A Wedding at Georgian Hall in Athens with Southern Charm for Days

Abby Larson

Updated August 8, 2018 at 9:28 PM

We have SUCH a special day planned on SMP! The lovely and talented Simply Sarah is taking over the blog and our instagram in one of the most beautiful little adventures we've ever featured, filled with stunning photography and pure, totally unabashed love. Our first Simply Sarah wedding is all about the Southern Charm and when I tell you that there are amazing lessons baked into every perfect detail, I'm hardly doing this wedding justice. So make sure to read alongside the gorgeous imagery (and stunning florals from Colonial House of Flowers) and you just might fall in love all over again.

From the Groom... Where to begin…I would say our love story starts with her smile. That’s what drew me in. Little did I know that smile was going to turn into my wife. I would see that smile from across the room and couldn’t help to smile back at her, knowing in my head one day she’s going to be all mine! Fast forward to six years later and being engaged…I know it is all cliché to call her my best friend, but there is no one in my life that comes close to the bond we have between each other. Every day I look forward to her coming home from work. As soon as she walks in we smile at each other and hug for about 4mins and then get in our comfy clothes and relax. From the Bride... He's my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the greatest love I could have ever hoped for. He is always waiting with a smile and open arms when I walk into the door at the end of the day and it's the best feeling in the world when he holds me like he hasn't just seen me that morning! His kindness, devotion to our relationship, and fun spirited nature are only at the surface of the reasons why I love him.

When we first started planning our wedding we knew we wanted to get married in Athens, GA because it's where we met, fell in love, and started our relationship. I fell in love with The Hill from the moment I saw it - the Hill is a venue tucked away on the outskirts of Athens that is a collection of gorgeous antebellum and 20th century homes that have been moved to the property and restored. The homes sit among lush landscapes and gardens. Behind one of the homes there is a sunken garden surrounded by low brick walls, with iron gates on both ends, shaded by trees overhead where our ceremony was held. It’s so dreamy! Our reception was held in downtown Athens at the Georgian Hall, a ballroom of a former hotel that served as the "social focal point" for Athens and surrounding areas for much of the 20th century. It's new renovation is just beautiful with original restored art deco flooring, two large arch oak doors in the center of the space, marble and white pillars, and tons of natural light from the floor to ceiling arch windows.

I’ve always said I wanted it to rain on my wedding day… seriously. It rained on my grandparents wedding day and I’ve always heard from my Grandma Marilyn how the rain was lucky! The forecast for our day was pretty much 100% chance of rain all day. We planned an outdoor ceremony with absolutely no rain plan other than a bunch of umbrellas! Thanks to a lot of prayers to my Grandpa Ernie the rain held off for a majority of the morning. Right before the ceremony it started raining pretty hard and I was sitting in the car with my dad waiting to walk down the aisle. Right when I got out of the car and started to walk across the bridge to the ceremony the rain stopped.

It was so special to have my sweet dad walk me down the aisle looking at the love of my life. Ben and I made a last minute decision to read our vows at the ceremony. We took a moment during our ceremony to look back and our guest. The rainy garden made for such an intimate setting and it was so special to share those moments with all our loved ones.

Our two venues are filled with southern charm. I wanted to bring a timeless look into the two spaces incorporating soft neutrals, elegant touches, and a classic style. My hope was that the ceremony felt intimate and relaxed followed by a festive celebration with all of our favorite people! Our wedding day was an absolute dream from start to finish. It makes me tear up just thinking about how perfect it was! The day was filled with so much love and we couldn’t be more grateful for everyone that played a part. BRIDE TIP! I went into our wedding 100% confident about our wedding photography. When photography is one of your top priorities for your wedding that’s saying A LOT! We had the pleasure of doing our engagement session with Sarah the year before our wedding. She was so easy to work with and puts you at ease right away. I would highly recommend doing an engagement shoot with her to get to know her, see how she works, and to get comfortable behind the camera! We were both a little nervous about being photographed and by doing an engagement shoot neither of us had any apprehension going into the wedding day. Sarah’s work speaks for itself. It’s effortless, timeless, and genuine. She’s as much an incredible photographer as she is a joy to have around. We learned from our engagement shoot how efficient she is and boy is that helpful on a wedding day when you’ve got so much packed into that one day! We were able to actually enjoy the day, time with each other, and loved ones without feeling like it was just a full day photo shoot. After it’s all said and done photography is the one thing you actually get to take away from your wedding day and in my opinion that makes it priceless. It was an honor to have Sarah behind the lens captured the moments that we’ll cherish for a lifetime. Sarah, I admire you as a photographer and adore you as a friend! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being there on our most special day. Love, Katherine and Ben

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A Wedding at Georgian Hall in Athens with Southern Charm for Days