GA_SUM06_066_067
5/7/06
5:33 PM
Page 66
A-PDF MERGER DEMO Atlanta, Georgia, December 4, 2005
Jessica McCall & Jay Hendrick BY ALI MIZE PHOTOS BY JOHN CAMPBELL PHOTOGRAPHY
A
Although Jessica McCall and Jay Hendrick were classmates growing up, there was no romantic spark between them until they ran into each other several years after high school. It took Jay just four months as Jessica’s boyfriend to decide that he wanted to be her husband. Jessica found herself more and more annoyed with Jay because he kept leaving the table during what was supposed to be a romantic dinner. She had no idea that her soon to be fiancé was putting the finishing touches on a special surprise. After dinner Jay took Jessica to a room at the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta where rose petals, strawberries, champagne and romance were waiting. “My jaw hit the ground when we walked in the room. I had to remind myself to breathe as he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him,” Jessica remembers. The newly engaged couple decided on the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta as the location for their romantic, winter wedding on December 4. With only five months to plan, Jay and Jessica hired esteemed wedding planner Jane Pennington of House of Blair Weddings and Events to help make the event elegant and unique. “Jay and Jessica’s guest list of 80 allowed us to place special emphasis on the details,” Pennington says. “From the favors to Jessica’s dress, we stayed with shades of light blue and silver.”
66 I Do For Brides
www.idoforbrides.com
GA_SUM06_066_067
5/7/06
5:34 PM
Page 67
The Savannah Room, with its welcoming fireplace and obvious Southern charm, housed Jay and Jessica’s intimate ceremony. Chairs covered in white silk and tied with couture blue sashes from BB&J Linens were accentuated by candlelit aisle arrangements of thistle and hydrangea. Jessica wore an ivory, spaghetti strap gown, with full skirt, by Reem Acra. Silver stitching and pearl embellishments adorned the pale blue sash tied around her waist, as well as the edges of her floor length veil. Although the bridesmaids’ dresses were all different styles, their pale blue color matched the sash on Jessica’s dress. Jay wore a black, Armani suit with an ivory vest and tie, while his groomsmen matched the bridesmaids in black suits with pale blue vests and ties. Carrying a bouquet of peonies, lilac, calla lilies, veronica and blue thistle accented with pale blue and clear, Swarovski crystals, Jessica walked down the aisle, to exchange vows with Jay. “I actually wrote my vows the night before, I wanted everything to be fresh and for us to be fully in the moment,” Jay says. “As she walked down the aisle, I thought about everything that had brought us to that day. I couldn’t have been more excited to kiss her—that sealed the deal.” After an intimate ceremony, the couple led guests to the Four Seasons ballroom where the winter wonderland theme continued. Served to guests sitting at elegantly set tables of silver linens and ornate china, crab cakes and fine ossetra caviar were just a couple of the items on the gourmet menu. Prepared by the Four Seasons pastry chef, the vanilla wedding cake with berry filling was white and blue on the outside with a blue bow on top, ribbons cascading down. The couple shared their first dance to Etta James’ At Last and then friends and family danced the night away to the sounds of the band Platinum. In addition to providing accommodations at the Four Seasons for all their guests, Jay and Jessica’s friends and family were each given custom designed snowflake covered chocolate boxes with chocolates prepared by the hotel. “If I could give any advice to future brides, it would be to hire a wedding coordinator. It just makes things less stressful,” Jessica says. “We are excited about sharing our lives together. It’s nice to know who you are going to grow old with,” Jay and Jessica agree. After their wedding Jay and Jessica spent the weekend at the Inn at Chateau Elan and plan on taking a ten-day honeymoon to Vail, Colo. sometime in the coming year. www.idoforbrides.com
Wedding Sources: Ceremony & Reception Site: Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta Officiant: Reverend Jim Crews Bridal Gown & Veil Designer & Source: Reem Acra, Bridals by Lori, Atlanta Bridesmaids’ Dresses & Designer: Vera Wang, Bridals by Lori, Atlanta Hair & Makeup: Meredith Boyd, Makeup by Meredith, Atlanta Men’s Attire Designer & Source: Savvi Formalwear, Birmingham, Ala. Wedding Planner: Jane Pennington, House of Blair Weddings & Events, Atlanta Invitations & Favors: Patricia DiBona, DiBona Designs, Roswell Florist: Mary Ann Shultz, Fleurish, Atlanta Transportation: Kevan and Michelle Geary, Eternity Limousines, Newnan Linens: Dee Lane Eades, BB&J Linens, Atlanta Music: Platinum and Ted Crowder, Atlanta Bands and DJs, Roswell; Amadeus String Ensemble Photographer: Nadia Dziskavets, John Campbell Photography, Atlanta Videographer: David Dixon, StarShine Enterprises, Atlanta Wedding Night Accommodations: Presidential Suite, Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta Honeymoon Destination: The Inn at Chateau Elan, Braselton
I Do For Brides 67