Macon Georgia Wedding
Macon Georgia Wedding.
Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?
A: Our pastor encouraged us to read the book “1,001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married” by Monica Leahy. It was such a practical book and I’m so glad we read through it before we got married! We took and conflicts we had while reading it to our pastor during premarital counseling and he guided us through those conflicts in a spiritual context, which is something we were both thankful for!
Photographer: C. Hope Photography
Lab: The FIND Lab (Film Development & Scanning)//Cake Designer: Grounds and Crumbs//DJ: Memory Makers Music and Lighting//Event Planner: Whitewood Events//Reception Venue: Macon Terminal Station//Caterer: Cast Iron Catering//Event Designer: Southern Florals and Drapes//Dress Designer: Carrie's Bridal Collection//Makeup Artist: Intensify by Patience
Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.
A: I was definitely not looking for love the night that I met Sam. I had just gotten home from running errands, wearing my weekend attire of an old t-shirt and tights, when a few girlfriends asked me to join them for drinks at The Hummingbird. I agreed with the condition that Charlie had to come, since The Hummingbird is dog friendly. I didn’t have time to put myself together since they were already en route, so Charlie and I hopped in my girlfriends car “as is” with no idea what was in store for us that night. We walked in The Hummingbird and grabbed some drinks. Everyone was of course drawn to Charlie (he is adorable, but I may be biased) so I spent some time talking to complete strangers and enjoying being with my friends. One of my girlfriends, Brooke, saw a group of her friends from the gym, and went to chat with them. I noticed a very handsome guy was in the group, but thought he’d never notice me, especially since I was in my weekend attire. When Brooke came back from the group, she told me that handsome guy, Sam, had asked her about “the girl with the Dalmatian.” She told me he was a firefighter (what a coincidence) and that he was a really sweet guy. I felt myself blushing but I definitely wasn’t going to approach him. After all, I wasn’t looking for love. A bit later our group of girls ended up seeing more mutual friends who knew the group from the gym. It was then that my friend Callie encouraged me to I talk to Sam for the first time. He was a little shy, but I had a bit of liquid courage. I don’t remember what we talked about, not because I was falling in love at first sight, but because I was so surprised at how friendly Charlie was towards him. Charlie is partially deaf, so he is a bit skittish, especially when in a large (and loud) crowd. Charlie is a great judge of character, and whenever he has been nervous around someone, there has always turned out to be a reason. He was so relaxed around Sam, and even nudged him to keep petting him! Then it happened. My favorite song from one of my favorite movies came on, “The Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing. I immediately morphed into ‘Baby’ with one of my guy friends, Tony, volunteering for the role of ‘Johnny’ for the epic lift scene. It didn’t go quite like the movie, but not for lack of trying on Tony’s part. After a few unsuccessful attempts with Tony, I sought a new volunteer. Seeing my enthusiasm, Sam stepped up. There I was, jumping into the arms of a complete stranger, with neither of us having any idea what we were really jumping into. Fast forward almost two years later, we went to Asheville, NC for my birthday weekend. I just knew he was going to propose that weekend. He had planned for us to go to Biltmore Estate and I looked up places for us to go hiking, two perfect places for a proposal. I frantically searched the house hoping to confirm my suspicions. Despite the weeks of looking, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I figured he had caught on to my sleuthing and asked a friend or family member to keep it safe. Still, I just knew he was going to propose. I even got a manicure in preparation for the proposal! The weekend came and went, and even though we had a wonderful trip, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed he hadn’t proposed. On Monday morning all of my friends at work asked to see my left hand, and I came back with nothing to show, feeling the sting a bit more each time someone asked. We started making our holiday plans and the disappointment faded with my excitement surrounding Christmas. We had planned to celebrate Christmas early with my aunt, uncle, mom, and stepdad in Athens, since Sam had to work on Christmas Day. He woke up early on the morning of December 22 and he offered to run to Starbucks. That wasn’t unusual, especially on the weekend. I decided to stay in bed and turned on a heating pad because my back had been hurting all night. I woke up to his return with the coffee, sitting it on my bedside table as always. When he bent down, I groggily asked him to turn the heating pad to high. I had expected him to say “sure” but his response to my question was far from what I expected. “I can’t wait any longer...will you marry me?” I immediately began ugly crying, almost wailing the word “yes” while I hugged him. Laughing, he slipped the ring on my finger. At that moment I was so very thankful he knew me well enough to not propose to me in public.
Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?
A: The first look! They only other time I’ve ever been nervous around Sam was the first night we met. I worked on a letter for him the night before our wedding and cried tears of joy as I wrote it. I’ve never been more thankful to God than when I was writing that letter. He read it before he turned around and saw me for the first time. We both cried and it was such a special moment.