So, where to begin? This was one of the most eventful, stunning, fun and smooth paced wedding days all with gorgeous details and venue space surrounding the whole thing. It took place at The Wildflower 301 in Greensboro, GA which is now up high in the list of favorite venues nearby and Rachel from Bentley Wedding Planning was an absolute joy to work with as well and everything seemed to just fall into place with the whole vendor team helping each other. We originally met Andrew and Erin via Zoom back in March of this year and had an absolutely great time hearing about them being Chemistry partners and how it was such a meant to be story. We also heard about the proposal in the North Carolina mountains and how they met up with all of their friends and everyone knew it was happening but they couldn’t find the perfect spot but then at the end of the weekend, he popped the question where the mountains were still in the background and their friends were in the photos too. The more we talked, the more we could tell that we would want to be friends with this couple and once we got into the wedding day more, that only got more obvious with the “Friends” and “How I Met Your Mother'“ references and just amazing stories and spur of the moment decisions that were made.
The wedding day itself started with Morgan, Tom and myself all riding together from our house in Grovetown, GA early in the morning and the plan was to stop at a local place in Greensboro but by the time they opened, that wouldn’t be possible so, we went with the tried and true Chick-Fil-A option in Greensboro then drove onto the venue to eat in the parking lot and make sure we were there early enough to eat and walk around a little to have a feel for the place. After that, we gathered our things and made our way in to say hey to the Bride Erin upstairs and gather details for photos as well. We also had Rachel the wedding planner nearby to help us know where to get some of the other details like the bouquet that was in a fridge and things of that nature and everything came together with some of Morgan’s flat lay magic. We also had our third shooter Tom with the guys and I bounced back and forth between the two some and was getting photo and video of the venue space and then, before we knew it, the guys were ready and the girls were almost ready. We took the guys to the cocktail hour area since it was in shade and had a really cool look and did all of their group and individual photos before sending them back to the “Whiskey Room” aka the groom suite where they did a small toast together. From here, Erin was finishing up the last little bit and once she finished, we did the girls group photos and took them back inside for a few more on the couch and then had them stay there in place for a bit while we got Andrew mic’d up and in place for the first look in the beautiful shaded garden. He was in place and so she made her way out and down the stairs then gave him the tap on the shoulder and we just captured the moment they had as it took place from off in the distance. As they finished and wiped away some tears, we started some of their couples portraits briefly in the garden area then since we were there, they dug up their bourbon (it’s a Southern tradition to bury a bottle before your wedding day around the ceremony site somewhere and it’s supposed to ward off any bad weather on the wedding day) and, it mostly worked! There was some rain later during the reception but, everyone was inside and it stopped way before the exit so I would at least say it was successful but, they said it was delicious as well so, that’s also nice and it was a lot of fun to see Andrew open the cork with his teeth. That moment was almost crashed by Erin’s Step Dad Chris seeing her too soon rushing over to where we were and we managed to stop him and send him back so we could set it up on the porch and then have Erin come up behind him there as well and you could tell that he loves her so much. We then, slipped Erin back inside the main house while waiting on her Dad to get into place for the first look and once he was mic’d and in place, we brought her outside to him one more time and they shared a sweet moment by the fountain. That moment was followed by the ring bearer showing up in probably one of the best getups I have seen for a ring bearer then, with some guests starting to show up, we had some extra time and the guys were in the reception area playing Super Smash Bros by the bar (side note, I believe Andrew won which is only right on his wedding day, right?) from here, I went on to the ceremony area to setup our ceremony camera on the tripod figure out any last minute plans for ceremony coverage while Morgan and Tom stuck around the front porch for a quick first look with Andrew and his Mom. Then there was a bit of down time for everyone to get lined up and guests to arrive. Once everyone was in their seats, Rachel started lining up the family and wedding party and they all entered and made their way down the aisle to their places then standing as Erin and her Father came down with a beautiful string version of Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” and I am pretty sure that literally everyone at least rubbed their eye or sniffled once during that moment but you can see the photos of what all happened on stage there and we’re excited for them to be able to go back and see the ceremony film later too of that entire moment. We then got to enjoy the ceremony and just capturing different angles while the Bridesmaid/Officiant Katie not only performed everything needed for the ceremony but, got to share some of the fun stories only a super close friend to both of them would be able to have making for a super personal and joyful ceremony. After they said their I do’s and sealed it with a kiss, we also had them stop and kiss at the top of the aisle as well and then as we’re photographing everyone else coming up, I looked over my shoulder and they were having a sweet moment of just holding each other. Once everyone had made their way out, we had Tom go cover some of cocktail hour while we did family formals, wedding party and couple’s portraits again. As we were finishing up couple’s portraits, their sweet pup showed up as well so we got a few photos in before they needed to get ready for reception.
Now, the entrances at the reception were just hilarious and the photos speak for themselves. Once everyone made their way up onto the platform where the dancing takes place, the newlyweds did their first dance and Erin also danced with both her Dad and Step Dad. Then, the toasts and dinner which there were actually quite a few speeches given with I believe two of them being the planned ones seen in the photos here but a bunch of others took place as well including the ring bearer giving the cutest toast ever. Everyone then ate some delicious food from the in house Chef at the Wildflower 301 and then after everyone was finishing up eating, Erin a few of her girls disappeared and sent for us. Once I got upstairs, I found out the secret plan to cut off Erin’s hair because she loves having short hair but always wanted long hair for her wedding. Also, a note that her sister did her hair for the wedding as well as cut her hair with no experience or training in that but if you look at what she did with her hair earlier in the day, it definitely seemed like she had some experience. The following photos after that were the Groom’s reaction since he had no idea what was happening so we had him up on the stage so they could give their couple’s speech as far as he knew but then she came in the door and you see his reaction. They then gave their speech and then Andrew and his Mom had their Mother-Son dance. From there, we went straight over to the cake cutting then it broke off into open dance floor, drinks and a lot of fun conversations until there came a moment where we noticed that Erin was going back behind the bar and, come to find out, she used to be a bar tender in Atlanta and wanted to make her own old fashioned for the fun of it. Once they finished the drinks and got back on the dance floor, the dance floor was pretty full for the rest of the night and they even convinced us and Rachel to go out and dance with them at some point during the night and there were a ton of fun moments that will better be explore in the wedding film later during the dancing but, we eventually came around to their last dance in privacy while everyone else was getting ready for the sparkler exit outside and with it being wet, we decided to do it right outside of the reception building on the normal concrete to be sure no one slipped on the stone path and it worked out beautifully. We then got to congratulate them one more time and talk for a bit before heading to pack up and leave and they are just genuinely great people. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for Mr. and Mrs. Calkins!
Vendors List
Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto
Venue - The Wildflower 301
Catering - Chef Lee w/ The Wildflower 301
DJ - Athens DJ Service
Coordinator - Rachel w/ Bentley Wedding Planning LLC
Flowers - Ashley w/ Best Life Designs
Dress - J. Andrew's Bridal
Men’s Attire - JoS A. Bank
Rings - Helzberg Diamond
Invitations - Zazzle
Cake - Bohemian Bakery
