REAL WEDDING:: Elizabeth Maddox + Cameron Pierce {Ringing in Forever}

December 4, 2025
Ashley Revels
Featured Couples

“Outdoor waterfront wedding ceremony with bride and groom holding hands at the altar, surrounded by bridesmaids in light blue dresses and groomsmen in gray suits beside a wooden cross adorned with flowers.”

::AS SEEN IN THE FALL 2025 DIGITAL ISSUE OF NOW WEDDINGS MAGAZINE::

Photography by: Emma Kent Photography

elizabeth + cameron’s story

For Elle Maddox and Cameron Pierce, their story began long before the vows, back in the seventh grade. “At the time, I just had a big crush on the boy from Chelsea who looked cute in his baseball uniform,” Elle shares. Even through rival high schools and separate colleges, they stayed close. “Cameron always stood out in the way he was pursuing me. It was intentional, respectful, and selfless.”

“Bridal details displayed on a white porch with a rocking chair, including blue cowboy boots, bow heels, a light blue suitcase with invitations, and a garter.”

“Close-up of emerald-cut diamond engagement ring and wedding bands in a light blue velvet ring box, styled with coastal wedding invitation details.”

Wedding program fan decorated with illustrations of the couple’s love story, event timeline, and guest travel map, tied with a blue gingham ribbon, pictured next to wedding invitations, rings, and a bell.

“Elegant flatlay of white his and hers wedding vow booklets with blue ribbon, diamond rings, and wedding details on a soft blue background.”

“Bridesmaids in light blue dresses cheer and smile with excitement during a first look moment at an outdoor wedding venue.”

“A smiling bride walks hand-in-hand with her bridesmaids in light blue dresses on a sunny lawn in front of a white Southern-style mansion.”

“Bride and bridesmaids holding hands in a prayer circle before the outdoor wedding ceremony, wearing white and light blue dresses.”

By college, their friendship had deepened into something more. “He made a point to see me every single week without failure,” Elle says. After years of long-distance drives between Auburn and Birmingham, Cameron proposed on April 20, 2024, aboard his family’s boat near Robinson Island in Orange Beach. “He surprised me with 50 plus friends and family at Zeke’s – it was the most overwhelming joy I’d ever felt.”

Groom standing with his back turned during a playful first-look moment as a man wearing a floral dress and red scarf smiles at the camera on a covered outdoor walkway.

Groom in a light gray suit smiling as he turns to see a person playfully dressed in a floral dress with a red cloth over their head during a humorous first-look moment on a covered walkway.

Groom in a light gray suit laughing and covering his face as a friend dressed humorously in a floral dress and red scarf pretends to be the bride during a playful first-look prank outside a light-colored building.

“A large wedding party of groomsmen in light gray suits stands together outdoors under mossy oak trees near the water.”

“Bride smiling at the camera before first look with groom in light gray suit on a white porch.”

“Bride and groom share emotional first look on bright white porch, bride smiling in strapless wedding dress.”

Their coastal wedding at the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach was a reflection of faith, community, and pure fun. Elle walked down the aisle and she and Cameron stood beneath a wooden cross built by her father, while the officiant, who had baptized her as a child, held her grandfather’s Bible. Seventeen bridesmaids surrounded her, each part of the close-knit circle she’d built over the years.

Bride and groom exchanging rings during an outdoor waterfront wedding ceremony, standing beneath a wooden cross decorated with blue and white flowers, surrounded by bridesmaids in light blue dresses and groomsmen in gray suits.

Bride and groom sharing a romantic dip-and-kiss on a grassy waterfront at sunset, with the bride’s long veil flowing behind them and soft light reflecting off the water.

Close-up of a bride and groom embracing under the bride’s flowing veil, smiling as they lean in for a kiss during their wedding portraits.

Guests signed personalized cornhole boards in lieu of a traditional guest book, cooled off with snow cones, and danced all night to Trotline. Instead of flower girls, Elle chose their beloved grandmothers as “flower grannies,” and their joyful smiles set the tone for the ceremony. As the couple made their grand exit, friends and family rang vintage brass bells the pair had spent a year collecting from antique stores across Alabama.

Wedding welcome sign decorated with white and pastel flowers and greenery, displayed outside a venue entrance, welcoming guests to Elle and Cameron’s June celebration.

Close-up of a three-tier white wedding cake decorated with white roses and light blue hydrangeas cascading down the side, displayed on an ornate silver cake stand.

Outdoor snow cone cart at a wedding, featuring a light blue stand with “Snow Cones” lettering, colorful syrups, cups, and a white fringe umbrella in front of a white building.

Close-up of a collection of small decorative bells on a wooden display, including a colorful enamel bell and a brass bell with a pineapple handle, each tied with a ribbon.

At the reception, Cameron performed a song he’d written for his bride. It was, as Elle described, “the most wonderful day of my life.”

Bride and groom smiling as they cut their white tiered wedding cake decorated with blue and white flowers inside a bright reception venue with large windows.

Close-up of a bride and groom holding two silver toasting goblets with monogram engraving and pink ribbon bows tied around the stems.

Bride and groom dancing during their wedding reception, smiling as the groom twirls the bride under a white reception tent decorated with string lights and blue floral arrangements.

Bride and groom smiling at their wedding reception, both wearing matching hats that say “Lucky,” with the bride holding a silver goblet decorated with a pink ribbon.