We’ve seen many a wedding where the Bride wore her mother or grandmother’s dress, but this story is a bit different. This stunning Bride, Anna, wore her grandmother’s dress that was also worn by her mother, four sister and 14 other women in their family! A truly special heirloom that inspired her vintage style soiree. Anna also had two more wardrobe changes, totaling three dresses. Amazing right? Eliza Morrill captured every moment (and every fashionable number) of this meaningful day—see it all here.
From Eliza Morrill… When most brides envision their wedding day, they likely don’t envision wearing the same dress as her mother and all four of their sisters – much less by fourteen other women in their family! For Anna, though, that wasn’t the case. Wearing the dress that her great grandmother purchased in 1965 was an honor and a necessity. For that reason, she based her whole day around the dress, keeping everything light and elegant to match the vintage gown. Anna, a nurse, and Nick, an attorney, met in Anna’s hometown of Columbus, Georgia, and immediately hit it off. Though Nick was living there and Anna two hours away in Atlanta, it didn’t take long for them to realize that they were meant to be. Anna soon moved back to her hometown and, not much longer, the two were engaged! When Anna began planning their wedding, she knew that she wanted to celebrate all of the meaningful relationships in their lives: “I envisioned our wedding day being a really happy and beautiful day. I knew it would be very emotional and full of love – not only between Nick and me, but between our families and friends.”
The end result was a classic, elegant day with pops of fun and color to make it truly stand out. As the youngest of five girls, Anna wanted to ensure that her sisters’ dresses had a little extra “something” to distinguish them from the rest of her bridesmaids, who wore floor length, pale pink gowns. That said, she opted for the same dress but with a pop of color – a colorful, floral watercolor design on the skirt. It was the perfect touch. Nick and his groomsmen opted for white dinner jackets – the perfect compliment to the girls’ attire. Even the couple’s dog, Nala, made an appearance – sporting one of the most breathtaking flower collars I’ve ever seen. When choosing her vendors, Anna made it her priority to keep things local. “It was important to me to highlight our wonderful vendors here so I decided to ‘shop small,'” she said. “My good friend Courtney made my bridesmaids’ earrings. Our family friend at Shuler Studio designed the beautiful monogram that we used everywhere from the invitations, to the cocktail napkins and stirrers, to the gobo lit up on the gorgeous rock wall at The Big Eddy. My sisters even did the calligraphy!”
Though the details and vendors made the day unique and special, one part of the day, in particular, stood out to Anna: “My favorite moment, hands down, was walking down the aisle. I loved holding my dad’s arm and I LOVED seeing Nick’s face. I also loved those couple of minutes right before walking down the aisle with just me and my dad. It was a special feeling.”
For her reception, Anna felt that a wardrobe change was in order: “Although I loved the traditional feel that my mother’s gown had, I thought for the reception I would wear something a little more trendy- So I went with a BHLDN dress and belt that my best friend and maid of honor, Rion, surprised me with!”
Anna + Nick’s reception reflected her new dress – traditional decor but with a little more fun. “I wanted to surprise Nick and my dad with a few things, so I got the local cigar store to help me find a cigar roller to come to the reception. We had a cigar and bourbon/scotch bar on the patio and the men loved it! We also served mini cuban sandwiches at the cigar bar to go along with the theme,” Anna told us. “Once the band really got started, we handed out light up flower crowns to my bridesmaids and the mother of the bride and groom, which really highlighted them and made them feel special (and beautiful because everyone feels beautiful with a flower crown!)”
To top off the night, Anna opted for one more wardrobe change – an homage to a tradition of her mother’s generation. Anna wore a hot pink dress by Abbey Glass and Nick a blue sport coat as they ran down a tunnel of tossed lavender and sped off in a red cadillac. Truly, it was a day to remember!
“Tradition, family, and community are very important to me,” said Anna, “and I think that is what the guests could feel.”
Photography: Eliza Morrill Photography | Videographer: Perfect Circle Films | Event Planning: P. Hasting Design | Floral Design: Albright's Florist | Cake: Tara Van Etten | Invitations: By Invitation | Ceremony Venue: St. Paul UMC | Reception Venue: Big Eddy Club | Bride's Shoes: Pursona | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Alfred Sung | Catering: Big Eddy Club | Hair and Makeup: Emily Cumings | Groom's Attire: Henri's Formalwear | Bridesmaids' Jewelry: Bent By Courtney | Departure Dress: Abbey Glass | Monogram: Shuler Studio | Reception Dress: BHLDN