This Swan House Atlanta History Center wedding in Atlanta, GA came with some challenges, like a last minute rain plan among other things, but this couple continued to adapt with incredible grace. To witness Callie’s face, completely elated the ENTIRE day, was pure joy.
From the bride herself …
“Garrett and I wanted each part of our wedding day to be purposeful and dedicated to our family and friends, whose love and guidance is what led us to where we are today. We included as much family as possible into the ceremony, such as asking my big brother to be the officiant, Garrett’s dad to be the best man, our moms to light a unity candle, and our grandparents to perform readings. We also selected the readings to be read by those whose commitment to their own loved ones inspired us.
Although it is quite popular to do a first look, we decided to forgo it and keep our vows private from one another until read aloud in front of our family and friends. All of these decisions brought forth more emotion and joy than we could have imagined for our ceremony. We continued to remind ourselves why we were there, and what the most important part of this process is – each other, our loved ones, and the promises made. Giving up the first look, and time to take photos early, was a huge sacrifice. That being said, the magic of our ceremony made it completely worth it for us!
For our wedding design, we chose elements that we hoped would be elegant and timeless – reflecting the beauty of our chosen venue. The color scheme was black, white, and emerald green, and we chose to make our floral design striking and cohesive, with the all-white blooms, greenery, and black tablecloths. We wanted our reception to include heartfelt speeches from our family members, and as much dancing as possible. One of our most exciting choices was hiring a live band to perform throughout the reception. Our guests went on and on about how fabulous the dancing was, and we had all ages on the dance floor all night long!
One of my favorite parts of the entire evening was surprising my parents with a “thank you” dance. When my parents got married in 1986, their live band was not able to play their requested first dance song, Can’t Keep My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli. Luckily, our band was! So I coordinated in secret with the band director to allow me to grab the mic post-cake cutting, where I gave a brief note of gratitude to my parents for this incredible wedding, and invited them to the dance floor to dance to “what always should have been their first dance.” After about a minute of them dancing, we invited the entire room to join them and I’ve never witnessed anything so magical… I promise you, all 200 guests rushed the dance floor and never left. It was incredible to be instantly swarmed with love and excitement, and such a fun way to kick off the dancing portion of the evening.”
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See the full vendor list of this stunning Swan House Atlanta wedding below the images.
Venue: The Swan House/Atlanta History Center | Coordinator: Megan at Magnolia Celebrates | Photo & Video: Almond Leaf Studios | Florist: Amy Osaba Design | Reception Band: Emerald Empire Band | Wedding Hair & Makeup: Margaret Snider & Co | Wedding Dress: Enaura Bridal | Bridal Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes | Decor: I Do Linens | Rentals: Atlanta Party Rentals | Cake: Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet Inc. |