Jun 30, 20206 min read

Hayley and Matt

There are few things in life we love more than loved up couples and this beautiful wedding of Hayley and Matt had it, an adorable little fur baby! Needless to say, we had to learn more and chat with Hayley and Matt about their big day.

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

We absolutely love the rustic look and wanted our day to be a classy farm theme. I had always had my heart set on Vintage Oaks Farm for my wedding venue. I got lucky that the man of my dreams wanted the exact same type of wedding. I wanted classy and simple when it came to colors. The only real pop of color was my bridesmaids coral dresses. We were extremely traditional in the fact that we did not want to see or talk to one another before the ceremony. We wrote each other letters that we read silently side by side with a divider, but we did not see one another. We also feel that God is at the center of our relationship so during the ceremony we braided a cross (from Etsy), because a cord of three strands is not easily broken while my best friends (Laughlin) played a song "Making Memories of Us." We now have this cross hanging up in the den of our house as a constant reminder to keep God at the center of our relationship.

Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

Dean Pannell with Pannell Designs was MY MAN! I 100% trusted him to make my wedding look classy and rustic. He was my day of coordinator and florist. He went over and beyond my expectations. We had burlap, lanterns, wood pieces, and beautiful floral arrangements as decorations. The ceremony and reception were in the same location so the ceremony was outside at the arbor while the reception was inside the barn.

What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

I told Dean from the beginning that I wanted simple flowers. I went with white hydrangeas with white roses and dusty miller incorporated into my bouquet. My bridesmaids had similar bouquets. We had 2 large floral arrangements at the beginning on the aisle on burlap pedastals and then 3 large floral arrangements up on the arbor for the ceremony. There were white rose pedals on the ground on either side of the aisle along with hanging floral arrangements on every other aisle. I think the floral arrangements helped make the look complete, but we did not go over board with flowers.

Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

We had my best friends (Laughlin) play a song at our ceremony while we braided our cross. We decided as a guest book to have people sign the back of cornhole boards (from Etsy). These were used during cocktail hour outside after the ceremony. We had a few other cornhole boards out as well for people to play. My overall favorite parts were DANCING (our DJ was AMAZING) and the SUNSET that we got was PHENOMENAL! My main goal for the event was for everyone to have FUN and I think that most certainly was the case.

Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

My grandmother actually saw my dress in the window at Dressing Dreams and was convinced that it was "made for me!" I took my mother in law, my mother, and my grandmother to try on dresses at Dressing Dreams in Hartwell, GA. I tried "the dress" on first and fell in love. However, I tried on several others just to be sure that the first one was "the one!" It was so perfect and special to me. I will forever remember that moment. I always thought I wanted my hair down for the wedding, but with "the dress" it needed to be up to show off the back of the dress. Trina did an outstanding job on my hair. It was better than I could have envisioned. I told Jeris for makeup that I wanted to look as much like myself as possible. She most definitely made my makeup pop, but I still look like me when I look back at my pictures. Since it was a spring wedding and at a barn, we wanted to go with khaki suits. We are really into the neutrals. Matt wanted to wear a bow tie to set him apart from the other groomsmen wearing ties. Both of our fathers wore the same suits. Our moms happened to also choose dresses that complimented the color palette too.

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

We actually met on the dating app Bumble. Our first date was at Carrabba's in Cumming. I was so nervous when we met, because he looked just as good in person as he did in his pictures. I said "I know right?" a million times to things he said, which is his favorite part of our first date. We immediately were connected and stayed there for 3 hours just talking. Things moved quickly as he met my family a month later and then we went to visit his parents in Florida over my spring break. Everything was just PERFECT and just fell into place. Matt is a huge Florida fan as his dad went to school there so the fact that he got tickets to the first Georgia game of the year and wore red with a "G" pin was a BIG DEAL. He invited my parents to come with us. Before, we tailgated we had to go meet the guy to get the "tickets" on North Campus. Matt led me over into a shaded spot under a tree outside the chapel once we got to North Campus. He recalled our first date, what he loves most about me, and what he looks forward to in the future with me. We both shared tears of joy as he got down on one knee and I said "YES!" He shocked my parents and especially me! The ring was more beautiful than I could have ever picked or envisioned. His mother had given him her center stone that he had reset in a ring for me. It is my most prized possession that I NEVER take off.

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

By far the most special moment for me on the wedding day was walking down the aisle to "Speechless" by Dan + Shay. When Matt turned around and saw me for the first time, that is a face I will never forget. He had such tears of joy, which is what every little girl dreams of for her groom. It made my heart flutter and of course made me tear up too.

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

Everyone told me "soak it all in," but it is almost impossible on that day. I tried my hardest to do so, but it happens all so fast (definitely a blur). Spend the money on an outstanding photographer and videographer, because at the end of the day that is what you have left when it is all over. Be sure to keep the focus on the two of you, and don't focus so much on the production. I had so many people say "that wedding was totally you" or "that was the most fun wedding I have ever been to." Those comments along with "the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to" or "I could totally feel the love" are what I wanted out of our special day! It is all about the unison of two people, which our officiant, Mike Mcauliff, totally out did himself. He made the ceremony 100% about us. When people left, they knew us and knew our love story. Just keep it simple and have fun, at the end of the day you are MARRIED!