This Waterfall Wedding Overflows with Sweet Details

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

You never know where a bit of a wander will take you. For Halie + Alec, a night spent exploring brought them face-to-face with the wedding venue of their dreams. Trouble is, it wasn’t actually a venue at all! Situated on a small college campus in Georgia, Toccoa Falls’ namesake waterfall fell from a drop of 186 feet. H+A begged for the opportunity to state their vows in front of the national preserve, and the persistence paid off. For the reception, an old warehouse was transformed into a visual celebration of the love between Halie + Alec, with sweet details and a band made up of Alec’s friends topped off the evening.

The couple shared some of their inspirations and favorite highlights from the day: We tried our best to not get inspiration from Pinterest because we wanted the wedding to truly reflect us instead of being full of too many trends. We are wedding photographers so it was also easy to take away the best thing from each wedding we’ve photographed, as well as learn what not to do.

One of our favorite details was the chicken wire wall behind the cake table that was full of love notes from each other, polaroids from trips we’ve been on, and our engagement photos. We also used vintage cameras as part of our centerpieces. To add something from the strong musical aspect of Alec’s life, we put dried flower petals from our grandmothers garden into a cone made from sheet music of the song he sang to me when he asked me to be his girlfriend. Our guests threw the petals as we walked back down the aisle.

Lionhearted Events helped plan the couple’s dream day and Sara Byrne captured the sweet moments–just wait until you see that waterfall:

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

old mill

The industrial warehouse set up a perfect contrast to the natural elements of the ceremony.

moss ring box

floral robe

Hallie and her girls wore floral robes from BHLDN as they got ready for the day.

Rue De Seine Dress

Rue De Seine Dress

Her Rue De Seine dress and sheer top brought a soft, sweet romance. Just beautiful!

letterfolk

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Alec: The most memorable part for me was when I saw her walk down the aisle because it was the moment that I had constantly pictured from the moment I asked her to marry me. She blew away all of my expectations. She wouldn't look at me, either due to nerves or because she didn't want to trip and fall. I later found out she did trip! Just out of eyesight before turning the corner.

Halie: The first, most memorable part was exchanging our vows. It felt like only a few people were watching when really there were about 175 people. We had our close family + friends sit and gather around the rock we were standing so they could hear us. Everyone else sat in more traditional ceremony seating about 20 feet back, so it still felt small and intimate for us. The second most memorable part was eating tacos at a private table in the woods, because a) it was the first time of the day that we got to be alone and b) tacos.

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Our Musical Choices

Processional: For You by Sharon Van Etten

Recessional: First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes

First Dance: In My Arms by Jon Foreman

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Um, wow. What a backdrop!!

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Love how H+A invited their parents to sit front and center for the vows. So sweet!

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

Those little details can mean a lot: the rose petals were grown in Halie’s grandmother’s garden.

fall wedding party

Georgia Waterfall Wedding

SO beautiful.

Georgia Wedding

Georgia Wedding

Georgia Wedding

Don’t you just love her pink-hued hair?!

Rue De Seine Dress

Georgia Wedding

Georgia Wedding

Rue De Seine Dress

Bud & Bloom created the floral masterpieces for the ladies and the reception. Meanwhile, we’re still in love with the feminine details of this dress.

Rue De Seine Dress

Georgia Wedding

Georgia Wedding

Love this set up!

love notes

H+A collected love notes, photos from trips, and their engagement photos to hang behind the cake table.

polaroids

Georgia Wedding

Vintage cameras made the perfect centerpieces, all were collected by the couple and donated from friends.

vintage cameras

Georgia Wedding

cheese board

Georgia Wedding

Sure-fire way guests will rave on about a wedding for months to come? Taco truck!

Georgia Wedding

Georgia Wedding

Music is a big part of Alec’s life, and he made sure to incorporate a few surprises at the reception. Halie and her father danced to a song Alec wrote for them, while Alec’s mother wrote lyrics to a tune for the mother-son dance.

Georgia Wedding

Georgia Wedding

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Our advice for anyone planning a wedding now is try your very best to not stress too much about anything. No matter what, something is going to go slightly wrong and it doesn't matter. Try to enjoy the planning process and if you have a strong willed and opinionated family, learn to pick and choose your battles. One of the things we are most grateful for is that throughout the planning process, both sides of our families really learned to work well with each other and bonded. It truly felt like by the time we got married, we were one giant family, rather than Alec's family and Halie's family.

Last but not least, DO YOU BOO. Don't worry about rules. There are none. If you don't want to cut the cake, don't. If throwing the bouquet sounds lame or embarrassing to you, let your husband swing at a piñata full of Fireball shots.

Georgia Wedding

Thanks for sharing your sweet day with us and many congrats to H+A!

photography: Sara Byrne // venue name: Toccoa Falls, Toccoa Falls, Georgia, USA // planning: Lionhearted Events // florals: Bud & Bloom // wedding dress: Rue De Seine // hairpiece: White Orchid Bridal // getting ready robes: BHLDN // hair stylist: Robn Johnsen // makeup artist: Margaret Snider // handmade details: Copper + Torch // catering: Tex's Tacos // cake: Cecilia's Cakes // furniture rentals: Vic's Vintage

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