Wedding Wednesday | Tate House Georgia Wedding | Adam and Erin

These adorable newlyweds, Erin and Adam Jarrett, met in downtown Atlanta at the Peachtree Center food court, which was close the where they both worked. Adam impressed Erin from the start – from the first moment he saw her, he was determined to get her number. Luckily he discovered that on the fateful day he saw her, she was eating lunch with a friend of a friend of his brother. Before Erin even made it back to her office from lunch, with the help of his brother and the friend of a friend, he was able to get her email address. Two weeks later, they met for a lunch date and the rest was history!

He popped the question on Columbus Day of 2015 on a hike to Jack’s River Falls in the Cohutta Wilderness. Erin fills us in on all the details of their engagement! “It was an 8 mile hike round trip – I was tired, sweaty, hungry, dirty – you name it – by the time we got to the falls. Adam wasn’t talking very much on the hike in or eating very much food at lunch… now I know why! He proposed at the bottom of the falls – in the brilliant sunlight, with a rainbow in the background – it really was a magical moment!! When the box opened with the ring in it we were almost blinded by the way the sun hit the diamond! We were both over the moon and the hike back to the truck flew by – and gave us time to absorb it all without being connected to the outside world since our cell phones didn’t have service, which was very nice! Adam was just glad the boy scout troop hiked out from the falls area before he proposed – he’s not big on an audience. It was a total surprise to me!”

What was your wedding date and why did you choose it?

May 15, 2016. We chose it because of the promise of good weather and the fact that it was just over 6 months from when he proposed since we didn’t want to wait a full year. We avoided family birthdays and mother’s day. Also, Sundays at the Tate House are offered at a discounted price, so that was a no brainer since we wanted an afternoon wedding!

What was your overall vision for your wedding?

I wanted a sparkly, glamorous, vibrant wedding. Shiny is my favorite color and I love things that pop! My colors were bright purples and pinks and if we had a bling option, I went with it – including broaches for the chair ties, cake jewelry, rhinestone accents on the tables, etc.!

What do you feel was the most special component of your wedding?

I was able to incorporate so many facets of my life into the ceremony and reception – the Tate House agreed to have a beautiful white washed cross made for us to use in the outside space. I initially wanted a church wedding since our faith is so important to us and was hesitant to go outdoors – but with the cross it felt like I was able to have the best of both worlds and it was absolutely beautiful!!

Cinderella was always my favorite – so we did favors that were candy kisses in little glass slippers with a happily ever after tag attached. I also had napkins printed with the saying, “Sometimes in the middle of ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale” to incorporate the princess idea. Also, I competed for years in the Miss Georgia pageant – so we used the Miss Georgia Overture to introduce the wedding party. By working with the Tate House, we were able to weave everything from Jesus to pageantry throughout the ceremony and reception and it all came together nicely!

Also – the  bridal cottage amazed my bridesmaids. They said out of all the weddings they had been in – this was the nicest place for the bride and her girls to get dressed – food was provided so no need to leave!! The bridal cottage was a great way to start my big day!!

How important are the typical wedding traditions? Did you plan on doing something outside of the norm to make your wedding more of your own?

We went pretty traditional – our faith was the central cornerstone of our selections for the ceremony and reception. And we also stuck with the traditional events – cake cutting, garter toss, etc. The only thing that was a little different was the braiding of the unity cord instead of the unity candle – I thought this really illustrated how we wanted our home to be – with Christ binding us together. It really spoke to me more than the candle or the sand or other more typical traditions.

Why did you choose our North Georgia Special Events venue as your wedding venue?

My first pageant coaching session was held at the Tate House when I was about 20 years old. From that point on, it’s always seemed like a magical place to me. My mom also always had a vision of an outdoor wedding near a beautiful home – so she fell in love with it. Also, Adam was looking for something stately and elegant. The three of us knew from the moment we stepped on the property that it was the perfect fit! Also, the fact that they do everything in house – meaning no need to find vendors, caterers, etc. allowed us to hit the easy button and do some one stop shopping!! I can’t imagine how crazy my life would have been if we had had to rent tables, find a cake, etc. A cake is included in the package! We also chose a Sunday date which was a money saver – and the Tate House compared to other locations was a great value for the price!

Other favorite memories of your wedding at our Georgia wedding venue?

We left in a helicopter – need I say more!! The Tate House had a landing pad which made it possible – it’s what our guests talked about the most!! And really it was the same price as a limo!! We love unique endings.

Photography: Mike Moon Studio // See their beautiful Georgia historic home wedding video here!