Marmaros Productions

1 day ago6 min read

Sam & Steve

9.14.2024 | Monday Night Garage

How We Met

Sam actually knew Marmaros' lead planner, Sarah, from working together in the past, so once she was engaged she knew she wanted to reach out to Marmaros for her big day! Normally, we would pair a bride with the planner that they know, but Sarah's sister was actually getting married on the same date as Sam, so Mallory was happy to step in and be the planner for Sam and Steve's big day!

Love Story

Down to Business

We were planning coast-to-coast for Sam & Steve’s wedding day. Sam & Steve lived in California and Mallory, Georgia. This didn’t affect the planning process in the slightest though! We always picked times to meet that worked for both time zones and had very productive meetings where we nailed down details and heard all about Sam’s vision for the day! In the summer of 2024, we had the pleasure of getting to see Sam and Steve in person at their venue for a walkthrough. Sam & Steve grabbed some beers and food from Monday Night Garage and then we sat down with the venue coordinator to go over all of the details and establish a floor plan. After our walkthrough, we met a few final times to make sure we were on the same page and that everything was accounted for. The night before the wedding day, we headed back to Monday Night Garage to meet up with Sam, Steve, and their loved ones to rehearse for the following day.

The Big Day

The wedding day started with Sam and her ladies getting glammed up by Corianne Elizabeth Beauty at a friend's house that was down the road from the venue. When we arrived to Monday Night Garage, tables were placed and the team with Natural Visionary Events, the decorator for the day, was busy with their load-in. The Flower House was also busy unloading the most stunning and unique florals we’ve ever seen at a wedding and creating some spectacular arrangements for the day. The weather outside was drizzling and it didn’t look like it was going to let up later in the day, so we had to make the tough decision to go with our rain plan. Since we decided to move forward with the rain plan, the morning was a lot of working with vendors to ensure they were on the same page as the rain plan and that our reception-style seated ceremony would work out in the space.

Steve and his guys arrived at the venue to knock out some group photos with their photographer, Peyton Mariah Photo. Once the guys were done with their photos, we tucked them away in the groom’s suite to ensure there would be no chance of Steve seeing his bride before it was time for the first look! Sam arrived and snuck into the bridal suite to get into her dress from The Sentimentalist so that she could have a first look with her mom and family. Next, we were ready to do the first look between bride and groom and they wanted to do it on the Atlanta Beltline, so we hopped in cars and drove a block away to get everyone in place for the first look. We love getting to witness the extra special moments on a wedding day like a groom seeing his bride for the first time - it truly touches our hearts every single time. While we were on the beltline, we knocked out a majority of the couple portraits for the day before heading back to the venue. When we got back to Monday Night Garage, Peyton knocked out wedding party photos, bridal party photos, and family photos while we got back to work helping out other vendors in the setup of the space!

Guests had arrived and started to take their seats, so we were ready to kick off the ceremony! As we said prior, we decided to go with our rain plan for the day, so guests were in reception-style seating which meant they were all seated at their dinner tables or standing around the outskirts of the room since Sam & Steve wanted a more casual feel for their ceremony. The music started to play and we sent the wedding party down the aisle to take their places for the ceremony. When Sam’s song turned on and she stepped out of the hallway, there was a roar in the room of applause and cheers from everyone. Sam’s best friend, Tamara, performed a personal ceremony which included a ribbon tying ceremony - a traditional Celtic ritual in which the couples’ hands are tied to symbolize the binding of two lives. We loved this addition to their ceremony! Sam and Steve were then pronounced as Mr. and Mrs. Haviland and the applause returned to the room!

Guests left their seats and grabbed drinks from Monday Night Garage while Sam and Steve snuck out to the courtyard to grab a few last couple portraits. Afterward, they joined their guests in cocktail hour. Once cocktail hour wrapped up, guests were encouraged to take their seats so that we could kick off the reception. Ethel Band introduced the newlyweds before they shared their first dance together. Sam took the mic and gave a touching welcome speech where she thanked all of the guests (and all of her vendors) for being there for her and Steve’s big day. Following Sam’s speech, the tasty buffet from Fox Bros BBQ was opened and everyone loved the variety of food, especially the meat from the carving stations. As dinner wrapped up, Sam and Steve headed over to the dessert table to cut their cake from Lucille’s Bake Shop and grab a few of their favorite desserts from the dessert spread provided by Emma Colone. We heard toasts from Sam & Steve’s loved ones and then finished off the traditional dances for the night with the parent dances. Next, Ethel Band got the dance floor filled and everyone dancing! Guests enjoyed dancing the night away to the incredible covers by Ethel Band along with hopping into the photobooth from Majestic Photobooth. As a late night snack, King of Pops set up a cart and served some of Sam & Steve’s favorite popsicles! Guests took to the dance floor one last time to share in a final song before heading out for the night, but you could tell everyone was LOVING celebrating Sam and Steve and their love!

Something Spectacular

Sam had such a specific vision for the wedding day and executed it in an incredible way. Sam has always had a fascination with airports and also knew that they would have guests from near and far, so planes and airlines were the inspiration for the day. Natural Visionary Events brought in decor pieces that perfectly executed the vision. For a central piece for the ceremony and also the sweetheart table, Natural Visionary Events built an “arch” that actually looked like an airplane window. To further the vision, the seating chart looked like a flight schedule monitor and each table was labeled as an airport code. Lastly, Sam planned to have a seating area in the reception space that was a nod to the Delta lounge. We loved this creative inspiration and were in awe of how everything came to life on wedding day!

Happily Ever After

It was an absolute pleasure to get to coordinate Sam & Steve’s day! We’re sad that they are on the other coast, but we know that regardless of where they are they will never feel like strangers and more like family! We couldn’t be happier for these newlyweds and wish them nothing but the best!