Everything inside of me fills up with happiness, joy and total awe when I pour through the images from Andrew Thomas Lee of this absolute stunner. Every moment of this day was perfectly picturesque and it’s all thanks to this bride and groom that are, oh, just the cutest things I’ve ever seen. The florals and decor from Beyond Details at The Cotton Warehouse make this wedding ultra rustic chic and the video at the end here from Rodinis Films had tears welling up in my eyes at the moment where this groom saw his bride walk down the aisle. It just doesn’t get better. Take a gander at the full wedding, right here.
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Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… People kept asking why we decided to get married in a little town like Monroe, Georgia, but once they saw our venue they understood why. The Cotton Warehouse is a restored 1890’s warehouse with authentic beamwork, flooring and exposed brick walls. It was exactly what we were looking for. We lucked out that they had just started booking weddings around the time we got engaged, so it was much more reasonable than other venues in Atlanta. We got married on Sunday over Labor Day weekend, which saved us some more money as well. I’ve always loved antiques and Gabe has recently discovered a knack for refinishing vintage furniture. We quickly decided on a vintage theme, with all the appropriate Southern fixins’. As creative as our families and friends all are, I didn’t want anyone to have to lift a finger on our wedding day. That’s where Jakob, from Beyond Details, and Laura Godfrey, my wedding day coordinator, stepped in to help bring our vision to life. They allowed our family and bridal party to relax and enjoy themselves.
Gabe and I are definite foodies, so choosing the right menu to go with our tastes and theme was really important. We went with Southern-inspired comfort foods, such as BBQ pulled pork sliders, a shrimp and grits station and lots of sweet tea. Since I’m an avid baker and blogger, I couldn’t skimp on having scrumptious desserts for our guests. I decided to do cupcakes since it was more budget-friendly, plus I’d found some amazing vintage pieces that I thought would look adorable as cupcake stands. Lesson learned: the more cupcake flavors you have, the more cupcakes people will want to eat. We had way more cupcakes than people but the cupcakes disappeared in a matter of minutes. I didn’t even get to have one myself — we should have done a “cupcake cutting,” I suppose.
Even though it was a good bulk of our budget, the best money spent was definitely on our wedding photographer, Andrew Thomas Lee, and cinematographer, Ryan Rodinis. They were both absolutely phenomenal to work with and were able to capture every moment of our special day impeccably.
For favors, I found a great tutorial on Bake it Pretty for vintage button candies but completely underestimated the amount of time they would take to make. My sweet mom helped slave over them for an entire day, and my maid of honor made an assembly line to put them together. Its the one thing that no one happened to get a picture of, but you’ll have to trust me that they looked adorable. The thought of my dress getting ignited by sparklers was enough for me to consider alternatives for our exit. I decided to make ribbon wands after finding some ribbon on sale at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. Little did I know that these ribbon wands would take 8+ hours to make, but since my adorable niece (and flower girl) Ava still likes to twirl around with them, I’d say it was time well spent. For the ultimate cost savings, instead of driving off in a classic car or a limo, we walked to our hotel. Sure it was raining, but I had a bottle of wine in one hand and my husband in the other, so I couldn’t have asked for more. Looking back, everything came together wonderfully. I am so thankful for all of the help from my amazing husband Gabe, our parents and bridal party, plus our ever so talented vendors.
Wedding Photography: Andrew Thomas Lee / Wedding Venue: The Cotton Warehouse in Monroe, Georgia / Floral Design, Decor + Catering: Beyond Details / Wedding Day Coordination: Godfrey Wedding Design / Wedding Cinematography: Rodinis Films / Cupcakes: Atlanta Cupcake Factory / DJ: Hans Daniels of Nice Guys DJ / Bridal Party Hangers, Table Numbers + Cupcake Display: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Dress: Tara Keely via Bridals by Lori / Bride’s Reception Dress: Allure Bridals via Sweet Elegance Bridal / Bride’s Veil: Sweet Elegance Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Endless / Bride’s Hair Flower: Nicholas Kniel / Bride’s Sash: Bride Beautiful / Hair + Makeup: Rachael Hoch of Face of Makeup / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy / Bridesmaids’ Hair Flowers: Anthropologie / Groom’s Attire: Macy’s / Rings: Palas Jewelers