Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Although mutual friends of Mississippi native Emily Dees and Atlantan Peter Boulden had encouraged the two to meet on several occasions, their paths never seemed to cross. “I lived in Birmingham, and Pete lived in Atlanta. Neither of us had time to go out of town to meet someone new,” Emily remembers. The bride, who is known for her impeccable style, owns two high-fashion boutiques called Swank—one at the Shops Around Lenox and the other in Birmingham’s Mountain Brook Village. “A year after our friends first tried to introduce us, I had to go to Atlanta for business, and that’s when we finally met. From that moment on, we both just knew that we were meant to be together.”

After a whirlwind romance, Peter, co-owner of Atlanta Dental Spa, proposed to Emily on New Year’s Eve during a flight to Mexico. Bound for Cabo San Lucas, the anxious groom-to-be knew if he waited until they arrived to pop the question, Emily wouldn’t be nearly as surprised. So, in a conspiratorial move, he enlisted the help of his sister, who concealed the ring during the flight, and a flight attendant, who delivered champagne and the engagement ring on a silver tray, catching Emily completely off guard. “I am actually not a very good flier, so when Pete woke me up to propose, all I could think was, ‘Are you seriously asking me to marry you on a plane?” she recalls. “It was really perfect, and so true to character for Pete, who can always seem to do something to make me laugh.”

Because most of their courtship took place in exotic locales, the pair immediately envisioned exchanging vows with the pristine waters of a remote island as their backdrop. Once their engagement was official, the couple visited the secluded Cap Juluca Resort on Anguilla on a trip they deemed “research” and fell in love with the property’s Moroccan flair. The couple determined it would be the perfect complement to their style-savvy spirit and forged ahead with transforming their wedding into a fashion-forward affair only an industry insider could pull off. First on the list: making the wedding itself resemble a fresh-from-the-runway fashion show. “I knew I wanted to add my signature flair to the wedding,” Emily says. “The couture had to be super-stylish, because that’s what I do, what I know and what I love.” She began by selecting custom gowns for each of her eight bridesmaids from IODICE, a line carried at her store, Swank. The women dripped with couture as they walked across the lawn, each in ocean-inspired hues, ranging from tropical blue to inky midnight. Their dresses seemed to flow with the island breeze.

Not to be outdone, the bride chose an ivory strapless mermaid gown of Chantilly lace, silk organdy and crinkle silk chiffon from Vera Wang’s exclusive Luxe Collection. But her inner fashionista just wouldn’t let her leave the dress alone. To add her own signature twist, Emily embellished the gown with a custom Chantilly lace and silk organdy banded halter. To complete the look, she sported a dramatic, waist-length, antique multistrand necklace with Swarovski crystals and pearl accents by Erickson Beamon. “My mom fell in love with the dress the first moment she saw it,” Emily says. “I loved it too, but I knew I had to make it a little funkier, a little more me, so I added this amazing necklace.”

Read the full story and browse more photographs in the (free) digital edition of Atlanta Weddings

Photograph by Tec Petaja

The Details Place of Reception Cap Juluca Resort Wedding Gown Audrey by Vera Wang Bridesmaids’ Gowns IODICE Spring 2009 Runway Collection Photographer Tec Petaja Event/Wedding Planner Luxe Destination Weddings and Cap Juluca Resort Florist Black Orchid in Anguilla Catering/Cake Designer Cap Juluca Resort Invitations Yoko Chapman Hair Stylist Chris Presley Jewelry Erickson Beamon