Southern Weddings

Katrina + Matt’s Atlanta wedding, shot by awesome photography duo Jesse and Whitney of {Our Labor of Love}, is rich with delightful surprises, personal moments, and just pure fun!  Planner: Jeannine Kennedy of {FAVOR Events}, Flowers and Decor: {Carither’s}, Ceremony Venue: {The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception}, Hair and Make-up: {Scoobie West}.

From event planner, Jeannine… “Katrina was referred to me by her sister, Stacie Johnson, who is now an Assistant Planner here at FAVOR Events. Katrina lived and worked in D.C. at the time, and Matthew lived in New Jersey, but had taken an assignment in London. There were a lot of e-mails and late night phone calls in order to accommodate their work and travel schedules. Katrina and Matthew’s wedding was the first full service wedding for FAVOR Events. To me, it will be the wedding that I measure all other weddings against! Favorite things about Katrina and Matthew’s wedding, Part I: The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the oldest church in Atlanta and North Georgia. It was used as Union headquarters and later as a hospital in the final days of the Civil War. Floral choices – She incorporated mint from her grandmother’s garden and Georgia bushes (from when Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympic Games) in her bouquets. At one of our first meetings, Katrina said she didn’t want flowers – not even in her bouquets! She kept using the words, “clean and organic”. Oftentimes, the vendors and I would make alternative suggestions when it become difficult to find items, but I am so glad she stuck to her vision and wouldn’t be steered in another direction.”

From Jesse at {Our Labor of Love}: “Matt’s gift to Katrina was an “IOU” kitty. They are moving to London soon and when they get there they’ll get a cat. Katrina was very happy. Here’s the evidence…”

The weather was: Liquid sunshine in the morning followed actual sunshine in the afternoon.
What colors did you choose for your wedding? Black dresses for the bridesmaids and green in the reception.
Describe your wedding flowers: All cut leaves and other foliage, only a couple of white flowers in the bouquet. We tried to stay away from cut flowers. I loved feeling the Lamb’s Ear cutting! It served as the best relaxation device.
How did you meet? Our two friends arranged a “surprise” meeting. The meeting surprised me but Matt knew about it!
What attracted me to my husband was: His dashing good looks and his wicked sense-of-humor.
What attracted me to my wife was: Her kind and gentle heart.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Dressing up as Santa Claus and participating in the annual Washington DC Santa Stumble. Imagine 200 crazy people donning Santa outfits and running wild through the streets of Georgetown during the busiest shopping days of the year.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Matt lives in London and I travel continuously for work. Making plans over numerous time zones was extremely difficult. We struggled for the first few months without a wedding planner but then my mom encountered some major health problems. At that point Jeannine Kennedy with Favor Events came into our lives. She was a true blessing. She helped us through some very difficult times and never dropped the ball. She is an amazing lady!
Where there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? Our wonderful florists incorporated mint branches into my bouquet and the bridesmaids’ bouquets. My grandmother loved mint. She was a wonderful Southern Lady from Alabama who used it in everything. Shortly after she passed away, my mother rooted some clippings from her expansive mint bush. So we took some branches from that bush and sent them to Carither’s Flowers. It was a hit!!! The mint smelled wonderful. It just filled the room! Although my grandmother was not physically there with us, her spirit was. In addition to the mint clippings, we were able to incorporate clippings from the UGA hedges. The ongoing joke was that by placing twigs from the hedge in my sister’s bouquet and the best man’s boutonniere, Matt and I were married ‘tween the hedges. Because Matt and his family are HUGE LSU fans, I kept this a secret until after the ceremony.

Check back later for Part II of Katrina + Matt…