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his is a fairy tale about a mid-life love 

story between two people. Meet the bride, 

formerly Julie Hurst, CEO of the Emerald 

Coast Children’s Advocacy (ECCAC), and 

now Julie Porterfield, wife of the love of her life, Les 

Porterfield.  For months before the wedding, Julie 

always asked everyone…”Do you know I’m getting 

married?” Then they had their blissful wedding day on 

June 24 last year at Christ the King Episcopal Church 

in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

And, through a very special wedding present, Julie 

was given the gift of a Kleinfeld wedding dress by 

long-time ECCAC supporter, Amy Rogers, who is 

the Consulting Producer for the TV reality show on 

TLC, Say Yes To The Dress. Amy is the widow of TV 

star Wayne Rogers, who himself was a supporter and 

advocate of ECCAC over the years.

Two months before the wedding, the bride-to-be 

at the time flew to New York City with her son, Lee, 

for the ultimate bridal gown experience. One of the 

principal owners of the Kleinfeld Bridal shop that is 

featured in the TV show, Ronnie Rothstein, arranged 

to have Julie work with his best wedding consultant, 

Debbie Asprea. Julie picked out the most beautiful 

designer wedding gown one could imagine. It was a 

perfect fit for the beautiful bride.  In this case, it was 

Julie and her son Lee who got to say “yes to the dress”.     

Rothstein was excited about having Julie at his store 

and commented, “She has a heart of gold. In life, it’s 

about feeling good doing something for someone who 

does so much for other people. We had a special time 

with Julie.”      

Julie said they were treated like royalty in New York. 

“They gave me not only the amazing dress, but a never 

to be forgotten memorable time with my son Lee. I’ll 

forever be thankful to Amy Rogers, Ronnie Rothstein, 

Debbie Asprea, and everyone at Kleinfeld’s.”

Fast forward from the New York City back to Florida. 

The bride and groom’s big day happened with many 

relatives and friends in attendance at the beautiful 

and romantic ceremony, followed by a reception at the 

church. All in all, it was a special day for everyone.  

And, as they say, the bride and groom lived happily 

ever after; The perfect ending to a fairytale romance.

Did you know I got married?

story & photo by

 

Kay Phelan

Wedding  Profile 

Say Yes to the Dress

30     |    VIPDestinMagazine.com

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12/27/17   8:52 AM