Sibley and John Carter

A Day to Remember in Rosemary Beach

Photography by Lauren VanDame

In the charming town of McKinney, Texas, John Carter Wigglesworth and Sibley Ashton Turrentine crossed paths early in life as their mothers, who are great friends, brought them to tennis matches and family events.

As their friendship blossomed into something more when they were young, their hometown became the backdrop to their adventures and shared dreams. Fast-forward to April 13, 2024, a date etched in the sands of time as the day they would pledge their love amid the picturesque beauty of ROSEMARY BEACH®, Florida. With the sun casting its golden glow, John Carter and Sibley embarked on a new chapter of their journey, surrounded by 160 cherished guests who had witnessed their love story unfold.

Now, as they stand on the threshold of forever, John Carter and Sibley invite you to join them as they celebrate a love that has stood the test of time and blossomed into a lifelong romance. Theirs is a story of friendship, laughter, and love meant to be. We were so excited to catch up with the bride to hear the story in her own words.

Our Love Story

John Carter has played golf his entire life, and when my brother Sloan started getting into golf as a teenager, he and John Carter started hanging out on the golf course and soon became best friends. Sloan would come home and talk about this kid named “JC” and how great he was at golf. Of course, I was interested in meeting this so-called JC because he was my age, and my brother thought he was the coolest. It turns out he was the coolest, and after seeing me, he said it was love at first sight. We were twelve. He was my first-ever boyfriend, and I was his first-ever girlfriend.

We stayed that way through middle school and most of high school. Still, the iconic story of me breaking his sweet seventeen-year-old heart will never die. Little did everyone know that even when we broke up, we never stopped keeping in touch through the rest of high school and college. I came home for the summer before my senior year of college, and one night, my brother asked me to eat dinner with him at the clubhouse after he finished his round of golf. As I walked in, I saw John Carter sitting with my brother—he had set us up. We didn’t know we would see each other, but thank God we did. We started dating after a week of seeing each other again, stayed together long distance through the rest of college, and then both moved back to Dallas.

The Proposal

Let me start by saying John Carter cannot lie or hide anything from me to save his life!

 I received a text from John Carter’s mom one night that we were going to celebrate his Nana’s birthday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dallas. I did not believe that for a second. John Carter (bless his heart) had been up to something the two or three weeks before. He kept going on “errands” or “helping Nana move some furniture,” which I knew was code for ring shopping. The weekend of “Nana’s party,” we pulled up to the hotel, and he brought me to the front courtyard where he had set up the most beautiful yet simple proposal. He surprised me with an after-party with some of our closest friends and family. The whole story makes me laugh and smile; it was perfectly intimate, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The Venue – Florida’s Rosemary Beach® Community

My family has been going to Rosemary Beach for vacation since I was in middle school, and it has always been such a special place to us. My mom always said she wanted me to get married in Rosemary because it was the perfect fit, and it was! John Carter loved the idea, so it really was the only venue we looked at or even discussed.

Our Wedding Plans

Planning our wedding was amazing! As an interior designer, I had a vision of what I wanted my wedding to look like, so it was exciting to make it come to life. John Carter took the backseat for most of the design planning, but he had a good time trying all the cake and food. My mom was a huge part of the entire process and helped both John Carter and me more than we could have ever imagined. My mom has always had an excellent aesthetic eye, so being able to bounce ideas off of her or listen to ideas she had made the entire experience even more meaningful.

Designing the Big Day

When it comes to design, I have never been a fan of setting myself in one category or putting myself in perimeters, so deciding on one accent color or theme never felt right. I loved the idea of having the design complement who John Carter and I are. I wanted parts of the design to speak volumes (like myself) and others to be subtle but still classy and elegant (like John Carter). It was important to me that when guests were walking around, there were elements that stuck out and made them stop to appreciate them. On the flip side, I didn’t want the design to feel overwhelming or chaotic. Creating moments that were thoughtful and detailed was huge. I loved the touches of “something blue” within the florals and accessories. One of my favorite memories is the unique umbrella design next to the bar, which started from my mom’s ideas and grew to be a beautiful moment at the wedding. It was a day we’ll never forget, and our guests had a great time!

Our Honeymoon

We went to Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort in St. Lucia! We looked at many places, but once we found Sugar Beach, we couldn’t pass it up! It was very relaxing, which was precisely what we were looking for.

Special Thanks

Everyone was amazing! Lauren VanDame, our photographer, was incredible and caught every special moment we could have asked for. Sally with Florals by the Sea blew me away with her ability to make my vision come to life while adding her own spice to it! Sherri, our wedding planner with 30a to Wed, was the sweetest woman, and we were so blessed to have her help along the way. Lastly, Townsend Catering is hands-down the best. Guests are still telling me how good each dish was.

Thank you, and congratulations!

— V —

Wedding planner: Sherri Kuhn, 30a to Wed | (850) 687-0076 – 30atoWed.com
Venue: ROSEMARY BEACH® Town Hall | (877) 739-2810 option 3, or dial Sophie at (850) 278-2036
Florist and rentals: Florals by the Sea, Sally | (850) 496-3611
Ceremony music: Top Hat Live | (904) 583-4457
Reception band: Az-IzZ, George | @azizzband
Bridal cake and groom’s cake: Sweetly Sisters, Jessica | (850) 865-5718
Hair and makeup: Kendra K. Beauty | (850) 603-4133
Photography: Lauren VanDame | (404) 938-4882
Videography: Resolute Films, Sarah | (205) 201-9207
Catering: Townsend Catering, Donna | (850) 622-0663