Little Black Book photographer, Artstar by Laura Stone, has shared two terrific Georgia weddings and a super-sassy photoshoot with us. We previewed them yesterday {here} … playing with SMP’s new board builder. But now, it’s time to reveal the whole shebang! First up a wonderfully romantic wedding from last fall at the historic ruins of Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, Georgia …
Mark is a fireman and had to work on Christmas so we were celebrating on Christmas Eve. We were going to dinner, but he insisted that we exchange gifts first. Sitting in front of the Christmas tree, he handed me a box that looked like perfume (that what I’d said I wanted for Christmas). He said he’d “put a lot of thought into the gift.” I opened the box ~ a plain white cardboard box with two bars of Irish Spring soap. A total decoy! I was completely confused. He then got down on one knee, took a ring box out of his jacket and asked me if I would marry him! I was totally shocked. My parents were downstairs, knowing what was going on. They came up and we all celebrated!
We first met our photographer, Laura, at Barnsley Gardens for our engagement session. It gave us a chance to get to know her, and for Laura to see our personalities. Laura Stone is an amazing photographer, she makes you feel so relaxed and I honestly didn’t even know she was there! The pictures she captured were so beautiful and natural and that’s what I wanted for my wedding pictures. I can’t stop looking at our photos!
Our wedding was on a beautiful fall day ~ surrounded by gardens at a peaceful, romantic site in Georgia. Our wedding colors reflected rich fall colors. I chose teal bridesmaids dresses and incorporated sage green, chocolate brown, and tangerine colors in the flowers and décor. I loved the idea of tea lights set up throughout the Ruins and loved that the lanterns made everything look so romantic!
After getting ready, when I first pulled up in the golf cart, I was in total shock over how beautiful and perfect everything looked! All of my nervousness completely went away and I was so excited to get the party started! The weather was also just perfect. Being surrounded by all of my family and friends that I love so much was so amazing. It was so surprising to see everyone who had traveled from all over the country to join us. Mark and I truly had the best time of our lives on our wedding day and we were only hoping everyone that attended did too!
Instead of a traditional wedding guestbook, we found a very unique painting of a tree on etsy. The canvas picture was set up in the front for when guests walked to the ceremony. Guests put their thumbprint on the branches of the tree and signed their name next to their “leaf”. The portrait is framed and now on our mantle above our fireplace. Another kind of unique touch was a life-size Moss Bulldog in the image of my 5 year old English Bulldog that I love dearly. Also, my mom’s very artistic friend, Louisa painted a picture of Mark and me in front of Barnsley Gardens. We used it as the front cover for the dinner menus.
We LOVED all of our vendors! They did a fabulous job of capturing our wedding exactly as I imagined ~ and MORE! We would like to thank the staff at Barnsley Gardens for being so well organized and for making the day flow so flawlessly!
Photography: Artstar by Laura Stone / Floral Design: Maxine & Gabrielle Mecca Edge Design Group / Cake: Frosted Pumpkin / Reception Entertainment: The Atlanta Showstoppers / Guitarist: Keith Gehle / Minister: Chaplain Jeremiah O’Keefe-West /Hair & Makeup- The Moore Agency / Wedding Gown Designer: Watters & Watters / Bridesmaids Dress Designer: Jim Hjelm / Invitation Designer: The Paper Affair / Favors: Kilwin’s homemade Caramel Candy Apples / Wedding Venue: Barnsley Gardens Resort