Sneak Peek :: Liz + Jacob’s Joy-Filled Wedding at the Old Sanctuary of First Baptist Church and the Time Square Cafe in Elberton, GA :: with Nikki

Liz + Jacob are two of the sweetest souls we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.  We feel so honored that they chose us (and more specifically one of our southeast team photographers, Nikki) to capture their special day, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to call them part of our OLAS family.  You may remember them from their super fun, southern inspired engagement session we posted a few months back, and we are so excited to get to share some of our very favorite photos from their gorgeous wedding day with you now!  They got married just a few short weeks ago at the Old Sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Elberton, GA, with a reception following at the Time Square Cafe right across the street.  We love the way they described their road to the wedding day so much, we just had to let you hear it from them in their own words:

“What you should know to get us started: I love the South (on my semester abroad I was told by a British gentleman that he always though Scarlett O’Hara was an exaggeration…then he met me), I love history (I have the college degree to prove it), and I love all things old (evidently Jacob does too because I’m 3 years older than he is).
I’ve discovered that in the age of Pinterest it is so easy to get caught up the materialism of today and think of the wedding merely as a chance to showcase your wealth and make everyone envy your taste and creativity. As our engagement stretched out I know I was definitely becoming more and more guilty of that, but six months before the wedding two events in our lives changed our perspective. My (Liz’s) father was diagnosed with cancer in May which was shortly followed by the death of my precious and very loved maternal grandmother with the sweetest Southern accent in August. Because of this it is very important to us that the wedding be first and foremost a chance for our families to celebrate the love Jacob and I share. The way I see it, the places we grew up combined with our families make us who we are today. Essentially, they produced the person Jacob and I fell in love with, so it feels fitting to make our wedding a celebration of the things, people, and places that we adore. Because the wedding falls just after the holidays we want it to feel like large family gathering that is a part of the holiday season. Formality is less important to us than the fact that everyone feels comfortable, loved, and in true Southern fashion – well fed. It’s a chance for our two families get to know each other, swap stories, laugh, and as we like to say, for Georgia to meet Louisiana.
As a product of this timely God-given wakeup call, we want everything we use to have personal significance rather than simply decorating with things that are trendy or that I find pretty. Everything will represent a sweet memory of our families or something we hold dear. We’ll be using family antiques and heirlooms as accents and centerpieces in the reception venue and displaying family photos from as far back as we can get our hands on. We will have dress forms to display my mother and grandmothers’ wedding dresses. The wedding favors will be my grandmother’s delicious biscuit recipe and will be given in her memory. Being from two states so steeped in the Southern history we adore, we have decided to incorporate the staples of our homes into our special day. There will cotton, magnolias, and spanish moss galore. We will be serving our favorite Southern comfort foods: fried okra, fried green tomatoes, grits, potato salad, and pimento cheese along with a red velvet armadillo cake (because what is more Southern than Steel Magnolias?) We’ll be serving sweet tea in mason jars (because my grandmother was known for her canning) along with RC Cola and Abita Rootbeer (beverages from our home states that we grew up drinking with our parents). We’ll have Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, and YooHoo for the little ones (Liz and Jacob’s childhood favorites).
Because of God’s goodness my father is responding well to the chemo, but never again will I take for granted the fact that he will walk me down the aisle and share a dance with my at my wedding. So when you hear Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” and see my face light up don’t be alarmed, that’s just our song and it will have never sounded so sweet.”

Gives us chills.  These two know what’s truly important, and you see that reality and joy shine through each moment of their photos.  L + J, we are so blessed to know you and to have witnessed such a beautiful start to your lives together – thank you for allowing us to be a part of it.  We hope you love your sneak peek and we can’t wait to share the rest with you soon! xoxo

Ceremony Venue:: Old Sanctuary of First Baptist Church Elberton, GA, Reception Venue:: Time Square Cafe; Florist:: HFI Weddings and Events; Cake Vendor:: Karen Saggus (family friend); Caterer:: Time Square Cafe; Entertainment (DJ/Band):: Gary Jones and Bob Paul; Officiant:: Nathan Vanhorn; Dress Designer & Vendor:: Justin Alexander from I Do! I Do! Bridal in Athens, GA; Shoe Designer:: JCrew; Hair Stylist:: Paula Stevens at E-Clips; Invitation/Program Vendor:: Luckey Printing; Bridesmaids Dresses:: Dessy from I Do! I Do! Bridal