There truly are no other words to describe this Romantic Garden Wedding wedding day other than PURE MAGIC. Think fairytale vibes meets classic aesthetic for a whimsical affair that is as stylish as it is elegant. Almost every detail was inspired by fantasy from the “Game of Thrones” hairstyles and the sparkly wedding shoes, to the mermaid wedding dress and the Alice in wonderland centerpieces. Keep scrolling to find out more, oh and don't miss a single bit of this day, Shane Hawkins Photography filled the FUL GALLERY to the limit with gorgeous pin-worthy photos.
THE LOVE STORY
How did you meet?
I was friends with Court's brother when I was in high school. They lived one street over from me, so on the weekends, I would have friends over and we would walk to the Courtney's to hang out. Court came home from college one weekend in 2007. There were instant sparks the moment we met, but timing was not in our favor until years later. We kept in touch over the years, and two weeks before I moved home from college in 2013, he asked me on our first official date. We were inseparable from that point going forward.
What is your proposal story?
Court proposed on Christmas Eve of 2015. We were in a long distance relationship at the time and we were doing 4 Christmases that weekend. He picked me up to go to Christmas Eve dinner at his dad's. When we pulled into the driveway, the Christmas lights came on and he had “Marry Me?” Written in lights on the roof!! I screamed and jumped out of the car to kiss him, and obviously, say “YES!” After we had our moment, all of our family was waiting inside to celebrate. It was one of the most exhilarating and magical nights of my life.
FAIRYTALE WEDDING INSPIRATION
Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).
I had never been one of those girls who dreamed of their wedding day since they were 6. My vision for my wedding day was ALL over the place initially! I wanted bold colors, with an elegant, whimsical feel, fairytale touches, and vintage details. When it finally came together, I would describe our theme as Alice in Wonderland, meets Kate Middleton. We picked a romantic garden venue, located on the Tennessee River. I used aqua, blush, and fuchsia as our colors with golden accents. The tables were adorned with moss runners, mismatched teacups filled with petals, and gold candelabras and pedestals. On the interior, we hung oversized gold frames, dressed with fresh flowers. All of these elements blended perfectly into a romantic garden wedding with a whimsical feel.
THE WEDDING FASHION
Tell us about your attire choices.
I researched designers and styles of wedding dresses for MONTHS before I went dress shopping. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted when I walked into Bridals By Lori, home of Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta. My mom, bridesmaids and I picked 13 dresses for me to try on. The dress I ended up falling for was the only dress the bridal consultant had selected. It was a Matthew Christopher mermaid gown with white and silver beading and embellishments. The dramatic low back and tiered horsehair skirt added to the fairytale-inspired theme.
Sticking to the whimsical aesthetic, I chose billowy aqua gowns for my girls with a tulle overlay (Wtoo), and “Game of Thrones” inspired hairstyles. My darling flower girls wore tulle dresses we found on Etsy with fresh flower crowns in their hair. We added some flair with different pairs of Kate Spade Keds to dance the night away in!
HOW THE MAGIC HAPPENED
What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?
We wanted it to be FUN. We wanted to create an experience for our guests, that they would remember. We had the most fun picking out the songs for the ceremony, our first dance, and our bridal party walk out songs. We had a pretty contemporary and specific playlist for the wedding that we had put together for months. This helped set the tone at the reception, and got every guest on their feet at some point!
Tell us about your wedding flowers.
We had a garden wedding, so the florals were an important aesthetic element of our whimsical theme. for my bouquet, I wanted lots of cascading greenery. Baby eucalyptus was elegant, and economical and was accented with blush peonies and fuchsia roses and carnations. On the centerpieces, we used rose petals, and succulents to fill the teacups and teapots,
What did you do for favors?
For wedding favors, we set up a cookie bar. KJ Cookies provided the most beautiful array of decorated cookies in the shapes of wedding gowns, flowers, and our monogram. We found a big gold antique mirror at a thrift store, that we painted with chalk paint “A Sweet Thanks from Court and Rebekah,” and favor bags that said “Love is Sweet.”
Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.
The year and a half leading up to our wedding, my mom and I spent scavenging antique stores, yard sales, and craft stores. The treasures we made out with were mostly mismatched china, candelabras, or really anything that would look better gilded. We used 14k gold paint to cover pedestals, candlesticks, and empty photo frames. These were used for our centerpieces on top of moss runners, and filled with flowers. The mismatched teacups, moss runners, and heavy greenery really complimented our ethereal theme.
VENDORS
Photography: Shane Hawkins Photography | Venue: Crescent Bend House & Gardens | Event Planning: Judy McMill | Floral: Always In Bloom Florist | Stationery: Fleetwood Photo | Videography: Sweet Tea Production | Wedding Cake: Art of Cakes | Hair: Salon Azure | Makeup: Katherine Bartow by Renee Fisher | Transportation: Regal Carriages | Hair: Bellissimo Salon | Bar: The Pour Guys | Groom's Attire: Prestige Tuxedo | Wedding Dress: Bridals by Lori | Wedding Dress: Matthew Christopher | Bridesmaid Dresses: Watters WToo | Floral: Kroger | Favors: KJ Cookies | Favors: Art of Cakes | Catering: Bradford Events | DJ: Ogle Entertainment | DJ: Special Notes Entertainment Agency | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka
