WEDDINGS AND EVENTS
about us
Beu•lah (ˈbyu lə)
noun
Origin: Hebrew bəʾūlāh literally, married woman possibly as denoting their future prosperity
DEFINITION:
1. married
2. used in Isaiah 62:4 metaphorically applied to the land of Israel: "Thy land shall be married," i.e., favored and blessed of the Lord. "Beulah Land"
Photo by Lucy Steiner Photography
In 2015, Donna and Joe Meeks planned and executed the concept for a premier wedding and corporate event venue on their pecan farm and named it Live Oak. Their goal... to help make the planning and execution of unforgettable weddings and events in a private, unmatched setting both streamlined and stress-free while producing seamless and perfect events with attention to every minute detail. Their mission... to provide exemplary service and a one-of-a-kind extraordinary experience.
Both Joe and Donna are members of numerous Pecan Growers Associations; the Florida Rental Association; USM Foundation; Farm-to-City Needy Feeding Program; Friends of the Saenger; Pensacola Propeller Club Board of Directors; Friends of Satori Foundation; Fiesta Volunteers, and Pensacola Yacht Club Members. Both are lifetime members of the American Rental Association and University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association.
Joe graduated from USM with degrees in Real Estate and Finance. In conjunction with pecan farming at Live Oak, as past owner and president of Coastal Machinery Co. and Coastal Rentals Co., Meeks’ involvement includes Kubota National Advisory Board; Vice President Pensacola Propeller Club; Association of General Contractors; Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Experimental Aircraft Association; Kappa Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association; Co-Founder and Board of Directors Kubota South; University of Florida Agricultural Research Center Advisory Board; and Institute of Food and Agricultural Science.
Donna is a retired educator with advanced degrees from USM and William Carey University while maintaining National Board Certification in Early Childhood Education. She is owner and CEO of Meeks Industries, owner and proprietor of The French Townhouse, LLC and The Bay House, LLC. As a contributing author for national publications and having served as an adviser to Kubota North America, her designs and concepts were selected by the International Kubota Tractor Corporation as the standard for all North America Kubota dealerships and national advertising campaigns. Previously, Donna served as Florida's Project Leader for ‘Ween Dream', a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit. Memberships include Impact100 Pensacola Bay Area, Pensacola Propeller Club, Delta Gamma Fraternity Alumni, Gulf Coast Education Foundation, Les Masquees Mardi Gras Association, and was selected as “I am Pensacola” by VIP Magazine.
Donna and Joe are the parents of Kelsey Meeks, Whitney Meeks, Chase Munro, and Laura Munro. Kelsey is an attorney specializing in oil and gas litigation with Pipes, Miles, Beckman, LLC. Law Firm in New Orleans. She is Founder and CEO of ‘WEEN DREAM, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit providing Halloween costumes annually to 3,000+ children faced with unique challenges including physical & mental disabilities, homeless, foster system, children with serious medical issues and those who have experienced trauma or natural disasters. www.weendream.org. Kelsey's recent honors include: NOLA's City Magazine Leadership in Law Class; LA State Bar Association Leadership Class; and 2020-2025 LA Super Lawyer Rising Star.
Whitney is an NYU Law School graduate, attorney at Columbia University Medical Center, served in the Peace Corp in Ecuador, author, and JAG Officer in the U.S. Army Reserves Psychological Warfare Division.
Chase is a Regional Disaster Program Manager with the American Red Cross serving as the Manager of Mass Care and Logistics for Mississippi and Alabama, a Rotarian, Friends of the Saenger, Member of the Pensacola Yacht Club, Satori Foundation Volunteer, PYC Race Committee Chair, Fiesta volunteer, and is a Member of the Krewe of Paws.
Laura is owner of Petal & Twig, LLC, serves as Live Oak Marketing Director, and is an active member of Pensacola Impact100, Leadership Gulf Coast Class of 2020, Krewe of Hip Huggers, Inc., Pensacola Propeller Club, Pensacola Yacht Club, Sanders Beach Neighborhood Assoc. Board Member, Co-Chair PYC Entertainment Committee, Friends of the Saenger, Pensacola Museum of Art Guild Board Member, Pensacola Historical Trust, Satori Foundation Member, and Fiesta volunteer.
A place of history and beauty. become a part of it.
A remarkable place to celebrate special occasions or hold meetings! Unique natural elements combined with the raw beauty of Pensacola's quaint Beulah community make Live Oak an extraordinary location to host events. Guests delight in visiting North West Florida’s beautiful countryside and this hidden hamlet only 20-minutes from downtown Pensacola and five minutes from national hotels.
plan·ta·tion/planˈtāSH(ə)n/
noun
synonyms: farm, estate
Definition:
1. an ESTATE or FARM on which crops such as coffee, sugar, tobacco and fruit or nut trees are cultivated.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION . . .
27 Reviews (copy links from old web page and add new ones below)
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https://www.weddingwire.com/vendors/reviews?_ga=2.43914085.1916970726.1738696551-347547945.1738696551
history
A place of legendary romance, extraordinary elegance and unparalleled natural beauty, the land of current-day Live Oak was once part a thousand acre tract of virgin woodlands. Early owner, Floridian lumber baron, Mr. Lee, harvested the abundant timber found on the property in the idyllic community of Beulah, Florida.
Huge virgin yellow pines were milled and shipped to distant ports until almost extinction. By 1815, as Florida was becoming a US territory during the Napoleonic era, today's 185-340-year-old Live Oaks were emerging. By their maturity, logging had ceased. Hidden in the dense forest for centuries, they silently grew into the majestic giants they are today.
Over time, previous primitive homes filled with long-since forgotten memories were reclaimed by the forces of nature. By the early 20th century, parcels from the original Lee tract were repeatedly sub-divided until Live Oak became the 22-acres it is today.
By 1930, during the Great Depression, logging had ceased, Payne Bryant purchased the registered farm and planted a large pecan orchard in the front field hiring neighbors to hand carry water from Lake Blue Heron to keep the pecan saplings alive.
'Farm' and 'plantation' are synonyms as defined by Webster, a plantation is 'a farm or estate on which crops such as coffee, fruit or nut trees are cultivated'. It was then that Bryant coined his tree farm as Live Oak Plantation. Between 2003-2009, a succession of relentless hurricanes wreaked havoc across Florida, and over 200 of Bryant’s original pecan trees were lost, but most of the Live Oaks sustained. Today, a graceful stand of 50 pecan trees remains with new pecan trees planted annually by the Meeks.
Live Oak was purchased in 1990, by current owner, Joe Meeks. Joe and his wife Donna consider themselves caretakers of the land they now share with others to host beautiful events and to preserve the pecan harvesting and farming legacy.
As a model for the Florida Agritourism Program, the Meeks operate the property as an award-winning wedding venue and to keep the farm and farm history alive through pecan harvesting, cultivating and selling sunflowers to farmers, and through annual demonstrations to teach the process of harvesting pecans and other crops through hands-on learning in collaboration with FAA chapters. Students are educated on proven crop production practices to encourage agricultural pursuits for educational, cultural, ceremonial, and historical purposes.
Live Oak is private land, a working farm with inherent dangers, and a private home. As such, the property is open to the public by pre-scheduled appointment only. The property is surveilled by a private security company. motion detectors, and cameras 24/7.