Hannah & Jon’s relationship is full of family, heritage and legacy, so it was only natural that their Georgia wedding included those things too! Their families have so much history together, (Jon’s mom helped Hannah’s mom get ready on their wedding day!), and it felt like this wedding was one big happy family of 200 people, full of so much love for Hannah & Jon. A color palette of lush greens, shades of purple and neutrals were the perfect fit for to create an organic & romantic aesthetic with a modern twist. Adding modern touches throughout the venue and Hannah’s sentimental heart, every detail was so perfectly thought out to create an inviting wedding day full of special moments. Lauren Carnes Photography captured it all beautifully in the images we have below, and Hannah is here with us sharing more insight into her wedding planning and her wedding day!
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
My wedding planner, who also happened to be my then future sister-in-law, Marilisa Schachinger of Martel Event! Marilisa seamlessly combined me and my husband’s taste, style and preferences and created a wedding that perfectly captured our vision. It helped so much to have someone walk me through the planning process. My husband and I were only engaged for six months, and I was in my last semester of college during my engagement (I graduated two weeks before my wedding!), so the planning process would have complete chaos without Marilisa! Having a wedding planner helped me to enjoy wedding planning rather than being stressed and overwhelmed.
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
It was important for me to work with people who really put their hearts into what they do. To me, this made the whole wedding a lot more heartfelt and meaningful — people were using their amazing talents and gifts to help me and my husband celebrate our love for one another. That’s so special! When a vendor’s heart is in their work, it shines through in all aspects of their business. My vendors were so helpful, thorough, accommodating, kind, organized, and produced beautiful results. Everyone — our photographer, florist, caterer, baker, d.j., calligrapher, venue staff — everyone truly loved their work and it was so evident on our wedding day!
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
My husband and I wanted our wedding to have a really sweet, inviting, romantic, almost magical vibe, and I think our venue’s exposed brick walls and hardwood floors set the stage for our desired aesthetic. I love flowers and candles and tulle and ribbon, so our wedding was essentially a combination of my favorite things. I also have a very nostalgic and sentimental heart, so it was important to me that every detail have a specific meaning and purpose. We incorporated lots of family heirlooms and a few special traditions in our big day (see below!). We added lanterns and lots mercury glass, and the final product was exactly what we’d envisioned! More importantly, Jon and I wanted our wedding to reflect those closest to our hearts — our God, our families and our friends. We also just wanted to have a total blast! Our wedding truly captured the things most important to us. We honored our faith, our family history and those who have made us who we are all at the same time. To top it all off, we ate really good barbecue and we broke it down on the dance floor. Our wedding was really the best day ever.
Below are some of the heirlooms and traditions we incorporated into our wedding:
Heirlooms:Our guest book and gift table displayed old family wedding photos.We used my great grandparents’ silver serving platter as a card tray.I wore my mom’s petticoat underneath my wedding dress and my grandmother’s monogrammed mink stole.We cut our cakes using the silver cake servers my grandparents’ used at their wedding, and our cakes were displayed on my mother-in-law’s antique milk glass cake stands.Traditions:My husband and I both lost our grandmothers during our engagement. In remembrance, my grandfather and my father-in-law each carried a white rose down the aisle and placed it in the seats next to them during the ceremony.In a private moment at the beginning of the ceremony, my husband and I circled up with our parents at the alter. Each parent shared a blessing for our marriage. This wedding tradition comes from the Old Testament of the Bible. It was so special to hear our parents’ hopes, dreams and prayers for our life together as husband and wife.My grandfather recited a prayer that was read at both my grandparents’ and my great grandparents’ weddings. He actually read the prayer from his parents’ wedding program!
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
Our wedding felt like one big family reunion. Every single guest at our wedding helped in some way to grow and mature me and Jon throughout our lives. It was so special to have childhood neighbors and distant relatives and family friends and people from all over the country and our brothers and sisters and cousins and grandparents and parents in one place to celebrate in our marriage. In terms of the wedding itself, my favorite sentimental moment was our private vows during the ceremony. Jon and I took a moment during the ceremony to step away from the alter and privately promise our hearts to one another. My sister, who was also my maid-of-honor, sang one of me and Jon’s favorite songs during our private vows. It was a great way to keep our guests engaged and entertained while Jon and I shared and intimate and special moment! My favorite surprising and fun moment was during our recessional. My husband’s family is originally from Scotland, so in honor of his heritage, my mother-in-law secretly hired a bagpiper to play during our recessional. As soon as the preacher pronounced us husband and wife, a traditional Scottish piper, kilt and all, appeared out of nowhere and started playing the bagpipes! My husband was COMPLETELY shocked. It was such a fun surprise for my groom, our bridal party and our guests!
What is your best piece of advice for other brides?
A dear family friend gave me the best advice about a week before my big day: your wedding is successful if you leave married. I’d tell any bride-to-be to avoid getting caught up on the to-do lists and the Pinterest boards the general engagement chaos and craziness. Those things cease to exist after the wedding. What really matters is the marriage! Use your engagement as a time to lay a strong foundation for your life as husband and wife!
Vendors who made it all happen…
Venue: The Engine Room // Wedding Planning & Coordination: Martel Event // Photography: Lauren Carnes Photography // Bouquets: Stylish Stems //Linens: Keith Watson Events // Invitations & Calligraphy: Confetti Press // Hair & Makeup Artist: Abigail Burke // Catering: White Tiger Gourmet // Bride’s Dress: Catherine Deane from BHLDN // Shoes: Nina // Men’s Attire: The Black Tux //
Lauren
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Thank you for sharing! I loved all the sweet sentiments and family traditions that Hannah included in her special day. The look on the groom’s face during the surprise bag piper recessional was priceless :)
What store are the bridesmaids dresses from? Are they the same designer?