always imagined.

Tell us a little about your love story. How did you meet, and how did he propose?

Jaylin and I met through mutual friends while we were in college. I was at Clemson University and he was at Auburn University, and one weekend my friend convinced me to come to Auburn with her. That’s where I met him, and what started as a weekend trip turned into a friendship that became one of the most important relationships in my life.

We were best friends for a while before deciding to give dating a chance in 2022. From that point on, we were pretty much inseparable. We spent the next three years growing together, traveling, making memories, and building a life that felt so naturally like ours.

When it came time for him to propose, he had actually asked me before what my dream proposal would look like. I told him that, if I could choose anything, it would probably be somewhere on a secret beach in Hawaii. A few years later, he took me to Hawaii and somehow found a little beach literally called “Secret Beach.” He proposed to me there, and it was even more perfect than anything I could have imagined.

Looking back, I think the sweetest part of our story is that we really were best friends before we were anything else. We always say that our relationship has felt like choosing your favorite person and getting to do life with them—and I can’t imagine it any other way.

When you started looking for your wedding gown, did you already have a vision in mind, or did it come together along the way?

I had a very specific vision for my wedding gown from the beginning. I always imagined a romantic French lace gown with delicate Chantilly lace finishes, but throughout my search, I could never quite find a dress that matched what I had envisioned in my head. I actually got to the point where I was considering drawing out my own design and having a dress custom made because I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

Then I found Lee Petra Grebenau’s Tosca gown, and it was almost surreal—it was exactly the dress I had been imagining all along. It had the French lace, the delicate Chantilly details, and the romantic, feminine feeling I had always wanted. It felt less like I had found a dress and more like I had finally found the dress that existed in my head.

When you first tried on your Lee Petra Grebenau gown, what made you know it was the one?

The moment I put it on, I immediately felt like everything I had been looking for had finally come together. I had tried on so many gowns before Tosca, but there was always something that didn’t feel quite right or didn’t match the vision I had in my head.

With Tosca, it was completely different. The French lace, the Chantilly finishes, the way the gown moved, and all of the delicate details were exactly what I had imagined. I remember looking at myself and thinking, “This is it.” It was romantic and timeless, but still felt so uniquely me.

More than anything, I think I knew because I stopped thinking about what I could change or what I wished was different. For the first time, I wasn’t imagining my dream dress—I was wearing it.

Tell us a little about your wedding. Where was it, what was the atmosphere, and what did you want the day to feel like?

Our wedding took place on June 27, 2026, on St. Simons Island, Georgia. We were married at Epworth by the Sea before celebrating with our closest family and friends at Sea Palms Resort.

Because we were getting married on the coast, I wanted the entire day to feel romantic, effortless, and timeless. The setting naturally gave us that beautiful, relaxed Southern atmosphere, while we brought in elegant details through the florals, candles, and soft, romantic styling.

More than anything, I wanted the day to feel like a true reflection of us—not overly formal or staged, but incredibly intentional and full of meaning. I wanted our guests to feel surrounded by love, to spend the evening laughing and celebrating with us, and for us to be completely present in the moment.

Looking back, it felt less like creating a “perfect wedding” and more like creating the most beautiful version of a day that was already perfect because we were surrounded by the people we love most.

When you think back to your wedding day, what is the first moment that comes to mind?

The first moment that comes to mind is walking down the aisle and seeing Jaylin waiting for me. After everything it took to get to that moment, there was something so surreal about seeing the person who had been my best friend for years standing there, waiting to marry me.

For a moment, everything else seemed to disappear—the guests, the flowers, the music, all of the little details I had spent so much time planning. It was just the two of us. I remember thinking how crazy it was that the person I had first met on a weekend trip to Auburn had somehow become the person I was walking toward to spend the rest of my life with.

That moment made everything feel very real. It was one of those moments I wish I could freeze in time and experience exactly the same way again.