Real Wedding | Beth + Geoff

Beth and Geoff met as college students in Atlanta, and when it came time to say “I Do” they picked the city where they met as their “destination wedding” location. Both writers by trade, they kept it personal by adding lots of creative details, like the wedding logo Geoff designed and the lovely favor boxes. Guests were treated to a unique and joyous affair while Beth and Geoff fulfilled their vision of a warm yet modern wedding celebration.

Geoff and Beth | July 24, 2010 | Atlanta History Center

The ceremony

When Geoff and I started planning our wedding, following a five-year courtship, we both wrote down a series of words that described the wedding we wanted. After matching up our individual lists, we discovered we had both written down the following words: fun, inclusive, elegant, and modern. That was our guiding inspiration.

 

The reception

It was very important to both of us that our wedding be personal and creative; we wanted guests to feel our personalities in everything from the bouquets to the place cards. And though we realized that our wedding was a big day in our lives, we really wanted to celebrate our friends and family for making the trip to be there with us, especially since neither of our families live in Atlanta.

Geoff and I are both writers, and that was an element we wanted to highlight. We included excerpts from the writings of James Baldwin (my favorite author) in our wedding ceremony, and my step-mom gave us one of her antique Remington typewriters to adorn the seating card table, along with antique typewriter keys. I was most proud of the set of vintage books that I filled with short stories about our life together; thanks to antique typing paper and a little glue, they looked as though they’d been written just for us.

Beth’s wedding dress

If I had to choose three words to describe the way I felt in my dress, they would be: elegant, classic, and comfortable. I loved the feel of the silk – it was light and moved well when I walked. The brooch detail on the back and the rouching along the bust added just enough “oomph” without overdoing it.

Why Beth decided to sell her wedding dress

I decided to sell it because it’s such a gorgeous dress, and it’s very hard to find. I originally saw it online and ended up visiting five different bridal shops before finding it. I know another bride will feel just as luminous in it as I did.

Beth’s wedding dress: Jim Hjelm / Photography: Danielle Wehunt-Millwood of Ella Rue Photography