Sydney Mathis and Ben Bullock, both Atlanta natives, first met when they were toddlers. From there, they went on to graduate from the same high school and attain the same finance degree from the University of Georgia. Yet, throughout all this time they were merely friendly acquaintances. There were no special sparks, nervous encounters or inkling of a budding romance. Instead, it took 600 miles and someone else’s wedding for love to kindle.

It was while Sydney was away getting her master’s in Washington, D.C., that both were in the bridal party of a mutual friend’s wedding in Thomasville, Georgia. The days of celebration created a unique opportunity for Sydney and Ben to slow down and get to know each other. Sparks started to fly … and eagerly. As Sydney wisely noted, they just “weren’t ready for each other before” but, from that point on, they were inseparable and didn’t let distance slow them down.

Ben, who works with his father at Bullock Mannelly Partners Inc., had a 2008 business venture in the Bahamas that inspired his proposal, which Sydney could only describe as “perfection.” In August of that year, he took Sydney to the Abacos for a weekend getaway. After disembarking from the ship and enjoying a daiquiri, Ben asked Sydney to take a walk on the beach, the quintessential Bahamian experience. Their walk turned into a search for treasure when Ben noticed a curious net on a remote part of the beach. He started digging and encouraged Sydney’s help. What Sydney found was more than she expected: a beautiful wooden jewelry box with a small ring box inside. Once she laid eyes on that telling box, neither seeing what was inside nor hearing the words that accompanied the proposal, Sydney ecstatically jumped to Ben, hugging him with all her excitement. Her answer was clear.

When it came to planning their wedding, Sydney and Ben knew that they wanted it to be a multi-day affair similar to the wedding that led to theirs. Both are fun-loving people who bring an even stronger sense of enjoyment to each other’s life, and they wanted to share their happiness with those close to them. As Sydney’s mom, Betty, explained, “They wanted their wedding to be unique and memorable” for all their friends and family. Quickly, they decided on a destination wedding in Amelia Island, where Sydney’s family has a home. Not only is this a place of wonderful memories for Sydney and her parents, but it is also the first vacation Sydney and Ben shared together.

Amelia Island provided the right combination of amenities, excursions and venues to accommodate the needs of their 325 guests. The Plantation is an all-inclusive resort that offers everything from championship golf courses and breathtaking beaches and prime boutiques to fine dining and a luxurious spa. It is also a mere stone’s throw away from the Ribault Club, a historic property on Fort George Island filled with elegance and southern charm. Once Sydney and Ben visited the estate, they knew it would be the perfect setting for their wedding. In booking the property, they met Cindy Schaffer of Amelia Occasions, who became their full-service wedding planner and was described by Sydney and her mother as “an invaluable resource in navigating through all the details of a destination wedding.” Even having vacationed in Amelia for years, the Mathis’ were unfamiliar with whom to trust for the wedding of their only daughter, so having someone who knows the area as intimately as Cindy does was a reassuring blessing that not only paid off in a perfectly executed wedding, but provided the needed reassurance to make the planning process worry-free and enjoyable.

The focus of the weekend was on friends, family and fun and everything was geared toward celebrating these three key elements and giving guests the opportunity to relax and reconnect. Everything juxtaposed informality with formality so that guests were able to enjoy the best of both worlds. While every detail was attended to, such as welcome parties on both Thursday and Friday and plenty of planned excursions, some of the formalities were loosened, like jean-friendly pre-parties and poolside luncheons, enabling guests to enjoy the destination’s greatest assets: its beaches and golf courses. The most unique — and daring — of all the pre-wedding events took place on Saturday and was hosted by the groom himself. Ben, an avid flyer who is planning to enter the Air Force Reserve, wanted to share his passion for flight with all his guests, so he arranged for seven different acrobatic planes to converge at the Fernandina Beach Airport for a private air show filled with high-flying stunts and private plane rides.

All the fun and frivolity was just part of the climactic lead to the best celebration of all, their wedding, which was a fantastic affair that perfectly blended southern comfort with big-city sophistication. Guests were shuttled in for the 6 o’clock ceremony, which took place under a hundred-year-old oak tree on the club’s property that exuded unhampered beauty. The area was minimally enhanced with steel barrels overflowing with wildflowers and an eight-foot, handcrafted wooden cross marked the altar. Once guests were seated, dapper groomsmen, dressed in white dinner jackets, began accompanying bridesmaids down the aisle. Sydney, escorted by her father, made her entrance in a breathtaking Monique Lhuillier gown holding a simple garden-style bouquet of white hydrangea, yellow callas and sweet peas tied with a handkerchief belonging to her maternal grandmother. As the ceremony unfolded, the connection between Sydney and Ben was so captivating that it created a shared intimacy among the congregation of friends and family.

The couple’s most memorable moment of the entire evening came as they walked back down the aisle, hand in hand as bride and groom, with smiles as large and genuine as their love for one another.

As guests exited the ceremony, they were greeted with margaritas and butler-passed appetizers, the telltale sign that the party had officially begun. Dinner vignettes were scattered around the club and available for the duration of the evening, allowing guests to mix and mingle at their leisure. The menu was fresh and eclectic, featuring everything from sautéed shrimp and grits with fried green tomatoes to grilled fajitas and hand-rolled sushi. Each vignette was chefattended to ensure that every bite of food had that pan-to-plate finesse.

That Monday, Sydney and Ben left for “the most unbelievable time of [their] life.” Their 16-day honeymoon began in Greece, where they rented a boat and explored the volcanic island of Santorini before visiting Crete, where they relaxed and enjoyed the perfectly appointed and ultra-luxurious Blue Palace Resort & Spa. Next, they spent eight days in South Africa. Their original destination was Southern Cross Safari, a game ranch and hunter’s dream. However, Ben’s good aim brought that arm of the trip to a quicker than expected end, so they filled their time with a guided safari where they experienced such wonders as feeding giraffes and being just feet from a male lion bringing fresh caught dinner to his cubs. While driving the coast of South Africa and taking in the breathtaking scenery, the pair made an unexpected stop in Simonstown, which led to a riveting adventure. By chance, they ended up on a yacht chartered by the famous photographer Chris Fallows. Once deep in the sea, Ben and Sydney climbed into a metal cage and descended under water to be face to face with huge — hungry — great white sharks. Next, they flew back to Greece where they spent a couple days in Athens and visited the original Olympic stadium and Metropolis before returning to Atlanta to settle into life as normal … until the next adventure comes their way.