The Beginning...

A

nn and Gresham both attended Fort Walton Beach 
High School in the mid-90’s and although they knew 
one another, they often found themselves in different 
circles throughout high school. However, it was only a 

matter of time before fate would bring these two together. They 
graduated a year apart and left for college in different states. After 
college, they both moved back to the Destin area for small stints 
at separate times before both moving away again. After several 
years in Atlanta, Ann began to miss the beach and decided to move 
back home again in 2010. Fate was starting to be on their side as 
Gresham finished law school in 2011 and decided to move back 
home to practice law with his father at Anchors Smith Grimsley in 
Fort Walton. 

“We first ran into each other at Half Hitch Tackle in Destin, a 

very romantic setting. It wasn’t long after that Gresham messaged 
me about whether I was going to a Christmas party,” stated Ann. 
However, Ann didn’t attend the Christmas party that year and it 
took another two years of running into one another before they 
decided to meet for a drink. They quickly realized that they grew up 
in very similar families, which made things easy for them since they 
shared the same values. 

Ann realized that Gresham was the one when she brought him 

to her best friend, Darcy’s birthday party. Ann had grown up with 
Darcy’s family and considered them as her own. While Gresham 
was never able to meet Ann’s dad, she knew that if he could pass 
the test from Daddy DeadFish (as they lovingly refer to Darcy’s dad, 
captain of DeadFish Charters), he had to be “The One.” Gresham 
“passed” with flying colors and the weekend was fun for all.

The Proposal...

Since she was a child, Ann has always admired sunsets, especially 

along the Emerald Coast. The beautiful colors paired with the 
emerald green water is just magical. However, during the summer of 
2017 sunset views were limited due to a record amount of rainfall. 
It was a Saturday and the clouds had finally parted so they decided 
to go for a walk. Ann says, “I remember looking at Gresham and 
saying, ‘I bet today will have a great sunset!’” He suggested that they 
go over to Ann’s mother’s house to watch it since the view there 
was incredible. Ann and Gresham were both right, it turned out to 
be the sunset of a lifetime. According to Ann, “I was so consumed 
with taking a zillion sunset photos, but then I turned around 
and there he was on his knee with a ring! Needless to say I was 
surprised!” 

The Wedding...

The months leading up to the wedding were busy for Ann and 

Gresham with work and all of the preparations that go into a 300 
guest list wedding. Choosing the wedding venue was one of the 
easier decisions for the couple. Since they both grew up in the area, 
they knew they wanted something beautiful and local while also 
giving their guests an amazing experience. Sandestin Golf and Beach 
Resort was able to provide all of this. “When we went on the site 
tour we were amazed with all of the different venue options.  With 
so many amenities, our out of town guests were able to enjoy the 

Mae ann 

Grelling

Nicholas Gresham 

Foster

Newlyweds of Destin      

35

photography by 

Darris Hartman Photography

35-36 Wedding Grelling - Foster.indd   1

12/27/18   7:10 PM