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October 14, 2019

Haywood Hall Wedding

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Julia & Kurt’s colorful Haywood Hall Wedding

The theme of this Haywood Hall wedding was colorful florals and you know how much we love colors. There was also a cat toss*!!! And cat coozies. And the bride wore vans for part of the day. Basically it was magical and perfect and every detail suited these two, who knew within a couple months that they belonged together forever. Their ceremony included a reading from the Dalai Lama, a sing-a-long to a Fred Rogers song, and a tear and laughter inducing telling of their love story from their officiant Laney Margolis. 

*no cats were harmed in the making of the cat toss (no real cats were present at all unfortunately, although as everyone was making their way to the front of the house for the sparkler exit, a dog crashed the reception tent, no doubt looking for leftover cake)

I’ve got some amazing previews of Julia & Kurt’s day for you, but first let’s all show the vendor team some love.

Haywood Hall Wedding Vendors

Venue: Hawyood Hall House and Gardens
Coordinator: Harmony Weddings & Events
Photo: That’d be us! Kivus & Camera
Makeup: Michelle Clark
Gown: Badgley Mischka for BHLDN
Officiant: Laney Margolis
Florist: English Garden (bringing the color like whoa!)
Catering: SPREAD
Cake: Publix 
DJ: JD Silverthorne
Rentals: CE Rentals
And two best for last: all the invites and print items were designed by Julia herself, and her mom baked dozens upon dozens of cookies for everyone to take home as favors. THEY WERE DELICIOUS! Thank you so very much Marty!

Colorful Haywood Hall Wedding

Getting Ready

Julia started the day at the Residence Inn downtown, where I got to see her incredible design skills up close and personal while I photographed her jewelry and other wedding day details.

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Meanwhile, over at Haywood Hall, Kurt made sure all of his duds were good to go and then tried out one of the antique beds for some relaxation. That pocket square is the same material as some ties Julia made him early in their relationship!

Groom getting ready for Haywood Hall wedding

First look and pre-ceremony portraits

The almost husband and wife first laid eyes on one another on Haywood Hall’s second floor balcony, and then we met up with their family and wedding party in the garden for some group portraits.

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Julia incorporated a piece of her mother’s wedding dress into the lining of her own gown.

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Remember the colorful vibe? These flowers were perfection! I also liked the embroidery in Kurt’s jacket – a saying he came up with ages ago that has become part of their lives. Keep an eye out for it on the coozies later!

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Haywood Hall Wedding Ceremony

The ceremony itself always arrives faster than you think it will, and Kurt & Julia’s friends and family gathered under the trees in the front yard of the Haywood Hall house to watch the two make it official. 

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Portraits at the Capitol Building

Since we’d gotten to do all the group portraits before the ceremony with the first look, we just snuck away to the Capitol building for a few minutes during cocktail hour. It was a quick two block walk there and back, and we made some pretty portraits and got these two back to enjoy some of their cocktail hour. 

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But first, Julia changed into her dancing shoes!

Haywood Hall Wedding Reception

The reception decor kept with the colorful theme, but each table also included maps and photos of the couple at adorable ages. There was even a kids table with goodie bags!

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Here come those epic cat coozies! That’s Carlos and he’s famous now. 

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After an Julia & Kurt made an official entrance, everyone sat down to eat. Well, not quite everyone. There were some pint-sized shenanigans happening over in the back corner of the garden. 

After the sun had gone down and everyone was fed, there were toasts to be made, cake to be cut, and dances to be danced. 

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And of course some party time to be enjoyed!

But here we go: my favorite part of the evening. The cat toss. Instead of tossing a bouquet or garter, Julia & Kurt each tossed a stuffed cat, and instead of the catcher being the next to get married, they would be the next to adopt a cat. People jumped for those babies! As for the parents of the kids who caught the cats – I’m pretty sure that’s a legally binding agreement, so I expect you spent Sunday at the animal shelter? 

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More dancing! Always more dancing!

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Julia’s parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2020, so they were celebrated by everyone as they danced to a John Prine song called In Spite of Ourselves that I didn’t know Saturday, but have listened to a few time since. It’s great!

Since this wedding was all about color, I obviously had to work in some night time magic. Some colored gels helped me give Haywood Hall an almost Halloween-like overlay. 

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Back to the dance floor for a couple final songs, and then sparklers!

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Thanks y’all! I hope you thoroughly enjoyed your day. Safe travels on your honeymoon!!

  1. […] awesome John Prine mural by The Mural Shop. Remember the story I told about the John Prine song at Julia & Kurt’s wedding? Well, John Prine is Allison’s dad’s favorite, so she knew the song I was talking […]