She’s a little bit country. He’s a little bit classic. So, when it came time to plan their fall wedding, this Bride and Groom settled on a style they deemed “Southern Elegance.” With a ceremony on the veranda overlooking the golf course and a reception infused with rustic, wood touches, this couple’s sweet vision came to life. See it all (including bridesmaids’ dresses from Weddington Way) from Dori Elizabeth in The Vault!
From JL Designs…We were thrilled that Jennifer and Ryan were referred to us by a long time friend Nate Deaton. From the first time we met with Jennifer she knew what she wanted and was a pleasure to work with. Getting to know them though the process and having the opportunity to watch them join together as husband and wife was a blessing. One of the many joys of our profession is that we get to be apart of our clients lives not only for with weddings but keeping in touch after their big day. We recently caught back up with Jennifer as they welcomed a new baby boy in to their family and opened a new business just right across the street from us. Jennifer told us all about their relationship in a recent conversation that we had with her.
From The Bride…Ryan and I met through mutual friends in the summer of 2010. I remember thinking he was one of the funniest people I had ever known. I thought to myself, this guy has the strongest love for life! We were really young, and he is actually two years younger than myself. That being said…though I felt like a little girl with her first crush every time he was around, I never thought of anything serious involving the both of us. He went off to college, while I stayed here and we led two separate lives.
One year later, he came back home and we reconnected. Age didn’t matter so much to me at this point and crushing was an understatement. When they say “love at first sight” it seems cliche, right? Well, that’s what I always thought. I never believed in this kind of love before. I was actually smitten. On the night of Halloween at around 12:01 in the morning, we decided to make it official and I couldn’t stop the butterflies! I have truly been head over heels ever since.
A year later we brought a precious baby boy into this world. Though it may not have been the exact “time-line” we had always thought of to happen, Brennan was our biggest blessing. I never thought I could love Ryan more than I already did until I watched him love our baby. On the night of January 14th, Ryan got a family friend (who was pursuing photography) to call me and tell me that Ryan had set up a family photo session. I had been wanting to do that for months. Even though it was a little rainy, we got ready and went to our hometown park with the most beautiful little pond with the cutest little bridge. The photographer asked me if I wanted to walk over to the bridge for some pictures and as I was turning around to ask him what he thought about it, he was on one knee holding the ring of my dreams! That night I knew that I was going to live the rest of my life with the most perfect man, for me.
Our inspiration for our wedding was just to be us. I loved rustic and he loved classy. Needless to say, we aren’t very traditional people so right away we knew the wedding would be specific to us. The southern lifestyle is what we have always lived by. Not necessarily “country,” just southern. I love rustic southern charm and he loves golf clubs and such. As we put the two together, we came up with a “southern elegance” style wedding. He wasn’t much into the barn styled weddings (I think they’re beautiful) and I wasn’t too much into the ball room style, so as we merged together the two personalities, we came up with a country club wedding. We got married on the veranda at Cherokee Run Golf and Country Club in Conyers, Georgia. It had a little bit of what each of us loved. I was scared to be completely outdoors because of the fall showers so the covered veranda was the perfect choice for us. It had the most beautiful view over looking the golf course and the beautiful fall colored leaves on the trees. I had a vision in my mind of what I wanted it to look like and it soon became the wedding of my dreams. We had our reception inside the country club. It wasn’t as rustic as I originally wanted so JL Designs quickly created the most beautiful southern feel to our fancy country club reception.
Wedding planning was definitely a very trying experience for me. It was incredibly exciting and so much fun picking and choosing all of our favorite things and combining them into one perfect day. I took nine and a half months to plan. We composed a list of vendors that quickly became our favorites and that’s when our sweet and simple, southern wedding really started coming together. Along with the help of my husband, my maid of honor was the perfect help. She worked with me on every small detail to make sure I would have the wedding she knew I had always wanted. We spent many long nights prepping for decor and making favors. In the end, everything from our “sending s’more love your way” wedding favors to my breathtaking flower arrangements were totally and completely worth every sleepless night.
We got married on October 11, 2014. I catch myself reliving that day, constantly. I remember being so nervous that entire morning. I remember our photographer taking us down stairs, separately, to a column in the lobby of the hotel and her placing my hand into his so we could talk to each other and feel each other for the last time before we would be “husband and wife.” From the moment I felt his hand, I immediately felt an overwhelming calmness. The moment I finally got to walk down the aisle, I was reassured for the millionth time that Ryan was the one God had chosen just for me. Nothing else in this world mattered except for the love I had for him and the undeniable love he had for me.
Photography: Dori Elizabeth - Photographer | Coordination: Nate Deaton | Floral Design: JL Designs | Wedding Dress: Formally Yours | Cake: Sweet Afternoons | Bride's Shoes: David's Bridal | Rings: Van Adams Jewelers | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Weddington Way | Makeup: Airbrush By Carrie | Hair: Jagged Edge Hair Studio | Groom's Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Groomsmen Attire: Men's Wearhouse | Venue: Cherokee Run Golf Club