11.20.2021 | DeKalb Historic Courthouse
How We Met
Molly reached out to us in March of 2021 looking for a planner for her November wedding at the Dekalb Courthouse. We have been to Dekalb courthouse quite a few times, so we were so excited to chat with Molly about what she was envisioning for her day! After that conversation, Molly entrusted us with her wedding and we had a November 20th on the books!
Down to Business
Although the pandemic was still in full swing during the planning process for Molly and Kyle’s wedding, we were always able to meet in person with Molly and her mom! We typically met at Marietta Square Market where Molly and her mom would come ready to knock planning out of the way along with taste testing a cocktail to consider for one of the signature cocktails on wedding day! As we got closer to wedding day, we scheduled a walkthrough of the venue with the catering team and photographer just so that we could make sure everyone was on the same page and ready for the big day! The evening before wedding day, we headed to the Dekalb Courthouse again, but this time to practice sending Molly and Kyle down the aisle. The anticipation for the following day was growing with every practice step taken!
The Big Day
On wedding day, Molly and her girls got ready at a nearby hotel and Brielle with Formal Faces came to pamper the gals with hair and make-up. Once hair and makeup was just about wrapped up, Kayla, with Lane Albers Photography, arrived to capture some getting ready photos before the girls packed their things up and started to head over to the venue. We arrived at the venue, the Dekalb Courthouse, and instantly started to set out the chairs for the ceremony. In the meantime, Chelsea and Mackenzie, with Luxe and Bloom were starting to work on a beautiful installation for the arch which would be the background for both the ceremony and reception. Around this same time, Molly and her girls arrived at the venue. Molly and her mom shared a special moment together as her mom zipped her into her dress from Encore Formals - Kayla captured this perfectly! We quickly had to hide Molly once she was in her dress so that the first look surprises that would be happening later in the day wouldn’t be ruined! Zest Catering arrived and started to unload their truck and the smell of the food filled the room - everyone was so excited to try the food at dinnertime. Confection Perfection dropped off a gorgeous cake to which Luxe and Bloom added flowers.
We were ready for Molly to do her first looks! First, Molly and her dad shed a few tears together as he was getting to see his daughter look like a bride for the first time. Next, Molly headed outside to surprise her groom with her look! After Molly and Kyle took some photos together, we helped gather the wedding party in front of the venue so that Kayla could capture some individual photos and group shots. Rich, from Complete Weddings & Events, arrived while photos were being taken and started to set up and test the volume levels for the ceremony. Since it was a little chilly outside, we made sure to take the entire wedding party back inside to have a chance to rest (and even grab a drink from the bar) prior to the ceremony starting.
Guests were seated and we were ready to send everyone down the aisle! Aaron, Molly’s brother, officiated the ceremony and we love when couples can find someone close to them to be the person to marry them - such a sweet personal touch! When the ceremony wrapped up, guests were invited to the downstairs lobby for a cocktail hour while family photos and a total room flip were happening upstairs. Guests were invited to their seats and the wedding party was introduced to Backstreet's Back. This got everyone so ready for the celebration to come! Molly and Kyle went straight into their first dance before hearing a toast and a blessing from Molly's father. Like we mentioned before, the dinner was highly anticipated because we knew Zest was going to serve some incredible food and we were right. All of the guests enjoyed their food while Molly and Kyle went around the room mingling with all their guests. Once we were done with dinner, Molly shared a dance with her father followed by Kyle dancing with his mother in order to open up the dance floor. DJ Rich had everyone on their feet dancing all night long and it was so fun to see the guests dancing accompanied by light up foam sticks. The dance floor was electric! Before the evening got too late, Molly and Kyle headed outside with their wedding party and family for a fake send-off so that they could have those fun pictures. After the fake send off everyone headed straight back inside to get back on the dancefloor for the rest of the night. Everybody clearly had such a great time celebrating Molly & Kyle!
Something Spectacular
We love the moments on wedding day that are truly unique to a couple because those are what make a wedding spectacular. Molly added so many different elements to the wedding which added a special personalization such as koozies, personalized wine corks, macaroons, and signature cocktails. We absolutely adored each of those details, but what stood out to us the most was a moment on wedding day. Molly and Kyle sat in a side room enjoying a drink and appetizers while the room was being transformed from ceremony to reception. Once the flip was done, we grabbed them so that they would be the first to get to digest how incredible the flip was. Next, they (discreetly) cut the cake and cheered some champagne so that moment could be for the two of them. Lastly, as their DJ was testing volume levels for dinner and reception, Molly and Kyle got to share a spontaneous private first dance together. The room was filled with the hustle and bustle of preparing for the reception, but it was like Molly and Kyle froze time to dance together. We love spontaneous intimate moments that couples share on wedding day.