Summertime Secrets

With spring close by we are beginning to meet with our summer brides, and we wanted to give out a few of our favorite summertime secrets that you will be happy you decided on for your wedding day!

Go with the Natural glow

Ladies, we totally understand wanting to have tan skin and wanting to add a little more color on the big day, however one thing we do not recommend is getting a spray tan! We would absolutely hate for your dress to get stained, and don't even want to think about what would happen if it were to rain. The natural glow is totally the way to go!

Summer Sippin’

We love the idea of having a signature cocktail on your wedding day! What better way to incorporate you and your grooms style than with one of your favorite drink recipes! A fun bright drink is just the ticket to get your reception started!

Treat your feet

We 100% recommend letting your bridesmaids wear sandals! Sandals are so comfy and can be styled with any type of dress, plus you don’t have to worry about the discomfort the heels bring.

{All above images are from: Ever and Ever Photography}

Re hydration Station

Summer in the south is no secret to some of how warm the temperature can get. Having a beverage station set up upon arrival adds a nice touch to have drinks ready and chilled for when guests arrive to the venue. Guests can sip on them before they take their seat and enjoy a sweet summer’s treat! Infused water bars or some southern strawberry lemonade is always a huge hit!

{Hillary Leah Photography}

Keeping Cool

We love having fans on display for your guests to grab as they sign in! Adding your program on the fan is a easy way to save cost on your budget and it's something guests will actually use. 

{Casey Green Photography}

With Summertime right around the corner, we hope this blog has helped inspire some of our precious couples with these helpful tips from our in house wedding planner and coordination team! We can’t wait for your big day with us and we hope some of these secrets will turn your day into a success!

Florals: Holland Daze

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered…. What’s next?

So, you’ve sent out your wedding day invitations, you’re probably wondering what’s next, right? All while trying not to freak out that you’ve just sent out your wedding invites to your closest friends and family. Embrace it.

This week’s informative blog is to help our brides nail down remaining details as we close in the final months before their big day. Listed below are some prominent suggestions that aren’t necessarily “last minute” but will help guarantee that you aren’t forgetting anything major before your wedding day!

1.    It’s not just about the day, but what’s happening that night!

After your wedding, you have to go somewhere, right? It’s a major factor to make sure that you have finalized your accommodations for the wedding night, along with how you and your new spouse are going to get there! The month before your wedding is the perfect time to secure/finalize your destination, while making sure that you have a safe and secure way to get there!

2.    Simple Thank you’s

We know its crunch time, but it’s so important to remember those who have been there along your journey! If you are planning on giving gifts, cards, or letter to your any members of your bridal party/family, now is the perfect time to get a jump start on these! This takes time. Making it personal and not last minute by handwriting your thank you’s to everyone will make you so much happier you took care of this a month before instead of the week of your wedding while you really trying to finish last minute details. And if you have any gifts you are giving out, go ahead and start wrapping them and prepping them for the big day! 

3.    Trial and Error

Brides, if you haven’t already scheduled a hair and makeup trial now would be the time to do so! Sometimes wedding day make up can be applied a little heavier than your normal everyday look, it’s important to have a trial to ensure you like the way this is going to look on you! The same goes for your hairstyle, especially if you are planning on adding a veil, flower crown, or a hair piece of some sort, you definitely want to have an idea of how it will look the day of so you aren’t shocked.

4.    Vendor Relations

This is key. Contacting all of your vendors prior to your wedding will you help you immensely. This will alleviate stress and make sure that everything is squared away. It’s important to confirm any remaining details, payments, and timelines to allow any necessary changes before the wedding.

5. Beginning to Build

We know you are still waiting on your RSVPs to come in, but this is the perfect time to begin planning your seating chart! Start thinking of how you want this to be presented, will you need an easel or a table to prop it up on? We strongly suggest seating charts so there is no confusion on where guests need to go! This will be a huge relief on your wedding day because everyone who RSVP’d will be guaranteed a spot!

In closing, our team of wedding planners compiled these top 5 to do’s while you are waiting to get back your RSVPs! These are tremendous tips that will allow you to enjoy the process! Like we said in the beginning, embrace it! We are here to help and make this the best experience it can be for you, your family, and your closest friends!

(All of the above images are from Mike Moon Studio Photography)

The Weather Was Frightful but the Weddings Were Delightful!

It’s not very often we in Georgia get snow during the winter months. It’s also not often that we get to experience snow, and ice on the same weekend we have two weddings booked!

The State of Georgia was declared in a State of Emergency but did that mean we at The Wheeler House were too? We couldn’t possibly think of cancelling or postponing our weddings on Saturday, January 7^th and Sunday, January 8^th. We have committed to these brides and it was our job to do the best job we possibly could! 

On Saturday morning our owner picked up our day of coordinator for that wedding, while one of his generous family members went and picked up our staff. We had our staff arrive and begin salting our brick cobblestone pathway around the property. While some of the workers salted the entire property, the others were shoveling the snow and clearing the way for when the guests and bridal party arrived.

For both of the weddings that weekend we were so fortunate that all of the vendors coming were able to arrive safely and were able to deliver their requested services as promised!

While cleaning up the venue Saturday night and setting up for the next day, the roads re-froze and were too dangerous for the staff to travel home on! Our staff ended up spending the night at The Wheeler House so they could help us the next day! They were such troopers to work back to back for us in our desperate time of need and we are forever thankful for them.

After another night of temperatures below freezing we had one more celebration to pull off! Again, our owner went and picked up our day of coordinator and we began to prep for that day’s outdoor wedding! Might we add the photos were simply gorgeous! We had amazing turnouts for both weddings and were so ecstatic that our brides were the first brides in the history of The Wheeler House to have a beautiful snow setting as the background for their wedding photos.

We wish you guys all the best and we were so fortunate to have your special day with us! 

(All of the above images are from: Katelyn Cantrell Photography)

Wedding Wednesday: Kirstin + Stephen Cagle // June 10, 2016

Kirstin + Stephen Cagle // June 10, 2016

How They Met/ First Date

Kirstin and Stephen met at Georgia Southern University where they both majored in music education. The two spent their first date at the infamous sweetheart circle at their alma mater bundled up in blankets and cuddled in a hammock. Legend has it that if you walk around the circle three times with your sweetheart you will be together forever, we’d say the legend is true!

The Proposal

After Stephen graduated, Kirstin was still student teaching and living in Atlanta. Kirstin decided to plan a trip for the two of them to go visit their two best friends at Georgia Southern (the future maid of honor and best man). During the trip, Kirstin suggested that they all go to sweetheart circle where both the couples and each other first met to take some pictures since it would probably be the last time they would ever be in that area all together again. Little did she know she planned her entire engagement. The couple began taking pictures under the same tree they hammocked from on their first date, then Stephen got down on one knee and proposed.

“We loved that we were able to document this moment and have an immediate engagement shoot with our friends,” said Kirstin.

The Wedding

The two got to visit a open house at The Wheeler House with their families and immediately fell in love and even booked their wedding that day! Kirstin wanted her wedding to be timeless and classy and it definitely was that! The couple both really wanted to add touches of their relationship throughout the day. They incorporated their love for music by making their table runners out of sheet music and by using a drum as the cake stand for Stephen’s grooms cake.

One of their most memorable parts of their wedding was their first dance. Between the perfect song and this sweet couples love, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room!

“It was one of the first moment where the pressure of the ceremony was over and we could just enjoy “It felt like we were the only people on the Earth”.

Kristin suggests to all couples to keep a journal through out their engagement, wedding and honeymoon.

“We both did this and found it to be a great way to record all kinds of details, memories and emotions (big, small, serious, silly) that we otherwise would forget even if we tried not to,” said Kristin. “I’ve really enjoyed reliving my wedding through my journal can can’t wait to read back on it years from now!”

The Honeymoon

The two traveled to the Western Caribbean on a cruise for their honeymoon. They wanted to go to the beach and wanted an easy trip to plan so what better way than to take a cruise.

“We loved every second of our Wheeler House Wedding from start to finish! We would do it all over again! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our day so amazing!” –Kirstin Cagle

Kirstin & Stephen,

It was such a pleasure working with you both. You two are truly special and your love is inspiring. We wish you both the absolute best.

Love,

The Wheeler House Team

Wedding Wednesday: Maddie + Bradley Martindale // March 18, 2016

Maddie + Bradley Martindale // March 18, 2016

Maddie and Bradley met at a mutual friend’s house over Christmas break in 2013. The two quickly hit it off and by the summer of 2014 they knew they were in love and had something special going.

Shortly after, Bradley was relocated to Texas for his job so his friends and family wanted to throw him a going away party to say their last goodbyes. Maddie was so focused on the night being all about Bradley that she did not read into any signs.

At the party, Bradley asked Maddie to stand with him as he made a speech to thank his friends and family for all they had done to get him to where he was today. Little did Maddie know, the speech was actually for her. Bradley got down on one knee and proposed in front of all of their loved ones.

“I was the happiest girl in the world and so surprised,” said Maddie.

When envisioning her wedding, Maddie really wanted an outdoor ceremony with a rustic barn and instantly fell in love with the venue as soon as she saw it. Her and Bradley knew the venue would help them have their dream wedding.

“The Wheeler House truly cares about their brides and grooms, and they want them to have the best experience possible,” said Maddie. “I cannot say enough great things about this place.”

Maddie’s most stressful part of planning her big day was that her and Bradley were living in different states which made some of the planning process very challenging, but they were able to make it work.

“There is nothing worse than getting so caught up in the stresses of planning that you forget the whole purpose in why you are getting married in the first place,” said Maddie.

When it came time for their wedding day one of their favorite moments was the time they spent together before their ceremony, praying and giving each other their hand written letters.

“It calmed my nerves just being able to be with him before the wedding, even if we couldn’t see each other, for a brief moment and share that special time together,” said Maddie.

After all of the wedding festivities were over, Maddie and Bradley headed to own of their favorite vacationing spots, San Destin, Florida. They really wanted to go somewhere they both enjoyed and somewhere that would be relaxing after being apart for so long.

We wish this couple the best of luck in this next chapter of their lives and we are so blessed that we got to work with you both!

With Love,

The Wheeler House Team

VENDORS

Flowers: Holland Daze

Dress: Bel Fiore

Cake: Lush Cakery 

Photographer: Kayla Johnson Photography 

Entertainment: D Street Entertainment
Rentals: Miss Milly's
Videographer: Zach Fossier