Georgia Weddings

Sweet and simple is the name of this bride’s game and if you’re a vintage chic loving type of girl too, pay close attention because this wedding is almost too adorable for words! Each and every detail was captured perfectly by Kristy Dickerson Photography, from the cool vintage family blankets that lined the aisle to the spread the love jam favors, this wedding is filled to the brim with the cutest ideas ever. Click here for even more!

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From Kristy Dickerson Photography… Jeremy and Lindsey tied the knot under a oak tree in the North Georgia mountains, surrounded by their closest friends and family. No detail was overlooked — hay bales with family vintage blankets lined the aisles, the bride’s bouquet was made using her mother’s brooches, and the couple “spread the love” with homemade jam favors. It was one of my favorite weddings to date. We had a gorgeous sunset and they got to enjoy their first sunset as husband and wife on a nearby lake.

Wedding Photography: Kristy Dickerson Photography / Wedding Venue: Stowers Farm in Dawsonville, Georgia / Floral Design: Lanierland Florist / Event Design: The Bride / Event Coordination: Jinny Tidwell / Wedding Invitations: iheartstationeryshop / Wedding Dress: Ella Rosa / Bride’s Shoes: Kelly & Katie

This pretty little world we live in offers some of the most splendid settings, and the beautiful thing is that all you’ve gotta do is step outside. Of these, the forest provides the most brilliant of backdrops, with its bajillion shades of green bursting through the leaves as the sun shines through. And this wedding from Laura Deas Photography, filled with Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio’s exquisite blooms, has every bit of wonder and majesty that the land of timber brings, all wrapped up in one amazing day at the brides’ parents’ home in the woods. See every moment of this backyard wedding right here in our gallery. 

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From the Bride… Gannon and I first met each other in high school when we were 15 and 16. For Gannon’s 30th birthday, I was invited by a mutual friend to celebrate his birthday. At the time, I did not know it was Gannon’s birthday. I remember walking up and asking, “What are doing here?” (in a good way). Within a month of seeing each other again, we started dating. We dated for longer than most couples before we got married, but I always knew he was the one when we started dating. After we got engaged, we started on a new adventure in Atlanta due to my job. As you can imagine, it made wedding planning a challenge in a new place.

When Gannon and I were trying to pick the perfect place to have our wedding, we wanted an outdoor setting. We thought about the beach, but it just did not seem like the right fit for us. A small wedding with family and close friends was a must. As we were celebrating my parent’s 46th wedding anniversary, we were still looking for the perfect place. My parents suggested we have it at the cabin they were purchasing in the beautiful mountains in Ellijay, Georgia. At that point the planning began. With the fabulous help from my family, we had the cabin ready for the perfect wedding. Gannon even built the our altar.

Everything just started to come together once we picked the perfect photographer. After that came all the rest, including a florist who took my vision and turned into some of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. It was the perfect day to bring together our family and friends to celebrate our wedding.

Wedding Photography: Laura Deas Photography / Wedding Venue: The Bride’s Parents’ Home in Ellijay, Georgia / Floral Design: Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio / Catering: Catering by Cindy / Cupcakes: The Sweet Shoppe of Blue Ridge / DJ: Espeute Productions / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm via Wedding Angels / Bride’s Shoes: Coloriffics / Bride’s Jewelry: Lorren Bell / Hair + Makeup: Serenity in the Mountains

Saddle up, SMPers, because this wedding from Stephie Hicks Photography is full, I mean full, of gorgeous details you are sure to love. It has everything you could want from the beautiful, beautiful florals from Apple Blossom Flower Shop, to the most perfect of venues, to the sweetest bride and groom chairs at the flawlessly rustic reception. You’ll be asking for more, but don’t fret, we have the full gallery right here for even more eye candy.

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From Stephie Hicks Photography… Travis and Brittany’s wedding was one of my favorite weddings to date!  I go absolutely gaga over weddings like this!  Brittany and her family left no detail untouched.  They diy’ed and handmade everything they could.  I can’t get over how beautiful everything was – even something as simple as the bridesmaid bouquets made out of baby’s breath!  The Brittany and her bridesmaids started the day getting ready at the York House in Rabun Gap, GA.  The ceremony and reception were across the road on the property of a close family friend.  The ceremony was held in from of a gorgeous pond with the North Georgia mountains in the background and the reception was housed inside a really fantastic barn. 

Wedding Photography: Stephie Hicks Photography / Wedding Venue: The Home of a Friend in Rabun Gap, Georgia / Floral Design: Apple Blossom Flower Shop / Catering: Oinker’s BBQ (706-782-7010) / Wedding Cake: 211 Main Street Restaurant & Bakery / Printing: He Saw Sparks / DJ: Ray McKnight + Larry Nelms / Tent: Mountain Party Tents & Events / Wedding Dress: Impression Bridal via New Natalie’s Bridals / Maid of Honor’s Dress: Light in the Box / Bridesmaid’s Dress: The Red Dress Boutique / Flower Girls’ Dresses: Bailee Boo’s Boutique / Hair + Makeup: Laura Edwards of Cloud 9 Salon (706-782-9990) + Kristen Mote / Men’s Tuxedos: Jim’s Tuxedos via Cannon’s

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

This couple deserves a standing ovation, a really nice prize or how about just a lot of big ol’ whopping respect from us here at SMP for putting together such a gorgeously tasteful and stylish wedding with a modest budget. We are so impressed with the bride’s DIY execution, and the fact that she partnered with Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards to hold the first wedding ever at the venue is just icing on the cake. The pictures are simply a must; so enjoy browsing through all of them in the gallery, courtesy of Ashley Ryan Photography.

From the Bride… I stumbled upon Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards while my fiance and his parents were wine tasting in the North Georgia mountains one weekend. While talking to one of the staff members, we got onto the conversation about weddings, how popular they have become on vineyards, and how I have always dreamed of having my wedding on a vineyard. Fate took over because the staff member informed me the venue was finishing up their wedding venue and looking to book their first wedding. I immediately got in touch with the owner and set up a time to come see the venue. It was perfect and everything I could have wanted. It was homey, vintage, romantic, laid back, simple, and absolutely breathtaking! I am proud to say that I did everything DIY and created this wedding on a serious budget. The total cost of my wedding was — ready? $5,000.00! Everything turned out perfect and could have not been more enjoyable. For it being the venue’s first wedding, they assisted in so many tasks and were helpful every step of the planning process. I am truly blessed to have family and friends with such creative minds and help me along the way — and Pinterest!

 

The venue really came through on decoration. Instead of chairs, I opted for their cloth benches that have”live, laugh, love, dream” painted on them.  The view was immaculate enough, so to go along with the winery theme I had a wine barrel replace where an altar would be that we placed our unity candle on. Along the aisle, we had stakes in the ground with candle holders hanging on them. It was tastefully simple. My little niece walked down the aisle with a “here comes the bride” sign before I walked out. Another idea from Pinterest. My little nephew carried our rings on a pillow my grandmother made out of her mother’s lace handkerchief. Such a sweet idea. For the reception, I used the tables provided by the venue and rented white linens. I got half my table top ideas from Pinterest, and my grandmother added her special touch to the other half of tables. I bought birch wood slices off the internet and put mason jars with candles in them wrapped in lace. It created such a romantic ambiance. My grandmother put together vintage bird cages. Our food was catered by Moe’s Original BBQ. We know the owners, so they definitely went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. The menu hung from a clothespin on chicken coop wire, which was another idea from Pinterest! My cake was made by my mother’s cousin who owns a bakery. She made tiers miniature cupcakes, and at the top of the tier, she placed a mini cake for us to cut.  The grooms cake was made of mini red velvet cupcakes with butter cream icing on top! Our DJ is my dear friend’s husband. He really pumped up the crowd and played such a variety of music. For a guest “book,” we had a large wooden L made that our guests signed with a metallic pin. It really turned out great, and now we now have it hanging in our house.

Everything about this wedding expressed Colt’s and my taste and laid-back nature. Out main concern was for everyone to feel comfortable, have a great time and enjoy the breathtaking view of the vineyard. Guest were coming up to me, saying it was one of the best weddings they have been to, which made me so happy — I never thought I would have a wedding due to my budget, but if you plan accordingly, take on your own tasks and make it about you and your husband, everything will fall in place. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be perfect because we couldn’t afford the luxuries I thought I “needed” but it indeed turned out perfect!

Wedding Photography: Ashley Ryan Photography / Wedding Venue: Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards in Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia / Floral Design: The Bride’s Grandmother / Event Design + Planning: The Bride + Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards / Catering: Moe’s Original BBQ / Wedding Invitations: Invitations by Brittany / DJ: To the Rescue Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Bari Jay via Wedding Angels Boutique / Bride’s Shoes: Lulu Townsend / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Wedding Angels Boutique / Men’s Tuxedos: Calvin Klein via Men’s Wearhouse

I can’t help but get excited for a new week to begin here at SMP Georgia. Where else can all you Georgian brides to be find gorgeous inspiration right in your own back yards? And speaking of backyards, we’ve got quite the pretty little number to brighten up your Monday morning. Captured brilliantly by Amy Arrington Photography, this laid back wedding has me wishing for a yard as pretty as this one. Click here for even more!

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From the bride… Our special day was perfect for us! We didn’t have the added stress of will he or won’t she say “I do” because, well, we already had. Russ and I eloped about a year prior to our wedding day and I couldn’t have planned it better myself. Once we made the announcement to our families, the planning began immediately. His parents’ backyard was the perfect location for us and things organically fell into place after we made that choice. Our “Save the Date” was a playful postcard that explained our story and set the tone for the good times to come!

We had a ceremony, with close friends and family, under two old oak trees in the backyard. The  ceremony was light-hearted and laid back. Exchanging our vows with those closest to us made the whole experience complete. Acoutic versions of songs we love, such as Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love” for the processional and exiting to Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” were played. A cocktail hour was the perfect transition from ceremony to reception, and as the remaining guests arrived, they were greeted with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the garden. An amazing dinner was served; afterwards, the first dance at sunset with the farm in the background and string lights overhead was purely magical. We hardly wanted to stop dancing and visiting with everyone to cut our beautiful carrot cake wedding cake or for the send off. In fact, we faked the send off and came right back, in our comfy clothes, to hang out until the night came to an end. The perfect ending to a long but wonderful day was our beautiful cabin awaiting us at Barnsley Gardens just down the road from the reception.

We were told in the planning process “if you can make it through planning a wedding, you can make it through anything.” I’d say we made it!  In fact, I think it enabled us to focus on the happiness we’ve found together and to enjoy the day. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Photographer: Amy Arrington Photography / Florist: The bride, William Towne + Evelin Garcia / Venue: Groom’s parents’ home / Band: The Dam Band / Caterer: Theresa Corcoran / Shoes: Laredo / Jewelry: Family / Cake: Perfect Wedding Cake / Dress: Vera Wang / Catering: Theresa Corcoran