I never thought I would see the day when the Waffle House food truck would be a thoughtful and sentimental wedding detail, but thanks to LaKisha and Brently, that day is today! These two embraced tradition for many aspects of their Georgia wedding, such as their church ceremony and waiting to see each other until LaKisha walked down the aisle, but in other ways, they weren’t afraid to do things their own way. Case in point? The Waffle House food truck that served as a nod to their favorite game day snack, a tribute to their home state, and a meaningful moment for the couple and Brent’s grandfather alike.
We’re so grateful to CWF Photography for sharing this joyful day with us!
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. I had a relatively small budget to work with, so I knew I had to be frugal and creative to create the look I wanted. I stumbled upon Fabulous Frocks of Atlanta online, which sells designer sample gowns at discounted prices. I fell in love with one dress in particular, and when I finally got to my appointment, the dress I had been eyeing was already pulled. After I tried on a few other dresses, the owner, Abriel, helped me into the dress and I had a Cinderella moment. It fit perfectly, and I could not stop smiling. As soon as Abriel put on the beautiful cathedral veil, both my parents and I knew that this was the gown!
We decided to not do a first look. We have had friends who have done it and raved about how great it was, but we ultimately decided to keep with tradition and save that moment for the aisle. Looking back, I wouldn’t have traded that moment for the world! I did have a first look with my daddy though, and the pictures of that moment are priceless. He had had an unexpected open heart surgery a couple of months prior to the wedding that shook my world. I am so grateful that I had my daddy with me on my wedding day!
What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? We chose Prince of Peace for the ceremony because it is my family’s church here in Atlanta. We have such a great relationship with the priest that having a wedding elsewhere wouldn’t have seemed right. Not to mention, the church is immaculate!
Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? We had a traditional Catholic wedding and exchanged traditional vows. I am glad we opted to do this, because I don’t think I would have been able to recite personal vows without crying tears of happiness!
Pamela at Design House of Flowers was amazing to work with! She immediately picked up on my vision and was so knowledgeable of flowers that would work with my theme and budget! My bouquet and all of the flowers were breathtaking, and truly captured the whimsical garden feel I was going for. They included David Austin roses, blush pink sweet peas, dark pink anemones, purple Japanese aster, ivory astilbe, ivory ranunculus, and touches of seeded eucalyptus and dusty miller.
Describe your wedding cake or dessert. I had centered my whole wedding color scheme and theme around a picture of a cake I had seen on Pinterest, so naturally, I wanted to do a close replica. We had a family friend, who owns Rhodes Bakery in Roswell, recreate the cake! The groom is a big fan or strawberry cake, so the bottom tier was a delicious pound cake with strawberry preserves in the middle. The middle tier was red velvet, my favorite, and the top tier is a surprise! The groom and I can’t wait to cut into it on our first wedding anniversary!
There were so many details we loved, but the Waffle House food truck that we surprised our guests with was by far our favorite! Brent and I are addicted to their hash browns, which we have shared many times after football games, and eat practically every month. Waffle House was also founded here in Atlanta, so we were happy to be able to share it with out-of-town guests. The best part of this detail was bringing a smile to Brent’s grandfather. We learned while he ordered his hash browns that he and Brent’s grandmother used to spend every Christmas morning at Waffle House. She had passed away a couple of years prior, so to see him smile at this detail of the wedding warmed our hearts!
How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. Brent and I are high school sweethearts. We met our junior year of high school in pre-calculus class, and I was so impressed with his mathematical abilities, which I completely lack! The first time we hung out just the two of us (before we officially started dating), we were working on a physics project at his house, and when I left, I accidentally blurted out “I love you”–how embarrassing!! We were inseparable for that whole year, and then endured four years of long distance while we were in college. The best thing about being high school sweethearts is that we have a relationship founded upon an amazing friendship. We were able to watch each other grow, and now that we are married, we get to continue to grow and do life together!
Tell us all about the proposal! After a couple of those “perfect moments” when I thought it was going to happen, I finally told myself to just let life happen and trust in God’s perfect timing. On Christmas day in 2013, I woke up to see my stocking stuffed–we had started a tradition that year of stuffing each other’s stockings instead of giving each other wrapped gifts. Brent was quite adamant that I start taking items out of my stocking first, so I did! One of the big items inside was a personalized calendar. I started flipping through the calendar to see what pictures he had chosen, and on the last month, instead of a picture, it had the message “Will you marry me?” written on it. I was in such shock, I do not remember a word he said–just the dazzling ring I had picked out back in 2010! I later found out Brent had had the ring since 2010, but wanted to wait till he had graduated from college in December 2013 before proposing. Now, that is dedication!
When did y’all get married? September 13, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 70
What readings, if any, did you have at your ceremony? We were tasked during our marriage classes with the priest to select our readings and come back and explain why we chose them. The readings we chose shared a common theme of the importance of prayer and the significance of us becoming one: Tobit 8:4b-8, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a, and Matthew 19:3-6.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Budget! However, I want brides to know that you don’t have to have a big budget to create a beautiful wedding. There were things we had to compromise on, such as reducing our guest count, but it ended up being a great decision because we were surrounded by only our closest family and friends. Websites like Etsy can also be extremely helpful!
If you are comfortable responding, what range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000-$50,000
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? The moment we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Brently Todd McDonald! I have waited so long for that moment and it was so surreal!!
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? We are just enjoying newlywed life together, and we are looking forward to our first wedding anniversary trip to Costa Rica! We have decided that instead of Christmas gifts/anniversary gifts, we will go on yearly trip together. We love to travel, so we are excited about this tradition! We are hoping to travel to South Korea and explore my grandmother’s heritage on our second anniversary.
Photographer: CWF Photography / Videographer: David Robertson & Todd Galucki / Ceremony Venue: Prince of Peace Catholic Church / Reception Venue and Catering: Reunion Country Club / Florist: Pam Holley of Design House of Flowers / Cake Baker: Rhodes Bakery / Candles: Ikea / DJ: Rob Clark / Envelopes: Paper Source / Paper Products: Paper Please / Bride’s Gown: Romona Keveza / Bridal Salon and Veil: Fabulous Frocks of Atlanta / Hair and Makeup: Lashes and Lace / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “492” in Plum by Bill Levkoff / Menswear: Jos A. Bank / Men’s Socks: J. Crew / Food Truck: Waffle House / Bridesmaid Robes: Plum Pretty Sugar
I love the idea of having food trucks instead of buffet lines
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Brent and LaKisha,
Now that you are Waffley Wedded, I wish you a long, and very happy life together!