A Decatur Wedding at the Mary Gay House

Decatur Wedding Photographer

Jess and Chuck are married!!! And their wedding at the Mary Gay House was nothing short of AWESOME!!! Earlier this year, Jess and Chuck met me in downtown Norcross for their engagement session, and it was nothing short of GORGEOUS! These two just have a show-stopper vibe to them. And they’re SUPER fun.

Seriously. When I’m with them, I feel like our time together morphs from photo-session to hanging out and having a good time. We’re pretty much besties. And now that I’ve met their family, I expect to be invited to Thanksgiving. (lol!! Okay, I’m kidding…)

The Mary Gay House is really cool. At first glance, it’s cute. But upon walking around and really digging into the history, it’s truly special. Home of Mary Ann Harris Gay, an author who wrote about her charges across Union Lines to secure food and clothing for women and children during a time when Decatur was war-torn. Her writings inspired specific scenes in Gone With The Wind, and Mark Twain quotes Mary Gay throughout his poetry.

Decatur Wedding Photographer

Atlanta has a special history, and I think it’s really something; here we are, in much different times, using this historical site to write our own beautiful stories.

The day started as most intimate wedding days do: Jess was hanging with her girls in the bridal suite while Chuck helped everyone set up the place for their wedding. And God blessed their day with absolutely perfect weather. The doors hung open just wide enough for a nice breeze to blow around the house while the florist brought in flowers, and the guys set up ceremony and reception equipment.

I love the floors in this place.

Isn’t she stunning?! The simple elegance of her dress suits her personality perfectly. Jess is the sweetest woman with such a beautiful and caring heart. (And wait until you get a glimpse of her husband’s precious soul!!)

While Jess’ dad was heading over for his first look with his precious (not-so) little girl, we snuck in some bridal portraits!

Decatur Wedding Photographer

So when Chuck walked over to meet us for their first look, he whispered that he had something to show me. Apparently, (shame on me for not knowing this!) in the Office, there’s a wedding scene where the bride ripped her veil and got super upset. So the groom cut off his tie. Chuck told me the story, and how the scene meant a lot to them, and then he showed me this tie!! He actually ordered a replica of the tie, and cut it!! (WHO DOES THAT?!)

Mary Gay House Wedding

Groom win.

They also wrote their own vows to each other. Back-to-back, they handed each other their promises, and read them quietly to themselves. (Yeah. We ALL cried.)

And onto their first look…

THIS is why I love first looks, y’all! (But that’s a post for another day).

This was seriously a special moment for them. Oh, how I love them.

As the final touches were being set up for the ceremony and reception, the food truck arrived and started getting their ovens ready!

We snuck away with the wedding party for a few fun portraits!

Finally, Jess and Chuck kissed one last time before parting ways to prepare for the ceremony.

After the ceremony, family portraits took quite some time since these two had people flying in from around the country they hadn’t seen in years. By the time we got to their bride and groom portraits, it was dark. But these two were all smiles. 🙂

Back at the reception, everyone was catching up with each other and the ovens in the food truck were firing. After blessings and a couple speeches, dinner and dessert followed.

Jessica and Chuck, thank you so much for choosing me as your wedding photographer. I have had such a good time getting to know you two along the way, and seeing your story unfold has been a blessing. I’m excited to see where you two go as a couple, and the ventures you get into.

Until next time.

 

Vendors:

Bride’s Wedding Dress & Bridesmaid Dresses
David’s Bridal

Donuts
Five Daughters Bakery

Caterer
Southern Crust Catering

Coordinator
Rema Event Coordinator

DJ
Davey Clark

Florist
Adaptation Floral

Groom’s and groomsmen attire
Men’s Warehouse

Hair & Makeup Artist
Rosa Campos

Officiant

Jack Kmiecik with When I Say I Do 

Venue
Mary Gay House

Pecan Favors
Miss D’s Pralines

Game Rentals
Kinolby Game Rentals