October Wedding | The Chapel on McEver

10.26.2024 | The Chapel on McEver & Sterling on the Lake Clubhouse

How We Met

Kira reached out to Marmaros in February of 2024 looking for someone to help her with her wedding in October. She let us know that she was planning on doing a ceremony at the Chapel on McEver followed by a reception at the clubhouse at Sterling on the Lake. She was thrilled to hear that we were available for her date and had done a wedding at Chapel on McEver before. After an explanation of who we are and what we do, Kira asked for a contract and before we knew it we had another October wedding on our calendar!

Love Story

Basically, the only way of explaining it is that meeting each other was a God thing. Timing is everything in life and we both realized that most when we met one another. Growing up in Gainesville where almost everyone knows everyone, it is hard to not be connected some how, which in fact we were. I knew of Erin (Evan's sister), but did not know Evan or that she had a brother even. Time went by and life happened for the both of us bringing us both back to Gainesville, Georgia. We both were very family and career oriented and came back to focus on that, but God knew what he was doing more so than we did. A mutual friend and family friend of mine worked with Evan and set up what was pretty much a blind date. It went well because the rest was history after that day. We fell in love and have been inseparable ever since.

Down to Business

We got straight into planning with Kira and got our first meeting on the calendar shortly after having her wedding date on the calendar! We met virtually where we heard all about Kira’s vision for the big day along with some of the logistical details regarding the ceremony and reception being in two different locations. We worked together over a few meetings to make sure that everything was as organized as it could be and that we were on the same page! In September prior to her wedding, we drove to the reception space, the Sterling on the Lake clubhouse, where we had the pleasure of finally meeting in person. We also got the chance to meet some important women in Kira’s life and her catering team, Green Gables Events. We walked through the reception space and talked through how we would utilize the space along with measuring everything to be able to make an accurate floor plan. After this meeting, you could feel the excitement in the air! We had a few follow up chats after the walkthrough to make sure we had everything we needed to know to nail Kira’s plan, but the next major step towards the wedding day was the rehearsal the night before! On Friday the 25th, we met Kira, Evan, and their loved ones at Chapel on McEver to do a walkthrough of the ceremony so that everyone would feel comfortable the following day. Once we felt well rehearsed, everyone was dismissed to go to the rehearsal dinner and enjoy the evening together!

The Big Day

The ladies started wedding morning at Chapel on McEver getting their hair done by Kayla Williams Hair and makeup done by Paula Xiong while enjoying some Chic-fil-a minis - a wedding morning classic! While the girls were wrapping up hair and makeup, the floral team with The Fresh Bloom arrived at Chapel on McEver to start building a stunning arch outside the chapel doors. At this time, the photo team with Amelia Skye Cinema and the videographer, Diamond Films started to prep, test their lighting for the day, and capture some getting ready photos. Since this day was a day where the ceremony and reception were in two different locations, when Marmaros arrived, we split up the team and went to the two locations. Mallory was overseeing everything at The Chapel on McEver while Breanna was overseeing everything at Sterling on the Lake. The ladies stepped into their dresses and Kira had a sweet first look moment with her bridesmaids. After the first look, some bridal party and bridal portraits were knocked out before the ladies headed back inside for touchups. By this point, the guys had arrived at The Chapel on McEver and were just hanging out in the groom's suite upstairs. Since we were not doing a first look, we knocked out as many groups of photos as possible without Kira and Evan seeing one another, and made sure that they were both in their respective places when needed to be.

Tyler with The Atlanta Harpist started to play some beautiful music for guests as they arrived and took their seats for the ceremony. Once guests were seated and we had everyone lined up as we practiced the night prior, we were ready to officially start the processional. The chapel was filled with the acoustics of harp and violin as Ben, the officiant, made his way down the aisle followed by Evan. We sent the wedding party down next to take their spots on the stairs of the chapel and then closed the doors for Kira’s grand reveal. Canon in D was playing as we opened the doors and Evan got to see his bride walking towards him - such a heartwarming moment! The ceremony was quick, but still intimate and sentimental which was just perfect for the day. After doing a unity ceremony, saying their vows, and sealing their love with a kiss, Kira and Evan were pronounced as newlyweds!

After the ceremony, guests made their way to the reception space to enjoy a lovely outdoor cocktail hour while Kira and Evan knocked out all remaining group photos and couple portraits that were needed. Once we were done at the church and had cars packed up, we all made our way to Sterling on the Lake. Since the sun was setting, Kira and Evan made their way over to the lake for some more photos when they arrived! Next, we were ready to invite guests to find their seats for reception and for the new Dr. & Mrs. Brady to be introduced. Kira and Evan shared their first dance to Cinema before taking their seat and hearing a welcome speech from Kira’s mom and a blessing by Papa Earl. Guests enjoyed a tasty dinner by Green Gables Events while enjoying the tunes of The Silver Tones, the live band for the night. Towards the end of the dinner, champagne was poured across the room, Kira and Evan cut their cake from Acuna’s Custom Cakes, and we heard toasts from their people of honor. After these formalities, Kira and Evan shared dances with their parents before the dance floor was officially opened! Everyone loved the music that The Silver Tones was playing - a live band is always a special touch to a reception! At the end of the night, Kira and Evan shared a private last dance with one another before heading off to relax and take in the day together.

Something Spectacular

Kira knew that she wanted to utilize the stunning scenery of Chapel of McEver for a memorable moment, so instead of doing a send off at the end of the reception we had all of the guests line the stairs outside the chapel after the ceremony. We handed everyone cups of rose petals to toss as the newlyweds ran through. Once everyone was lined up and Kira and Evan were ready for their ceremony sendoff, the chapel bells rang and petals started flying! This created a stunning moment that will always be remembered. We loved how classic this felt and how they had a daytime sendoff moment with sunlight and petals!