Tell us a little about yourselves!
Liz and I met in art school. She was a hotshot fabric artist and I was a frantic little boy running around with a camera. She was the only student who agreed to be interviewed and filmed for a mini documentary I was working on. I dragged out the project as long as possible insisting on reshoots. By the time the video was cut, we were dating. We’ve bounced around together ever since—from Lexington to St. Louis, and finally to Atlanta, which we love. Liz is still an artist, and I still find excuses to ask her questions and stare at her. Joe is from Lexington, Kentucky, where I went to undergrad at the University of Kentucky. He had long, blonde hair and wore clubmaster glasses and made incredible films. I thought he was the most interesting person I had ever met. Immediately, I felt that we connected on a really deep level right away, Joe is silly and deeply considerate. I moved to St. Louis for grad school a month after we met and he took a job in Nashville and lived with my brother for 6 months. That’s a way to know if you want to marry someone, the brother patent of approval! Now that we’re married, Joe is still the most interesting, loving, kind person I have ever known.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
I went to a wedding with my parents at Rhodes Hall when I was 10 years old. I was struck by the charm of the intricate home with its pink silk wallpaper and hand painted crown molding, and always dreamed of getting married there myself one day.
How many guests did you have?
150.
Tell us about your outfits.
(Joe) When I went to get fitted for my tuxedo at The Modern Gent, Kate had a floral, metallic jacket hanging on a mannequin. I asked to try it on kind of as a joke, but I ended up loving it. I decided it was too much for the ceremony, but would be a cool twist for the reception. I was right—it was a hit!
For the ceremony I wore a classic, shawl collar tuxedo and black tuxedo shoes from Johnston Murphy.
(Liz) I wore ‘Kinga’ designed by Leanne Marshall, purchased at The Sentimentalist in Atlanta - the dreamiest wedding dress shop! I loved the detachable sleeves. I also wore were my dream shoes. Imagine Kirsten Dunst in the bathtub eating cake in the film Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola. Silky blue and wrapped in gold jacquard, they are perfect!
I wore my mothers veil that she wore at her wedding. It had a beautiful 70's style lace trim, which we had altered off of a crown into a mantilla style veil. I thought the style was very romantic.
My Mother in Law, gave Joe her diamond to give to me for our engagement. This meant so much to me and made me really feel a part of the family! Joe had it placed on a dainty gold twisted band.
Joe’s wedding band is his grandfathers. A thin, slender gold wisp of beauty. My band is a combination of my mothers gold bands she wore when she was married and a diamond band Joe surprised me with during the ceremony. It was my great grandmother, Serita’s, diamond ring from her wedding. I spent my childhood eating blackberries from her bushes in the kitchen and singing the Sound of Music with her. She had her diamond put into a cluster after my great grandfather passed, and I wore that cluster as a dinner ring growing up. We love wearing pieces of our family daily, as a reminder of the generations before and after us.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
The top three things for us as a couple was an amazing design. The flowers and seated dinner were a specific vision for a romantic baroque dinner and Bold Designs along with Edge Design executed it all so well.
The photographer - we wanted someone who would shoot film and digital and catch whimsical, imposed moments. Peyton Curry was incredible.
And lastly, we wanted the wedding to feel like a family affair. Being married at the Rhodes home with its history tied this all together.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Joe and I’s first dance was a choreographed waltz! It was so fun to learn and take classes together. We danced to 'The Embassy Waltz' by Andre Previn: The Warner Bros Orchestra from the film My Fair Lady. It was absolutely the most magical moment to dance in the yard surrounded by all of our guests.
Our ceremony and cocktail hour music was by Etude Entertainment. They played in a three piece acoustic and string trio. This was a huge part of our planning. We wanted to make sure that the music built a baroque meets modern atmosphere.
Any tips for couples getting married, particularly during the pandemic?
Stick to your gut! When we were getting married, the pandemic was just starting to turn the corner, but we really didn’t have any guarantees. The greatest advice I received was to pick three things that are very important to you and hold everything else with a loose grip.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We learned our first dance from a wonderful soul named Garth at Convergence Dance Studio in St. Louis.
The Celebrant, Alex Heister, has been Joe’s mentor since meeting him at Young Life when Joe was in middle school. Alex lead Joe to know Jesus, and it was beautiful to have him marry us.
Photographer : Peyton Curry @peytoncurry | Ceremony + Reception Location : Rhodes Hall, Atlanta, GA @rhodeshall | Celebrant : Alex Heister | Entertainment : Atlanta Wedding Band @atlantaweddingband | Styling : Bold Designs @boldeventsatl | Planner : Sydney Woodz from Emily Jordan Events @emilyjordanevents | Flora : Edge Design, Kristine Polstra @edgedesigngroup @kpdesigns28 | Makeup : Scoobie West and Co. @scoobiewest | Hair : Beheld Beauty @hairbymaddiewoff @beheldstudio | Catering, Beverages + Cake : Bold Catering @boldeventsatl | Stationery : Elle B Gifts @ellebgifts | Ceremony + Cocktail Hour Music : Etude Entertainment @etudeentertainment | Wedding Dress : ‘Kinga’ Leanne Marshall @leannemarshallofficial from The Sentimentalist @thesentimentalistatl | Joe’s Tuxedo : The Modern Gent | Ceremony Tuxedo + Shoes : Johnston Murphy | Shoes : Elvie Mules BHLDN @bhldn | Veil : Mother's Veil | Hair Pins : Olivia the Wolf @oliviathewolf 'Sixteen Candles' | Earrings : 'Lennox' Hushed Commotion @hushedcommotion | Wedding Party Attire : Cali Satin Charmeuse Midi Dresses BHLDN @bhldn