Georgia Featured Wedding Ashley Galusha & Loren Hyman

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A-PDF MERGER DEMO Ellijay, Georgia, October 1, 2005

Ashley Galusha & Loren Hyman BY ALI MIZE PHOTOS BY JOHN CONNEELY

It took Loren Hyman and Ashley Galusha a decade or so to start seeing each other as more than friends. Ashley and Loren grew up just down the street from one another in a neighborhood in Marietta, Ga. Loren always saw Ashley as his older sister’s friend…that is until one special summer night. Ashley was approaching her last year of college and was spending the week at the lake with Loren’s sister. “We had a lot of fun together that week, and when Loren kissed me one night on the dock overlooking the lake, I knew that we had something very special,” Ashley remembers. Soon after the first kiss, Ashley and Loren were officially a couple.“Our families were already such good friends that it seemed very natural,” the couple agrees. After three years together, Loren was ready to ask Ashley to be his bride, but he knew there was one little detail he had to take care of first.“Ashley’s dad and I are great friends and play a lot of golf together, but I wanted to ask his permission to marry his daughter. It took me an hour and a half to work up the courage,” Loren laughs. One evening after inclement weather foiled his original proposal, Loren surprised Ashley with the question. He looked his best friend in the eyes, and with loving sincerity, asked her to be his wife. “Loren’s proposal was perfect because I didn’t expect it yet. It was simple, sweet, and happened in our first home that we both loved,” Ashley says. When Ashley and Loren started planning their wedding, they knew they wanted something intimate and easygoing—it was important that their wedding reflect the qualities of their relationship. With family being such an important part of their lives, the

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Wedding Sources: Officiant: Judge Joe Murphy Bridal Gown Designer & Source: MARISA, Bridal by Lori, Atlanta Bridal Gown Alterations: Shanghai Alterations, Atlanta Bridal Gown Preservation: Professional Gown Preservation, Atlanta Bridesmaids’ Dresses Designer & Source: Expressions by Forever Yours, Renate’s, Lexington, S.C. Hair: Lynn Galusha, Hair Artists, Atlanta Makeup: Margie Mullen, McKinney, Texas Men’s Attire Designer & Source: Meil Allyn, Black Tie by Lori, Atlanta Rings: Kay Jewelers, Columbia, S.C. Invitations: Party Stuff, Atlanta Florist: Linda and Brian Killingsworth, Creekside Dahlia Farm, Ellijay Transportation: Abundance Luxury Transportation, Atlanta Caterer: The Orchard Restaurant, Ellijay Wedding & Groom’s Cake: Pat-A-Cake, Ellijay Music: Steve Bond, Atlanta Photographer: John Conneely, John Conneely Photography, Ellijay Travel Agency: Frew Travel, Atlanta Wedding Night Accommodations: Renaissance Concourse Hotel, Atlanta Honeymoon Destination: Couples Swept Away, Negril, Jamaica

couple decided to say “I do” at Ashley’s father and stepmother’s mountain home in Ellijay. With October 1 set as the wedding date, Ashley planned the wedding using a rich, fall color scheme. Ashley and Loren were married outside amid the changing leaves of bright orange and red. For her bridesmaids the bride chose strapless burnt orange dresses and earthy dahlia bouquets, both of which blended perfectly in the mountain setting. Even the gentlemen in the wedding party fit in well with the fall surroundings with their bright orange boutonnieres. Wearing her mother’s cathedral length veil and a strapless silk organza gown with café colored sash and layered train, Ashley walked down the petal-covered aisle to meet her groom. While Ashley and Loren held hands, Loren’s sister Rebecca recited a reading that perfectly conveyed the couple’s feelings. “These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.” After finishing their unique vows, Ashley and Loren turned, faced their family and friends, and walked hand in hand up the aisle leading the way to a stylish and fun reception. In addition to the pre-ceremony cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a menu of beef tenderloin, lobster cakes and shrimp and grits. The white wedding cake covered in colorful fruit decorations was pound cake with butter cream icing, and the groom’s cake was chocolate and decorated with the South Carolina state flag. “Everything tasted so good. We were very pleased with the food,” Ashley says. One of the most memorable parts of the day though was walking down the aisle with her dad. “It was a moment I’ll never forget,” she remembers. “We’re excited about being married; we just fit together perfectly,” Loren says. “We’re both ambitious and goal oriented, yet we share a similar sense of humor.” After sharing their special day with family and friends, Ashley and Loren honeymooned the following week in Negril, Jamaica. www.idoforbrides.com

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