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2.8.2020 | Tate House
How We Met
We sound like a broken record, but it’s always true! Megan & Miranda met by working at the Tate House. Actually, Miranda was likely at Megan’s wedding and neither one of them knew! Shortly after Megan went full time at the Tate House, Miranda got promoted to be the Banquet Captain. They bonded over Christmas Open House & fun wedding receptions very quickly. Chandler also started working at the Tate House and shortly after Miranda & Chandler started dating! Megan got to meet and work with Chandler as well - it was so neat to work closely with both Miranda & Chandler as they went from dating to engaged to married!
Love Story
Megan got to watch their love blossom and bloom from close to the beginning but she even remembers the day that Miranda told her she was going on a date with Chandler! We love hearing our couples love stories from their point of view so we asked Miranda to write out their sweet journey!
“Chandler and I met while working at Home Restaurant in 2018. We had actually heard about each other for years because both of our little sisters have been close friends since middle school but we never met until Chandler started working at the restaurant. I had actually met Chandler’s mom a year and a half before I met Chandler who proceeded to tell my little sister that I would be a perfect match for her son. Chandler and I instantly clicked when we met. The conversations between us felt like an old friendship - very familiar and easy. We spent many nights after work just talking and hanging out and our friendship really grew. We proceeded to only be friends before Chandler finally made a move three months after meeting. When we started dating we were nearly inseparable. There was rarely a day we did not see each other. We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together shortly after we started dating. We love each very much and are very blessed that God put us together.”
Down to Business
Since Miranda was going to take care of the set up of both the ceremony & the reception, we only had to meet once to make sure the timeline was what Miranda wanted and to get an idea of what she needed from us. Working with each other for years and at countless weddings, we knew how to work together to make a perfect wedding day happen!
The Big Day
As you might have guessed from the photos, this wasn’t a normal wedding day to Marmaros or the Tate House! Chandler had been praying for snow on their wedding day since Christmas and it looks like he got his prayer answered! We awoke to a normal morning here in Gwinnett County but by 10:00AM we were covered in snow, however, Tate awoke to snow that morning which made it an interesting morning for Miranda. Getting anywhere in the snow near the Tate House is hard. We kept in contact with staff members of the Tate House throughout the morning so when we left our house we knew what we were driving into. Miranda handled the chaos that snow brings to Georgia with SUCH grace! Miranda called us when we were almost to Tate to tell us she wanted to push the ceremony back by 30 minutes to give everyone enough time to get to the church for the ceremony. We helped as much as we could, contacting the DJ, JB Jams, to make sure they could make it from Gainesville! Thankfully most of the guests were local and there were limited vendors coming from outside from the Tate area. All of us were determined to get to Miranda & Chandler’s wedding day to celebrate this couple!
We arrived at the Tate House’s Pavilion (where the reception would take place) to make sure we understood the layout and what we needed to finish getting ready before the reception. Miranda had spent a good portion of the week making sure the room was exactly what she wanted and it was stunning! We headed to the church to make sure the roads were good to travel for guests between the church and the Tate House. Miranda and a few of her bridesmaids were in the church’s basement getting ready & Anna, the photographer, was taking some detail photos. Miranda stepped into her dress (and looked stunning!) while we went to go get Chandler for their first touch - which was full of laughter and fun!
Since the ceremony was already set up from the night before, we spent the time between getting ready and ceremony running back and forth between the church and the pavilion making sure everything was going smoothly. Guests were starting to arrive and were instructed to leave their cards in the mailbox and sign Miranda & Chandler’s guest book - both of which were “UP!” themed, and to pick up an adorable and fun program! It was time to start the ceremony - most of the time, before we begin the music and start the processional there is a nervous energy in the room. However, with Miranda & Chandler, we just felt a calming peace in the room because these two knew that not even a crazy, out of the blue snowstorm could stop them from becoming one! Chandler’s reaction to seeing his beaming bride is one we will never forget! The ceremony was so touching and complete with a unity candle before their first kiss as husband and wife!
We directed the guests to the Tate House and told them there was no rush and to drive carefully as Miranda & Chandler got a few photos at the church! Since it was no longer snowing and had warmed up a tad, driving wasn’t as dangerous as it was just a few short hours ago! With snow still on the ground, Bridal Party & Family Photos were taken in front of the mansion during the cocktail hour before Miranda & Chandler began their own photos around the property. We don’t usually follow the couple around during photos but we couldn’t help it in the Winter Wonderland we were living in! Once they were done with photos, we came into the pavilion for bridal party introductions (we also got to warm up!) and for Miranda & Chandler’s first dance. We aren’t sure what it is but string lights make any atmosphere so romantic and the pavilion was no different! After a blessing, it was time to open the buffet and these two wanted to go through the line and get their own food! Once everyone had their fill of very, very good BBQ, DJ Sue led the Shoe Game before we cut the cake, heard speeches from both sets of parents and the bridal party, and had the last two special parent dances before opening that dance floor! And boy did this crew dance to everything from slow dances to line dances, this dance floor was full all night long!
As the night began to come to a close, Miranda tossed the bouquet to all the ladies in the house (not just the single ones) before we went outside for the sparkler send-off!
Something Spectacular
Besides the snow, Miranda & Chandler had something very special in mind for their dessert. Chandler isn’t the biggest fan of cake - he prefers pie! So his mom, Marilyn, made an assortment of pies for a Pie Bar! This was such a cute idea (and a yummy one too - all the pies were gone by the end of the night)! Miranda had one more thing up her sleeve, a candy favor station complete with all sorts of yummy treats for guests to snack on as they drove home!
Raving Reviews
"Everything went flawlessly! There was 6 inches of snow on our wedding day which made it absolutely gorgeous and a bit more stressful. However, Megan handled it amazingly making sure that All vendors were able to drive to the wedding. The wedding was stressful but Megan really took a lot of my plate to where my husband and I could really could enjoy the day. I highly recommend them!!!"
Happily Ever After
This wedding was one for the books for so many reasons! We were so happy to have been a small part of Miranda & Chandler’s day and we are so excited to see where life takes them as husband and wife!
All Hands on Deck
Venue: Tate House
Photographer: Anna K. Photography
Florist: Tate House
DJ: JB Jams
Catering: Ike’s BBQ
Baker: Casandra Dean
Officiant: Jeff Falkowski