Every item that Heather wore was special for different reasons: her dress was her mother’s wedding dress; her shoes belonged to her grandmother & also were worn by her mother in her wedding; brooch in her hair belonged to her grandmother; and penny in shoe given to her by her dad with birth year on it. Beautiful bouquet was knitted by the Bride herself! The sentiment and creativity didn’t end there.

Heather and Simon really wanted their wedding to be focused on what really matters: family, each other, and the Lord. The ceremony was just the two of them, the minister, and immediate family.

Simon and Heather chose to do a sand ceremony instead of a unity candle. However, they put a little twist to what I have seen before. As each family member entered the chapel they were given a little bag of red sand and just as the ceremony started a glass bowl was passed around for them to pour their sand into. At some point in the service the “family” sand was poured into the vase, Bride and groom poured their sand in on top of that, and then the minister topped off the vase with blue sand which was for God. So not only did Heather and Simon unite, but the 2 families became 1, with the Lord’s blessing and protection.

Then after the ceremony they walked over to the reception hall where over a hundred friends and family gathered to greet and celebrate their union. Live entertainment, food, dancing, and just lots of fun!

Much to their surprise a little secret was disclosed to the band about the Bride and Groom having the talent to sing and play. (a secret to the band, not the guest) So the band called both Simon and Heather to the stage and had them sing a couple of songs. Let me say, I haven’t seen this happen before, but it was great!

Everything about this wedding was beautiful and creative. As a fun and creative way for the guests to sign in, there was a station set up with many sheets of square material, paint, ribbon, pens…pretty much anything you can imagine that is artsy. The guests were invited to decorate, in their own way, a square. Heather is planning on making a wedding tapestry with all the squares. There was one there that caught my eye and just wanted to share it with you. Here are a few more pictures of little details surrounding their day. Including: original painting by the bride, “Perfect Blend” of tea for the guest, handmade invitations, cupcake wedding cake, and lots of great food.

Congratulations Simon and Heather! We look forward to meeting up with you guys again for your After Session!

Columbus, GA