Ashley & Xavier Married!

Arte by Doug

Xavier & Ashley were married under the majestic oaks in the courtyard of the Audubon Tea Room on Sunday, June 10. Ashley was another perfect example of how to handle a rainy day wedding. Most of her bridal prep was done at the International Hotel, where the daylight coming through the windows of her suite was often muted by the passing thunderstorms, but the volume in her room was anything but muted. She was kept company by many of her girlfriends and family as they retold stories of the previous nights and the fun times they had in the city leading up to her wedding day. Ashley stayed patient with the weather, waiting until the last possible minute to ask her wedding coordinator if the ceremony was going to be outside or in – inside was the verdict as a call had to made to allow time for set up. The decision didn’t phase her as I think the excitement of being minutes away from seeing her groom during the first look overwhelmed any feelings of anxiety for the weather.

Luckily the hotel has a small hallway with large windows letting in some beautiful natural light, and that made a perfect setting for their First Look, as well as a quick few portraits. Long before the wedding day, Ashley made the decision to schedule a Day-After session with me in the Quarter, which now proved to be the perfect decision as that following day was as bright and dry as could be. You’ll see that post here as well.

As the limos pulled up to the Tea Room, Ashley and Xavier were greeted with the beautiful sight of clearing skies and a courtyard quickly filling with chairs for an outdoor ceremony! The team with Event Rental, Get Polished and the Tea Room did an awesome job of quickly getting things set up outside, despite already having the reception area set up for the indoor ceremony, fulfilling Ashley’s dreams of an outdoor ceremony (in addition to a photographer’s dream of great outdoor light)!  The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and I could not have been more impressed with one of their readers – Xavier’s niece, a 6th grader, memorized an incredible speech written by her grandmother which was no shorter than 3-5 minutes, and read with such inflection that you couldn’t help but be moved by each sentence. The couple ended their ceremony with the pouring of unity sand and jumping the broom.

The reception was certainly a party to remember. Both Xavier’s fraternity brothers and Ashley’s sorority sisters performed their traditional wedding tributes to the other, several heart-warming toasts were made to the new couple, and the pinnacle of the evening was when Rebirth Brass Brand came in and brought the house down for the final hour of 2nd Lining and dancing. While we were all a bit concerned about how the weather would influence the day, Ashley and Xavier made sure that their love for each other and their excitement for their wedding day was the only prevailing influence. You guys are a great couple, can throw one hell of a party, and we’re looking forward to having drinks one day soon in ATL with ya’ll!

Contributing Artists:

Coordination/Decor: Get Polished Events
Flowers: Nola Flora
Cakes: The Sweet Life Bakery
Hair: Ringletts Salon
Makeup: The Makeup Lab Artistry
Music: DJ Premonition & Rebirth Brass Band
Limos: A Regal Limousine Service