reception details — Beauty & Beard PhotographyBlog

We cannot say enough about both David and Drew or their wedding day at one of our all time favorites, Windsor Manor. We met with them back in June of last year and hit it off super quickly and since then, we have hiked up a mountain near Asheville, NC at Max Patch to see some of the first snow of the year for their engagement session which was freezing cold so you can only imagine that it was a great bonding experience as well and we got to laugh about a ton too. Fast forward to their wedding day back in Georgia and it was a gorgeous wedding day that felt like a fun garden party with pops of purple everywhere. Not to mention, these two have hearts of absolute GOLD and their friends and family were all so much fun to get to know and celebrate on the day with.

The wedding day itself started with saying hey as usual and grabbing details to make flat lays as well while I run off to do venue photo and video. Then as Drew slipped into her dress, she did a reveal with her girls before starting to write down her vows into the notebook from what she had typed out on her phone. The guys were also getting ready and David was also copying over his vows around this time and as soon as he finished that, we went outside for their first look. Once he turned around, these two shared such a sweet moment as well as their personal vows in such an intimate setting and it was one of the many highlights of the day for us to be a part of. We then had the wedding party come outside and started doing the wedding party and some of the couples portraits which led us up to getting ready for the ceremony while they were tucked away inside.

During the ceremony, they shared their vows in front of everyone as well as rings and more vows then shared the meaning of a Ukrainian tradition while David’s Brother explained that the first person to step becomes the leader of the household but they both stepped at the same time to show that they actually share that role. They were then announced as Husband and Wife and made their way up the aisle over to the side for family photos while everyone else got to go enjoy cocktail hour. We then finished the family photos, started doing wedding party and couples portraits with a little snack in between as well before bustling the dress for the reception entrances.

As the reception started, there were already fun moments where David’s Babushka was dancing already and having a great time but then the dance floor cleared for the entrances for the wedding party starting off dinner which also led into toasts, first dance, Mother-Daughter and Mother-Son dances followed by their first fight where they brought out swords and had a short fun sword fight. Throughout the rest of the night, the dance floor was full most of the time as well as the cake cutting, shoe game, drinks and bubbles out on the dance floor leading into their big bubble exit. It turned out that some of the wedding party just so happened to have extra bubble guns as well and we had some extra batteries so, there A LOT of bubbles and it was super fun. We know the future will prove to be beautiful for these two and are so excited for the Zhukov family!

Vendors List

Photography - Beauty & Beard Photography @beautyandbeardphoto

Venue: Windsor Manor

Dress - Azazie

Bridesmaids Dresses - Azazie

Rings - Manly Bands(Groom), Shane Co, (Wedding and engagement band), Diamonds Direct (Diamond)

Invitations - Zola

Men's Attire - Men's Wearhouse

DJ - DJ Reach

Caterer + Bartender - Creative Moment Catering

Cakes + Dessert - A Piece of Cake Bakery

Oh the joy that being able to capture multiple weddings for a family brings to us. We were able to capture Jennifer’s daughter Baylee’s wedding day and it is always such a joy to see the family again on another joyful day like this! This time, instead of Sandersville, we were nearby in Milledgeville at the Dogwood Barn at G5 ranch with the planning by Gigi’s by Grace Ann Designs, gorgeous florals by Mulberry and Magnolia and the catering even woven into David and Jennifer’s story with the ministries they met serving in and what they do for work. It was a perfect start to our Fall season of weddings and full of so much beauty.

The day itself started off with us walking around the venue a bit and then saying hey to everyone inside as well as grabbing some details to photograph. Around the time everyone was getting ready, we helped setup for a special box of Cheerios (he eats a bowl every morning) that was re-sealed with a special prize inside (his customized cufflinks). We then split off to finish up with Jennifer getting ready and then doing group photos before the ceremony. Then the ceremony time came along and the sunset made for absolutely gorgeous light at the waterfront ceremony. It was a lot of fun to see Cody (Baylee’s husband) as one of the flower dudes and having fun with it. Then there was live singing as well as the musical backdrop to Jennifer coming down the aisle to David. During the ceremony, they exchanged vows, tied the rope of three strands and sealed it all with a kiss before excitedly exiting as Mr. and Mrs. Rice officially. From here, we setup to do family photos, wedding party and then explore the property a bit with the newlyweds for their couples portraits and then ended off with her getting her dress bustled a bit so they could enter into the reception for their first dance together. Once they entered into the cheering reception, they started their loving first dance which then led into a few others. They did a Mother-Son dance for David and then a Mother-Son dance for Jennifer and then also, a Father-Daughter in-law dance to end off. The rest of the night was full of delicious food and cheese cake (I know it’s food too but it’s a very special food in my opinion), dancing, fellowship and then ending off the night with a sparkler exit. The Rice family has already been up to doing amazing things but, we know this power couple has even more ahead in the future!