Southern Weddings

Describe your engagement: We got engaged on a trip to Puerto Rico, on a tiny island called Vieques… Andy proposed on our balcony that overlooked the ocean, under a sky full of sparkly starts! Our engagement lasted a little over a year, and in that time, we both got new jobs and moved to the Bay area in California (but kept our wedding location in Carillon) — it ended up being a true destination wedding for everyone!
What attracted me to my husband was: his humor, his candor, and his honest & adorable face.
What attracted me to my wife was: I think it was her cute tush!! Stunningly naturally beautiful. Food, openness and drive for success.
A date we went on that we’ll always remember: Andy: The Highland Tap – Atlanta. We talked so much, so late into the night, the valet guy went home and locked up my keys (car & apartment) before he left! Where was I to go that night!? Julie: this is also the same date I will always remember… he says it was an "accident"… I was nice enough to let him crash at my place :)
Our favorite detail of the wedding was: Julie: I can’t pick a favorite!! I think it was our guests — they made the day so fun & memorable. Andy: The band, the food, the people. For me it was a joy to do the traditional British speeches, where we could thank our parents, our guest, tell some fun stories and to read my fun little poem I wrote for Julie in Starbucks the morning of the wedding.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Julie: planning the wedding without a mom… but I had an amazing maid of honor, bridesmaid, and sisters to help me overcome it. Andy: For me it was making sure family and friends from the UK and New Zealand had places to stay and new house to get to the wedding destination.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Julie: seeing Andy’s face when I first walked into the chapel with my dad. He said, "oh my god"! Andy: Seeing Julie for the first time – just beautiful and delicate.
Scariest moment? Julie: right before I walked into the chapel with my dad. I looked through the glass paned door and saw everyone looking at me with cameras ready — I thought, oh my god, this is it!! Andy: the thunder!
Funniest moment? Andy: The speeches. Julie: when we sang Love Train with the band!
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: Rain! Our final song, ‘Love Train’ – we had the human love train that danced in and out of the tent, and we both got to sing the last parts of the chorus with the band!
How was your wedding different than the way you’d always imagined it would be? It was 100 times better than we could have imagined. We expected to be outside in the sun but we were inside sheltering from the rain. But it did not matter – there were just 55 guests from all over the world – Atlanta, California, Hawaii, Seattle, Korea, New Zealand, France, Scotland, England, Wales and Canada and they all made our day special by being the most sociable, fun, loving, giving, caring group of people I would ever want to share a tent with. Oh and the band – they really added something special by being just outstanding.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Andy: Invite only those you would want to share your special day with. Good food, good band, good photographers and the rest should fall into place if you have your friends and family with you. Julie: this is about you two. If you are very lucky, it will never happen again, so remember to stop, breath, and ENJOY it!!

Congratulations, Julie + Andy!  Thank you, Paul and Mecheal, for sharing these fabulous images~  Have a beautiful weekend!

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: the wedding cake and the red shoes!
Where there any special family traditions you included in the wedding? We used my mom’s veil as a backdrop on the potters shed. Inside the house, my mom’s wedding dress was displayed across the dining table… it was a beautiful touch. (you can see it displayed behind us in most of the shots of us cutting the cake) We wanted to use the toasting glasses that his parents used at their wedding.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? Matt says, “Seeing Anna arrive on the carriage and walking down that aisle”
Scariest moment? Watching out the window of the guest house and seeing all the people start flowing in… I think back to the butterflies that were in my stomach…It reminded me of the stage fright I would experience just before going to go on stage for a high school play.
Funniest moment? After the ceremony was over, and the wedding party was being escorted out the front door of the house (where the ceremony took place) slowly creeped opened and my uncle’s dog walked out, stopped to look at everyone, as if to say, "you are dismissed" and then turned around and walked back into the house. It almost looked rehearsed …you could hear chuckling across all the aisles.
Why do you love your husband? I love who I am when I’m around him.
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was: As Matt and I were running out to the limo, my parents surprise us with fireworks! It was absolutely amazing!
Three adjectives that describe the day are: colorful, cultural, whimsical
Did you write your own vows? We used the "Hand Ceremony" as a guideline and modified it to fit us.
What advice would you give to someone planning their wedding? Delegate, as you’re planning be sure to include him and in the months prior spend time with together, set each other first, be confident in your commitment to each other…a single day isn’t as important as the rest of your lives!