Morgan and James were married on October 21, 2017 at Stonewall Manor in Cartersville, GA. Read more about Morgan and James’ gorgeous wedding.
James and I were introduced by mutual friends during my freshman year at UGA and James’ senior year. Shortly after, we had a first real date and the rest is history! We dated for the rest of the year at UGA in Athens with countless date nights, football games and memories. When James decided to go to dental school at The Ohio State University, we decided on three years of long distance. We both made the beaten path from Athens to Columbus, Ohio, and vice versa while I finished up undergrad at UGA. We filled the three years with adventures, mini trips in between Athens and Columbus, and tons of date nights. After undergrad, I had the opportunity to attend grad school at OSU and the move wasn’t a question. We were finally back in the same college town in a similar situation: I was starting grad school when James was finishing his last year of dental school.
When celebrating James’ dental school graduation in May 2016 at Amelia Island, James had secretly planned a proposal. Before dinner, we went to take a walk on the beach and both of our families were hiding in the dunes! He arranged so that our parents and siblings could be there to witness and celebrate our next chapter! I was so excited and overwhelmed I think I blacked out the entire time. It was the best surprise of my life (and I'm not easily fooled so I really don't know how he pulled it off)! I think what has kept us together through the last six years is that we've always known we're soulmates: we've always felt God’s plan for us has always been each other.
I wanted our wedding to feel classic, beautiful and timeless when looking at the pictures 10 years later. Our colors were pale blush, navy, gold and white. The groomsmen were in a classic Michael Kors navy suit with blush ties and pocket squares, and bridesmaids wore a blush/shell pink dress. I love pink but focused on bringing it in subtly: all stationery included a blush pink, the wedding party sported it, and I did a light blush pink napkin on the tables. I did all the flowers myself by ordering in bulk - it was my one big DIY project that saved a ton of money. All the flowers at the wedding were white hydrangeas and roses, filled in with baby's breath, eucalyptus, and other greens. It created a very classic look with the tables and wedding party!
My favorite memory from our wedding was when James saw me when I walked down the aisle. We had planned to do a first look, but at noon on our wedding day, James called and said he didn't want to do a first look anymore. The entire day had been planned down to the minute and that big of a last minute change, in my mind, was impossible. But, Katey Penton Photography had magical powers and she reworked our timeline within 30 minutes like it was no big deal. This change impacted our ceremony and the way it felt, big time! I'm so glad James insisted on this change - during the ceremony we felt our friends and family so intimately close to us, and we knew we wouldn’t be there, in that moment, without them. I don't think it would have been quite the same feeling if we had a first look.
I would have never tried on my dress if it wasn't for Leslie! Wedding Angels was the first place I had gone shopping for a dress, and to be totally honest I was not in the mood that day because I had just come from several wedding venues that were a big let-down. But, my mom insisted I try on a couple dresses just to get some ideas while I was in town. When we stopped in Leslie asked if it was my first time trying on dresses, when I replied yes she said., "no problem, we're just going to try-on whatever and have fun!" Leslie was so sweet, no pressure and so relaxed, which totally different than how my day started off.
Leslie was so patient with all the different styles I tried. In my head I wanted a sheath, not strapless and not lace. After trying on 2-3 dresses as I had imagined I wanted, I realized on my petite frame it just looked like I was going to the prom. Leslie pointed me to the Essense of Australia dress that had lace, was strapless, and a "see-through" caged bodice. My first reaction to it on the hanger was like, I am not sure if my Nana is going to approve. Leslie insisted I just tried it out since it was different than what I tried on before. The second I put on the dress I loved it; I had never felt more pretty in my whole life. It was the perfect color that made my skin feel pretty and delicate, the see-through bodice with all the stays and fit-and-flare cut actually was perfect and hugged my my rib cage and hips just the right way, the lace was so timeless and stunning, and especially important was the cathedral length train and sparkles. I loved the tulle and satin under the lace because of the dimension it gave my dress. It was classy, but modern all at the same time. I loved it and knew right away!
Photographer- Katey Penton Photography and 2nd Photographer Jenny V Photography
Ceremony & Reception Location- Stonewall Manor
Wedding Coordinator- Valinda Wood
Wedding Dress- Essense of Australia from Wedding Angels Bridal Boutique
Groom’s Attire- Michael Kors from Wedding Angels Bridal Boutique
Bridesmaid Dresses- Hayley Paige from Wedding Angels Bridal Boutique
Florist- Arranged by the bride, bride’s mother, and bridesmaids
Catering- Flavorful Events Catering
Wedding Cake- Tammy Aldridge
Hair- Uptown Salon
Make-up- Megan Powell
Officiant- Brent Page
Band- Emerald Empire Band
Travel Agent- Joyful Journeys by Lauren
The details of their wedding are just stunning, from the color scheme to the DIY flowers at my location