wedding

James and Brandi- The Retreat at Hiwassee River- Hiawassee, GA

Meet James: the wedding coordinator, the organizer, the selector of vendors and yes, the groom. He is  a teddy bear who teared up at the memory of loved ones who could not make it to the wedding, almost passed out when he saw his bride in her dress for the first time and cried when he told me how emotional this day was for him.  It was so much fun working with this guy on the details of their big day. Brandi called him "the bride". The cool thing with James coordinating everything was that Brandi had all kinds of surprises on her wedding day. One surprise was that she had no idea there was a band! How cool is that? She was able to take the back seat and enjoy the day unlike most brides I work with that are the main "go-to" person for the day. Well done Bride.

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Tiago and Amy - "Amazing Grace" VRBO - Blue Ridge, GA

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This sweet couple tied the knot in Blue Ridge, GA with their closest friends at a cabin, The Amazing Grace Lodge. They rented it for the week. Partied, played, and then got married. 

Question and Answers (sort of...)Tell me about your something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.           My dress is Melissa Sweet, purchased at David's Bridal "something new". These bridal gowns have …

Question and Answers (sort of...)

Tell me about your something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.           My dress is Melissa Sweet, purchased at David's Bridal "something new". These bridal gowns have a secret pocket sewn in along the side.  My husband is Catholic, and so I wore his baptism cross in the secret pocket; this was my "something borrowed". My shoes were a steal. INC from Macy's (I got them on sale for $15!)  - I knew I wanted to wear a pop of color with my shoes and I needed "something blue". So I went with these bright, blue suede pumps. I wore pearl earrings and a diamond tennis bracelet from my great, great Aunt from the 20's; this was my "something old". Everything else was my "something new" and I love the internet! Handmade feather clip, with pearl embellishment Etsy - KirahleyKreations. The boutonniere's: Fly Fishing Lure Bout's ; purchased from Etsy - TieFly. The flower girls' headbands and feather crowns were purchased from Etsy -BrightStarrCoutureCo and dresses purchased from Etsy - PoshPeanutKids. The wedding cake topper "Amy & Tiago" is from Etsy - lightpaper.

 

 

What made you decide on a mountain wedding?

We live in Florida, and we go to the beach just about every weekend. We love being outdoors. We knew we wanted an outdoor wedding, but we wanted a change of scenery. What is better than the beach? The mountains!

What made you decide on a small guest wedding compared to a larger, church and/or venue reception? 

We both wanted to keep it simple and have a small guest list for a few reasons: 1) Tiago's family are all in Brazil, and it's very expensive for them to travel here. We are going to Brazil next year to celebrate our marriage with his family and friends. 2) My mother has dementia, and big crowds make things difficult for her. I wanted her and my father to be able to relax, and enjoy a special day with us. 3) We wanted to have a really nice day that we could share with our loved ones without going in debt over it. We weighed our options, and Blue Ridge won.

What was my best find for our wedding ceremony?

Our altar!  Two days before the wedding, we were in downtown Blue Ridge( at one of the many awesome shops they have there) and I asked my brother-in-law if he had any ideas about how we could make an altar?  The store clerk overheard our conversation, and said she knew where we could find one.  It turns out that her best friend had just gotten married not long ago, and had this rustic altar fashioned from tree limbs.  She showed me a few pictures, and then gave me her friend's phone number.  I tried to rent it from her, but she just wanted to sell it.  I ended up buying it from her for $100, and it was the perfect finishing touch for our ceremony!

If I could do something different, what would it be?

Honestly, I can't think of anything I would want to change.  I'm sure there were lots of stuff that could have been bigger & better, but that's not what we wanted.  I guess if anything, I would have planned the reception music better.  I don't think anyone noticed, but I totally forgot my playlist.. Pandora saved the day.

Vendor's: Hair/Makeup: Katherine Mahinis Officiant: Randy from "Weddings by Randy" Music: Jody Hughes Cake/Food: Ingles Supermarket in Blue Ridge Bridal party bouquets: N & N Florist in Blue Ridge Other flowers were bought from Ingles & Home Depot