The bride went barefoot; bluegrass music played, and sunshine and suspenders were the name of the game! I absolutely love an honest-to-goodness southern country wedding which is EXACTLY what this wedding was in every shape and form. Many of the details, including the flower bouquets, masen jars AND the bride’s wedding dress (amazing, right??) were homemade. The couple picked the perfect venue for this intimate and laid-back affair, The Barn at High Point Farms, and you can pretty much feel the warm sunshine radiating from the full gallery of photos, courtesy of Claudia McDade Photography. Absolutely lovely!
From the Bride… Will and I met the very first day of college in our very first class as freshmen at Berry College. I walked into the room, and he walked up to me, shook my hand and introduced himself. It was weird but sweet, so I sat next to him. Will claims he fell in love with me right then and there — but we both had significant others at the time so I would say we became friends…. and initially I could not really stand him! Over the years, we became close friends and started dating our senior year of college. He proposed to me on Halloween at a String Cheese Incident concert in Virginia in 2010! We spend a lot of our time going to concerts, volunteering and making artwork out of various media!
I really love the feel of a southern country bluegrass wedding. I just knew that I wanted mason jars and bluegrass music to be involved, and I wanted to be barefoot and outside. I got a lot of ideas from blogs, magazines, Pinterest and, of course, from my family and friends. My art teacher from high school, Deb Sumpter, as well as my mother, Laurie Cerretani, played a big role in creating signs and coming up with ideas for decorating the inside of the barn. My “second mom,” Mary Kay Parry, made all of the bow ties the men and ring bearer were wearing! My mom and I picked out the fabric, and Mary Kay Parry made them! My mother-in-law, Susan, and her best friends put all my flowers together as well. I told her my favorite flowers, sunflowers and daisies, and she went from there! She and her friends grew a large amount of the flowers, and they also selected some from the Atlanta farmers’ market. Erin Coughlin, Will’s brother’s girlfriend, MADE my wedding dress, and our bakery actually GAVE me the cakes as a gift because I used to work there in high school. Most of the decorations were found in antique stores, including the window pane for the menu and vases.
Just like everyone predicted the whole day went by so incredibly fast, but I have to say I did enjoy every minute of it. My sisters, Maria Cerretani and Elise Broz; my bridesmaids; my sister’s boyfriend, John Russ; my dad, Jerry Broz; and my mom all worked their tails off on the hottest day of the year to put everything together that morning!! The ceremony was simple and sweet. Will and I created it together with the help of a dear friend, Kathleen Rife. Our minister was a close friend of Will’s family, as well as the religion professor at Berry, which made the homily very sweet and personal. I think my favorite part was when my mom read an Apache wedding prayer that my grandmother had in her diary. It was so beautiful. Not to mention the fact that it was my grandparents wedding anniversary as well! There was just a buzz of positivity and happiness all around even though we were all melting from the heat! After the ceremony, the reception started, and we had the King of Pops come with their DELICIOUS local and seasonal popsicles! Bluegrass music was playing and family and friends were all over the place looking at the goats, playing games, eating popsicles, or just trying to stay cool. I danced my heart out with family, friends and the flower children! My father-in-law, Jim Watkins, played with the band, which was a big highlight of the night for me! My dad, my sister, and my brother-in-law all made beautiful speeches that I will never forget. It was such a wonderful day! I had so many people tell me it was the best wedding they had ever been to (even the caterers said that) and that truly made all the hard work feel worth it! Anyway, we had a nice sparkler send off and hopped onto a party bus with our best friends and partied the night away!
Wedding Photography: Claudia McDade Photography / Wedding Venue: The Barn at High Point Farms in Flintstone, Georgia / Floral Design: Susan Watkins, Karla DesPrez, Kathie House + Sandra Morris (The Groom’s Mother + Her Friends) / Catering: Famous Dave’s / Wedding Cake: Bill Rhodes Bakery / Popsicles: King of Pops / Music: The Allen Tolbert Unit / Wedding Dress: Erin Coughlin (The Groom’s Brother’s Girlfriend) / Hair + Makeup: Hairbenders / Bow Ties: Mary Kay Parry