Elizabeth Holly Odom and John Levi Nichols were united in holy matrimony on Sat., April 21, 2012, on the cliffs of Negril, Jamaica, with family and close friends. The sun was setting as the couple exchanged rings and recited their personal vows.

The ceremony was conducted by Mr. JB Roberts and scripture reading was by friend of the bride, Mrs. Emily Smith, and took place in the white gazebo overlooking the Caribbean.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Odom of Andalusia and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Odom of Andalusia and the late Mrs. Freda Wall and Mr. Clarence Wall of Indiantown, Fla.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Nichols of Luverne, Ala., and the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Edward Nichols and the late Mr. and Mrs. John Lamar Sanders also of Luverne.

Meredith Butler, sorority sister, from Baton Rouge, La., was the maid of honor. Bridemaids were Tara Odom of Brantley; Kala Bass, Troy; Christyl Lawrence Hines, Andalusia; Jill Smith, Birmingham; Lauren Pierce Brooks, Huntsville, and Rebecca Warren, Daphne. They all wore detailed strapless, long chiffon gowns in different shades of coral and carried bouquets of coral and white peonies.

Flower girl, Miss. Madison Flowers, niece of the groom from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was a delight in the tea length ivory dress with coral detail. Madison carried a basket belonging to the bride filled with rose petals. The aisle was decorated with large crystal vases filled with Jamaica sand and coral and white peonies.

The bride’s nephews, Parker and Grant Odom and the groom’s nephew, Tyler Flowers, looked handsome in their linen shirts and tan slacks as they handed out woven decorated fans to guests before seating their respective grandmothers.

Mr. Johnny Nichols, father of the groom served as the best man. Groomsmen were Kris Odom, brother of the bride, of Brantley, and college friends John Bell and Nathan Barnes of New York, N.Y., and Sean Carey and Russell Clark of Atlanta, Ga. All wore tan summer suits and coral ties. The groom, handsome in his light summer suit and ranunculus boutonnière enjoyed visiting with his groomsmen before the ceremony.

The bride, given in marriage by her father was stunning and radiant in a custom designed gown by Project Runway alum, Heidi Elnora of Birmingham. Her fit-to-flare gown in handmade raw silk was a perfect touch for her destination wedding. The gown was detailed with handmade blush rosettes clustered at her natural waist along with handkerchief organza, blush rosettes, tulle and silk detail on her chapel train. The look was completed with a ribbon sash and handmade hairpiece. Hidden in the hem of her dress was silk from the kneeling bench from her parent’s wedding.

The simple bridal bouquet was white peonies with hand wrapped silk matching the sash of the custom gown. Delicate ivory ribbon holding her maternal and paternal grandmother’s wedding bands were woven into the bouquet, a symbol of the love for their granddaughter.

The weekend festivities started with a welcome reception on Thursday afternoon with rum punch and island treats. Upon resort check in, the guest found custom gifts bags filled with island goodies from the bride and groom thanking them for attending this special occasion. Friday evening was filling with dancing to a Jamaican Steel Drum band and wonderful island food hosted by the groom’s parents.

Saturday was the perfect island day for a wedding. The blue sky was cloudless and the Caribbean ocean below the cliffs was crystal clear.

The ceremony was coordinated by the bride and the wedding planner of the Moon Dance Resort in Negril, Jamaica.

The couple concluded their service with an intimate sand ceremony uniting the two lives into one. Then, the group celebrated with cocktails and hors d’oeuvre as the violist played and the guests mingled while photographers David and Candace Nelson of Troy, caught the sun drifting into ocean. A wishing tree was arranged with the guest book asking all to leave a private message for the bride and groom.

The group moved to the outside dining area, where the first dance of the couple was sang and played by JB Roberts. Holly danced with her father to the tune of “My Girl” and Levi danced with his mother Liz Nichols before parents of the bride thanked the guest for coming, made a toast to the bride and groom then said a prayer of blessing.

After dining on bacon wrapped tenderloin, fresh local grilled grouper in white sauce and tarragon chicken the group watched the couple cut the cake and toast each other. The groom’s cake, a local favorite of Jamaican Rum was enjoyed by all.

The entertainment for the guests along with a reggae band from the bride’s family was a Jamaican Fire Dancer who enthralled the crowd. The evening festivities concluded with the bride, groom and guest releasing eco-friendly lighted Japanese lanterns into the night air.

Sunday morning concluded the weekend with a champagnes brunch overlooking the Caribbean water as the guest prepared to catch their flights and the bridal couple left on their honeymoon trip to Port Antonio.

The bride is a 2011 MBA graduate of Troy University and employed with In Med Group in Montgomery as their outreach coordinator.

The groom is a 2004 graduate of Auburn University and a 2009 graduate from the Thomas Good Jones School of Law. He is currently a partner in the law firm of Lightfoot and Nichols and is an assistant district attorney with the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Luverne.