fitzpatrick hotel

Matt & Lauren

 

We had the honor of meeting Matt and Lauren via Zoom back in March to learn more about their beautiful day and got to hear the story of how he proposed. They went horseback riding in Wyoming at the Grand Teton National Park and with the beautiful mountains in the background he proposed to her (She said yes obviously and also, So beautiful). We also learned about their garden box that they had made together which makes their wedding favors even more beautiful (you will understand when you see the pictures just below). We knew right away that this would be a wedding day for the books and that we would fall in love with this couple and their families. It was such a perfect day so, let’s hop into the wedding day!

It started with us making our way up stairs to say hey and grabbing the details to photograph while we had our third shooter Tom doing a little bit of the getting ready photos. It was in this moment that we met the florist “Mindy” who it turns out was out of Dublin, GA where I grew up for some of the earlier parts of my life. Once we finished with the details, Tom was down the hill with the guys as they got ready and hung out mostly then we had Lauren’s mom finish up the last bit of the dress before taking all of the girls down to the garden for their group photos. Once we had were all there and having fun taking the group photos, Kyle (the DJ) had just finished setting up so he gave us some good posing/walking music which made for a super fun moment. Once all of the girls made it back upstairs, we grabbed the guys for their group photos which, if you look at the photos, they’re a great looking and hilarious group of guys. We also learned that we shared in a love for Lord of the Rings and that he’s a huge Wrestling fan which explains the reception photos later that are in place of a typical garter toss moment where the guys all hyped him up to receive his Championship Belt. Once the guys went back inside, we found ourselves ahead of schedule so we enjoyed a glass of water really quick and made our way back up the hill to get ready for the ceremony.

Rose Hill is such a beautiful wedding venue and has a lot to offer like even the ability to use the chapel as the location for everyone to come out of going to the ceremony in the gazebo garden ceremony location. Once everyone was in place, the bride made her way out of the Chapel and up the path to where Matt could finally see his Bride and, he held it together pretty well for a minute but finally gave in as they got closer and it was a beautiful moment of seeing the looks they exchanged during the handoff and ceremony. They had such a lovely ceremony and the officiant prayed a beautiful prayer over them as well. Once they had said their I-do’s, the words every groom can’t wait to hear “You may kiss your bride” was spoken and everyone cheered. They joyfully made their way back to the chapel as husband and wife as well as the rest of the family and bridal party as the staff broke down the ceremony chairs and everyone else made their way to cocktail hour on the other side of the gardens. It was at this time that we started with the family formals, full wedding party and couples portraits which we went through pretty quickly even dealing with some difficult light from the sun peaking through which ended with us moving to the other side of the gazebo but having many more beautiful photos there including the wedding party photos and a few of the couple before whisking them away to other beautiful locations around the venue. There was a funny moment where we needed to walk across gravel but the bride didn’t have her shoes so the groom gave her his and he went to get hers as we made our way to the fountain which was our last location before the bride bustled her dress and they made their entrance to the reception.

Once in place, Kyle announced everyone into the reception and they are all so great but there were too many funny photos to not make this the largest blog post without leaving some off so, we decided to save that for the bride and groom to share when they get their full set soon. Once they had all danced their way into the reception, there was a beautiful speech given to lead into dinner. Once dinner had ended, it was dark out and everyone gathered for the toasts. Words cannot describe how amazing and unique to each individual the toasts were but when going through the photos to choose some for this blog. They all had tears and smiles at one point and ended with a big hug so, in their own way whether it be beautiful sentiment, a poem or amazing stories shared together, all hit home perfectly. After the toasts and cake cutting were all finished, we all made our way inside for their first dance, father-daughter and mother-son dances. They even did their first dance twice almost and it was just as good the second time even. Once they had all shared in loving glances and conversations during the dances, the dj got the entire wedding party out on the dance floor and had them pull more people out to start the party which started off strong and somehow carried the perfect amount of energy all the way to the exit. Kyle even hopped out with everyone on the dance floor for some of the line dances and made it even more fun. Once it was getting a bit later, it was time to toss the bouquet which ended with a little competitive catching and then went into the moment we mentioned earlier of all of the guys hyping Matt up to receive his Championship Wrestling Belt. There was then a little more dancing and party before everyone got ready for the sparkler exit starting by the gate to the property up the driveway ending the night of a great and joyful moment sending everyone off with the memories of this perfect wedding day. We are so excited for this couple and just know that great things lie ahead for the Cromer family.

 

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Florist- Luella Floral Designs

Bridal Gown - Bridals by Jodi (Charleston, SC)

Bridesmaids Dresses - Verita Bridal (Mount Pleasant, SC)

Tuxes - The Black Tux

Bow Tie - Brackish

Rings - Floyd and Green

Cake - Parkland Cakes

Hair and Make-up artists - Bella Faccia

DJ- Kyle Whitcroft- Orange Box Events out of Charleston, SC

Venue and catering - Rose Hill

Ben & Stefani

 

We had an amazing session with these two amazing people back in April which you can see here. They are from Colorado as well as a lot of their families but everyone came back to the old stomping ground of Washington, GA for the big day which we always love getting to shoot there since it’s where my family lives as well. They got ready at the reception venue which is the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Washington and then the ceremony was at Peacewood Farms just down the road which is a beautiful historic home just down the road from the Washington Square.

With the wedding being in Washington, we actually got to start off our day having an early lunch with my family at the local Mexican restaurant in town before dropping Logan off to stay with them during the wedding day. Once we were all set on that front, we made our way to the Fitzpatrick to meet up with the girls and say hey to Brittany (the coordinator for the day) whom we hadn’t seen in a while. We started our day saying hey to Brittany and meeting up with our third shooter, Tom, downstairs and checking out some of the reception decor then made our way up to the girls room to say hey and grab details to start photographing those. They had a lot of cute details that made it hard to choose which ones to put in this blog. Once in the girls room, the room was filled with music ranging from Linkin Park to Britney Spears at one point making for a diverse soundtrack to them getting ready. The guys spent their morning out shooting in a field so they came back to shower and start getting ready around the time that the girls were finishing up their hair and makeup to transition to the ceremony venue to get dressed so there was a little passing by saying hey on the stairs for the bridesmaids and groomsmen (not the bride and groom themselves of course). Now it was time to split up a little bit so Tom stayed with the guys for a bit as they got ready and we made our way to check out the ceremony location. Upon entering the girls room, we were greeted with a loud cheer because the Mother of the Bride was trying to take a cellphone picture for the girls of their socks and wasn’t getting what they wanted. It was probably the best greeting we’ve ever received on a wedding day so of course, I hopped down on the floor to take the photo of their socks seen below really quick and then went out to take photos of the house and ceremony area as Morgan stayed close by to them so she could get some of the last bit of buttoning on the dress and then it was time for the first look with the Father of the Bride who, at the time, was hanging out by the ceremony area. I got him into place and then Morgan brought Stef out as well as her Mom to watch (we didn’t know this at the time but all of her girls were watching out of the upstairs window as well). They were in place so, we took a step back and let the moment happen naturally once she tapped him on the shoulder, he couldn’t help but smile and hug her and then they both had to fight tears back a little bit. We then turned to see her Mom crying watching the whole thing from the porch and it made for a super sweet moment in a photo of them walking back inside just before all of the guests arrived.

Now that everyone was tucked away and the guests were all arriving, it was time for the ceremony to start. We were finding our spots for all three of us to make sure there were no crossing angles and then a bee started following us for some reason but, it seemed to be more curious than anything. We also got to meet some more of the family and had a great conversation with Ben’s Father just before getting into place. The DJ started the music and everyone began to make their way down the aisle. Ben walked down with Stef’s brother Tony who would be officiating the wedding for them. You can see him shake Ben’s hand in one of the photos below and it also made for a lot of funny stories and moments as well as beautiful heartfelt moments as he played a big role in the beginning of their marriage. After they exchanged their vows and rings, he got to say the words everyone loves to hear, “You may kiss the bride”. They had done it, they were now husband and wife and got to walk back up the aisle, hand in hand, husband and wife. We whispered a little congratulations and got them to share a kiss before we all started the group photos. We the grandparents seated and got everyone from the ceremony to gather around really quick for a photo. We then dove into the list that we had as well as a few others and came into a little moment of one of my camera’s having a focusing issue that we resolved at the reception but, this is why you bring multiple cameras. Can I get an amen? Once we finished all of the family photos and a few portraits at the spot we were at already, we got to take a little hike to another corner of the property near an old barn and some big fields to do all of the bridal party photos and then finish back at the top of the hill. Once we sent off the wedding party, we took a few moments with the newlyweds to go check out the location they were originally going to hold the ceremony but, it rained a few days before making it a worry that it might too muddy or difficult to get to so, they moved it. The couple of course were all for it so, we went down and did their couple’s portraits there quickly before hiking back up to go to the reception quickly. Once we were at the reception and everyone was ready, the DJ announced Ben and Stef to come out into the courtyard. They made their way over to the middle for the Best Man and Matron of Honor’s speeches. Some stories were shared and tears were shed. The theme seemed to be that no matter what Stef and Ben did, they would always end up together once the timing was right. After that, they went into their first dance, Father/Daughter dance and Mother/Son dance. Then it was time for everyone to eat and the dance floors opened back up after a little while also. At this point everyone was walking around and talking since the family doesn’t all get to see each other often and as the drinks were flowing and the night was approaching. We started to see a crazy amount of bats swarming in the sky which was really cool and slightly confusing then the dance floor was full of line dancing near the end of our time there and continued as we were leaving. It seemed that the party went into the night and was full of so much joy which was a great note to end on. We are so excited for the Blackmon’s and what big things their future together holds!

 
athens wedding photographer
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Augusta wedding photographer
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Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Ceremony Venue - Peacewood Farms

Reception Venue - Fitzpatrick Courtyard

Catering - Maddy's Public House

Planning - Brittany Buttrey

DJ - Spectrum Entertainment

Wedding Cake - Krispy Creme

Officiant - Anthony Okazaki

Hair + Makeup - Shelby + Bridal Party

Decor - Client Provided

Dress - David’s Bridal

Men’s Suits - Men’s Wearhouse

Groom’s Ring - Manly Bands

Bride’s Rings - Trice Jewelers - Centinnial Colorado

Gavin & Brittney

3-1-2020


 

It’s not every day that you get to capture the wedding of the manager of one of your favorite venues that you also grew up around (and may or may not have climbed up on top of as a kid at one point). We had the honor of meeting with Brittney and the planner/best friend Brittany shortly after posting Ben & Hannah’s wedding photos having worked with them at the Fitzpatrick and just had a great time conversing over coffee and getting to know the vision for the day. It seems like no time passed and all of the sudden here we are photographing the wedding day and handing over Logan to my parents in Washington for the first time to photograph a wedding and we couldn’t have asked for a better first wedding back. Everything went off without a hitch and Gavin and Brittney are just such a sweet couple that are easy to be around and laid back about everything. We always get the best photos when couples are willing to take a short adventure with us and I know Washington like the back of my hand so I took them to a park that is basically never used even though it’s gorgeous that was right around the corner and that is where we got some of my absolute favorite photos from this day! After everyone was ready and arrived we set out for a father daughter first look which is seen below and was so sweet to see her dad’s reaction and also the tears from her bridesmaids were so sweet. We then went right around the corner straight into the bride and groom’s first look and I could tell he was so excited to see his bride and the hug they shared said it all really. We took some photos in front of the fountain on the square with everyone shortly after and then headed up to get relax for a minute and then the ceremony time came. It was a sweet and intimate ceremony and after they said their I do’s everyone went down to maddy’s for a cocktail hour while they transitioned the ballroom for the reception which happened so quickly and that is when we went off to the park for photos with the bride and groom. Once we got back and everything was ready to start, Austin (The DJ) announced everyone in and they went into the dances. The first dances always get to us a little bit but, the father daughter dance made her mom cry and it was so sweet and that got to us for sure. Once they danced and cut the cake, everyone ate a delicious meal provided by the Fitzpatrick Hotel and then transitioned downstairs back to Maddy’s for an open invitation party for everyone to hop on the dance floor and dance the night away along with the bouquet and garter tosses which were fun to see the genuine reactions of who caught them. We left shortly after while they continued to dance the night away with their friends and family and it’s another amazing love story for the books that we got the be a part of and capture. We’re excited to see what the future holds and know they will have an amazing marriage!

 
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Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue - The Fitzpatrick Ballroom

Caterer - Maddy’s Pub

Cake - Carolyn Naas

HMU - Ashlyn Harris

Officiant - Frank Buttrey

DJ - Spectrum Entertainment

Planning & Floral - Brittany Buttrey (Fitzpatrick Hotel)

Ben & Hannah

10-26-2019


 

This wedding took place in a town that is very near to our hearts, Washington, GA. It is where I spent a good portion of my life in high school growing up and my parents still call it home. So for us, it was a bit of a reunion seeing many familiar faces. I first met Hannah in High school, so when they contacted us about doing photography for their wedding, of course we were super excited!

Hannah and Ben are two peas in a pod! It was so cute capturing their romantic shots after the I Do’s and seeing just how well their personalities played off of one another. It’s nice to be a part of something so beautiful happening in the lives of old friends and being a part of making sure it goes perfectly!

The ceremony took place at Callaway Farms, in Washington….And the coolest part? This is the first wedding there of many to come. The farm is now an official wedding venue owned by the brides family and just look at that ceremony site! !t’s such a beautiful backdrop with a lot of gorgeous options for photos that we enjoyed taking full advantage of!

The reception was held at the Fitzpatrick Hotel in the downtown square of Washington, Ga. It’s always a classy option with an amazing garden area out back that helps seat large groups of people. During the reception, there were super emotional speeches and a lot of beautiful moments then it quickly moved into an amazing celebration full of dancing and laughter and we have to say that the dj was so good! As the night went on they danced with their friends and family before they drove off as Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie! Congrats to the happy couple and we are excited for what the future holds for your lives together!

 
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Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Makeup - Paula Stevens and Mahlory Wood of E-Clips Salon

Flowers & Decor - Carol McTier of McTier Family Farms

Venue - The Sale Barn at Callway Farms / The Fitzpatrick Hotel

DJ - Pirone Entertainment

Caterer - Hannah's family prepping + Pam and Newton Gunter serving

Cake - Megan Kennedy (friend of the family)

Officiant - Allen Stephens (Hannah's Godfather)