When tying the knot, these two teachers wanted to give their guests a taste of what Atlanta had to offer, so they started with a favorite piece by local artist, Britt Bass. From there, they chose the look for their colorful day, brought to life by Elizabeth Marie Weddings + Events. With the couple’s big smiles, the fabulous florals by Victory Blooms, and photographs that keep us coming back all day long captured by Amy Arrington, this Southern wedding at Piedmont Park gets and A+ in our book.
From the bride… We are both elementary school teachers. Josh and I met when I was moving into my classroom right before my first year of teaching. Another teacher in the building suggested Josh deliver some books to my classroom and introduce himself. So, Josh came by with some books, and we immediately hit it off. We would spend hours walking at the park near our school after work that fall, and two years later at that same park, Josh was down on one knee proposing!
We knew we wanted to get married in a park, and what better park in Atlanta than Piedmont Park? Josh’s family is from Michigan, so we wanted to give them a taste of Atlanta. Our welcome bags were filled with Atlanta goodies, and our accommodations were right in the heart of Midtown.
When planning our wedding, we were very intentional. Our ceremony alone totally reflected us as a couple. When thinking back, we always say, “That was so us!” We asked Josh’s brother, Chad, to perform our ceremony, had a friend read a poem about all of the things you learn in Kindergarten (Josh is a Kindergarten teacher!), and exchanged our own written vows.
My favorite local artist is Britt Bass, so we actually decided to use one of her paintings as our inspiration for all of the colors – lots of reds, pinks, berries, blues, and some hints of gold throughout. We even used the painting as the backdrop for the seating chart. We decided to give guests each a cookie from our favorite local bakery, The Patio, to say thank you. When it came to choosing a guest book, we chose one of our favorite children’s books, How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Our groom’s cake was actually a tower of donuts with Star Wars characters to top it.
My most special memory from the day was walking down the aisle to my groom. I will never forget the feeling I got when the doors opened, squeezing my dad’s arm extra tight while saying, “I love you,” and finally seeing Josh standing at the end of the aisle. We decided not to do a first look, so this was such a special moment for us.
My wedding band was actually custom made using nine of my grandmother’s diamonds. The diamonds were given to her from my grandfather in the form of a necklace. I also wore two pieces of jewelry from my other grandmother – a gorgeous vintage ring that my grandfather had given to her on their 25th wedding anniversary and a beautiful bracelet my dad had given her when I was born.
One of my favorite stories looking back is my dad’s speech right before our father daughter dance. My dad is typically a man of few words, but that night, he shared so many touching words about Josh’s and my relationship and becoming one family. It was beautiful. Of course, we were both too emotional after that to remember all of our practiced moves to our dance!
We absolutely love to dance. Our first dance was to the first song Josh ever sang to me while we were dating, Everything. Our last dance was to one of our favorite songs to dance to in the kitchen, La Vie En Rose. We couldn’t help looking around while we were dancing, talking about how amazing the night was and how lucky we truly were to have each other and all of these amazing people there to celebrate.
If I could offer one piece of wisdom to couples planning a wedding, I would say to choose the right vendors for you and your vision. Throughout the entire process, I had the best vendors that went with my vision for the day so perfectly. I loved getting to think out of the box, and my wedding planner and vendors were so supportive with my ideas. They were the ones who were able to make it all come to life! The colors, the flowers, the calligraphy, the art, the special touches… It was amazing the way they all pieced it together to bring my dream to life!
Photography: Amy Arrington Photography | Cinematography: BEV Weddings | Event Planning + Design: Elizabeth Marie Weddings And Events | Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones | Cake: Lush Cakery | Bridesmaids' Dresses: BHLDN | Catering: Proof of the Pudding | Hair + Makeup: Jennifer C Nieman | DJ: Jesse Busch | Tent Rental: James Nesmith | Bridal Boutique: The White Magnolia | Ceremony & Reception: Piedmont Park | Floral Design, Decor: Victory Blooms | Furniture, Draping, Lighting, Linens: Crush Event Rentals | Invitations, Signage, Stationery: Ashley Buzzy | Trolley: Marietta Trolley Company