Hollis + Andrew
How did you and Andrew meet?
Andrew and I actually met several years before we started dating when I was a freshman and Andrew was a senior at UGA. He may not remember it, but I remember wondering who this kind, handsome, older guy was. We always had several friends in common and it was only a matter of time until we were official set up. Four years later, we went on our first date, I believe it was to see Wilco at the Classic Center, and we have been together ever since!
How did he propose?
It was perfect! Andrew rented a cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia for Valentines Day. We had been dating for over three years by that time and I knew he was “the one”, so I thought a proposal might be coming. He tricked me by playing it cool the whole ride up. I thought for sure I would be able to tell by his excitement/nerves (he has a hard time keeping a straight face). He proposed over a delicious, homemade dinner. Its all a blur, but I think we started jumping up and down with joy! It was a wonderful trip. Turns out Andrew can keep a secret… he asked my parents for my hand almost a year before he proposed!
What resources did you use to get inspiration for your wedding?
We were engaged for 16 months, so I had plenty of time to plan the details of the wedding. I bought all the traditional wedding magazines, but most of my inspiration came from blogs like designsponge, oncewed, and stylemepretty. I wanted the feel of the wedding and reception to be cheery, natural, and relaxed. I love working with my hands, so I was willing to take on a lot of the work. It was really fun to have an idea for the decor and then try to make it. There were lots and lots of arts and crafts projects. I could not have done it without my mother, Allyn, and my sister/maid of honor, Laura. They spent hours upon hours tearing fabric for streamers, making tea light lanterns, assembling invitations, and so much more.
I wanted to incorporate my textile designs into wedding, so I block printed the invitations, tablecloths, and bandannas for the guests. Andrew was also quite crafty! He is a Timber frame builder by trade, so we wanted to bring an element of wood into the design as well. Among other things, he made beautiful oak centerpieces for the Rehearsal dinner that held the flowers and candles. In the end, I think created a wedding weekend that was thoughtful, personal, and fun.
Andrew's Amazing Centerpieces
Tell us about your wedding dress (Note: This might just be the coolest wedding dress story ever!)
My wedding dress…where to begin! My mother is truly amazing! She took on the daunting (and somewhat crazy) task of making my wedding dress by hand. Soon after I got engaged, I tried on some wedding dresses in Atlanta. They were beautiful, but not exactly what I was looking for. Again, I had something very specific in mind. My mom suggested that she could sew my wedding dress under the condition that if I wasn’t in love with it I had to tell her. I figured we should give it a shot. So, I sketched up a design for my dream dress and, wouldn’t you know, a year of pain-staking stitching later, I was wearing it! It was exactly what I wanted. I still can’t believe how perfect it is. I knew my mother could sew because she was always making outfits and costumes for us as children, but this was beyond anything I could have imagined!
The dress is made from many different materials. The under layer is satin repurposed from my grandmother’s wedding dress. The lace is from two bedspreads circa the early 1900s that my mother found in a textiles booth at an antiques fair. For other decorative elements we used antique hand tatted lace I found in a scraps bin at a consignment store. Once I had made a general sketch for the dress, we went looking for old patterns from the 20s and 30s that fit the style of my dress. My mother piece mealed several dress patterns together to get the general form of the dress and then free formed the rest to make it exactly what I wanted. Pretty amazing! I love that it is something so special that we can pass down to future generations.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Well, I would have to say the most memorable moment of our wedding day was when Andrew and I exchanged our vows. Partly because it was the moment we became husband and wife, and partly because it was the moment the skies opened and the rain came down…hard. This wouldn’t have been so eventful if we were getting married inside, but we had chosen the perfect spot outdoors. We knew rain was a possibility, but ten minutes before the wedding it was sunny!
As my dad walked me down the aisle, I felt a few rain drops and noticed guests pulling out umbrellas. “Uh-oh” was my first thought. When I saw Andrew’s smile, I knew it was all going to be okay. “It is what it is and it’s perfect.” We have always been able to take what we are dealt, and it usually turns out pretty well. This turned out to be exactly true. We were somewhat covered and the thundering rain ended up making our “I do”s very intimate. It was just the two of us.
They say it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day. Well, I think we have enough luck for 10 lives. My grandfather told me that when he married my grandmother, it rained and a train parked, reversed, pulled forward, parked, reversed, etc. right outside the church during their entire ceremony. They were married for 60+ years, until she passed away last year. He and my grandmother always looked back on the train fondly as a blessing to their long, and exciting lives together. I think the monsoon will be the same for us!
By the time the guests got to the reception tent they were soaked. Luckily, we have the best friends and family, who took this as a sign to let loose and have fun. At the end of the night, everybody was on the dance floor barefoot. It was awesome! The wonderful people at Epting Events made sure everything ran smoothly during the rain. Some people were temporarily stranded in the garage behind the ceremony site. Epting Events brought them drinks and appetizers until the rain let up. They said their mini-party was one of their favorite parts or the weekend!
Why did you pick to have your wedding at the Callaway Family Cabin?
We decided to have our wedding at the Callaway Log Home for many reasons. Growing up we had our family reunions at Callaway Gardens every summer. I wanted our friends and Andrew’s family to experience the place that is so meaningful to me. It truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I wanted to honor my family’s legacy. Because we got married over a long weekend, we wanted there to be a lot of activities for the guests. Callaway Gardens was great for that!
What was your favorite thing on the menu?
The food was all so delicious! I loved that Epting Events packed a picnic for Andrew and me. We barely had time to eat during the reception, so we were so excited when we were able to feast after wards. All the food was great but we requested two special dishes that we especially enjoyed. Fried green tomatoes for Andrew and mini beef tenderloin sandwiches for me. Two treats we loved growing up. Yum!
Describe your flowers.
Flowers were an important aspect of the decor for me. I wanted the flowers to be wild, natural, and vibrant. We used a lot of poppies, peonies, ranunculus, and daisies. We used the flowers to bring out the wedding colors: dusty rose, pink, mustard, and yellow.
Epting Events did the large flowers for the reception. Beautiful! We used a mix of different style/size arrangements for the tables to keep things visually interesting. We used a ton of old glass bottles we found in the cellar to hold the flowers. I loved the way all the different color glass looked together.
My friends Rinne Allen, Lucy Allen Gillis, and Cameron Garrard made the bouquets and boutonnieres for the wedding party. They are so incredibly talented. I told them to make whatever flower creations they were inspired to make. It all ended up matching the style of the rest of the wedding perfectly.
Everyone was so willing to help with the wedding preparations. I took full advantage of the offers! I really enjoyed having people I know and love help create the beauty of the weekend. It made it so special for us. Epting Events was wonderful. They kept the weekend moving smoothly despite nature’s obstacles with big! I’ve never met friendlier people!
Thanks Hollis + Andrew! Y’all are such a great couple, and we hope the monsoon does bring you years of happiness!!
Photos by Abby Smith.
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