I love it when a bride and groom look to their venue as their biggest source of wedding inspiration–especially when that venue is a particularly meaningful place to them! Matt proposed to Deirdre at The Waterfall Club (read the sweet story below!), making it a natural choice for their celebration. With the help of Tailor and Table, they completely embraced the rustic setting, mountain views, and their fall wedding date, creating the perfect opportunity to show their guests why they love this part of Georgia, as well as where that special proposal moment occurred!
Thanks so much to Rustic White Photography for sharing this beautiful day with us!
Wedding dress shopping was hands down my favorite part of the wedding planning process. My mom, maid of honor, and I planned a girls’ weekend in Chicago, where my parents had a condo. My maid of honor is a total fashionista, so she booked dozens of appointments at all of the fun boutiques. We had an absolute blast zipping around all the boutiques, drinking champagne, and trying on dresses. We found both the bridesmaid’s dresses as well as my dress during the trip. There were three dresses that I liked a lot during the process, but, as soon as I put on my Judd Waddell dress, I lit up and knew it was the one.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. I chose to walk down the aisle to Canon in D. It was the song that my mom used at her wedding, and I remembered listening to it when I was a little girl. I also had the song “For the Beauty of the Earth” in our wedding from Little Women, which was my favorite movie growing up.
What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? The Waterfall Club at Lake Burton was where Matt proposed to me. I wanted to have an elegant wedding, while also creating a relaxed and rustic feel to the day. Matt and I both love the lake, and we spent a lot of time getting to know each other during our first summer together there. I wanted to share the beauty of Waterfall with all of our friends and family for the weekend. For the ceremony, I had always wanted to get married in a traditional Catholic church. The quaint chapel we were married in fit the vibe of our laid back, yet elegant, wedding.
When choosing flower types, we wanted to pay homage to our surroundings–Lake Burton and the North Georgia Mountains. Tailor and Table mixed native greenery like oak leaf, ferns, huckleberry, and smilax with an abundance of roses, astrantia, gomphrena, hellebores, astilbe, scabiosa, crane kale, snowberries, veronica, chocolate lace, rosemary, green millet, moss, and lichen, resulting in arrangements that perfectly complemented our surroundings. We chose to keep the flowers in the church and club to shades of white, ivory, and green. In the tent, we surprised our guests by adding flowers in shades of “thistle” (a pinky-purple) to complement the plaid linens!
Our wedding cake was spiced vanilla chai cake with a berry filling from Pylon Cake. It was absolutely delicious, and perfect for a fall evening.
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. I met Matt during my first summer internship in college. A month or so into the internship, a fellow intern invited me to an Atlanta Braves baseball game, where I was shocked to find out there had been other young people in the office the entire summer that I had no previous knowledge of. Matt and I spent the majority of the game talking, and during our conversation, I mentioned that I was flying to Vegas the next day for my friend’, 21st birthday. Matt and another intern, Thomas, joked about showing up in Vegas…but of course, I did not believe them. The next day, when I landed in Vegas, I got a text from Matt saying he and Thomas were on their way…and the rest is history!
Tell us all about the proposal! My family and I were having our first Thanksgiving at my parents’ new lake house at Lake Burton. Matt works for Amazon and told me he was not going to be able to make it home due to it being “peak time” for Black Friday. Matt hadn’t made it home for the past two Thanksgivings, so I didn’t think too much about it. I was overjoyed to have my cousin Kathleen coming, and as soon as she got to the lake, she, my dad, and I went on a five-mile walk. When we got back, my mom was making a big “to do” about having to take a Christmas picture at sunset, since we were all together. I was annoyed about having to be ready for dinner at 5:00 P.M. to take the picture. When we got to the parking lot at the club and there wasn’t anyone there, I made a comment about how we had even beaten the old crowd for dinner. When my family and I walked into the Waterfall Club, Matt and I’s song was playing (which didn’t really register right away). My mom led us to the balcony where we were going to take our Christmas picture, and I immediately saw Matt. My family left us on the balcony–I was in complete shock and even tried to hug him several times when he was down on one knee. It was an unbelievably sweet proposal and Matt had thought of everything. The Waterfall Club was actually closed for the winter, but Matt had it opened specifically for the proposal (hence the empty parking lot). He had also planned for my entire family to be there. After Matt proposed, we came back into the club and celebrated with my parents, brothers, and Kathleen, while Matt played a slideshow he had put together of the two of us from when we were little through our courtship. It was an amazing surprise and the happiest night of my life…up until our wedding.
When did y’all get married? October 24, 2015
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 200
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? I grew up in Atlanta and Matt grew up in Southern Virginia. I went to Georgia Tech and Matt went to the University of Tennessee. We had a Southern vibe all throughout our wedding, from the guests’ welcome baskets that included fun lake goodies from the South, to the signature drinks (named the “Southern Belle” and the “Virginia Gentleman”), to Matt’s beloved Rocky Top song, which was sung many times throughout the night.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The dancing! We had an absolute blast dancing the night away with all of our closest friends and family. My uncle told me on my wedding night that this is the closest you’ll ever get to understanding what heaven is like, and I really think that rang true. Having all of the people you love in one place to celebrate with you and share in your joy and happiness is an overwhelming feeling.
What’s next for you as a couple? What memories are you looking forward to making together? We just bought our first home together. Working to make it a home together has been an absolute blast. I’m excited for all of the adventures we will have together moving forward.
Photographer: Rustic White Photography | Videographer: Munn Brothers Films | Planner: Kristen J. Scott | Ceremony Venue: St. Helena Catholic Church | Reception Venue and Caterer: The Waterfall Club | Florist: Tailor and Table | Cake Baker: Pylon Cake | Rentals and Lighting: Professional Party Rentals | Band: Adrian Duke Project | Welcome Baskets: The Sweet Trend | Paper Products: Jack & Gretel | Bride’s Gown: “Marguerite” by Judd Waddell | Hair Stylist: Some Claudia Girl | Makeup Artist: Becca Whittinghill | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “Annabelle” in Mink Gray by Jenny Yoo | Menswear: Menguin | Linens: La Tavola Linen and BBJ Linen | Cocktail Hour Band: The Jody Hughes Band | Ribbon: Adorn Company
Rustic White is always right on par, gorgeous wedding and images!