Courtney & Colin

Aurora Photography

Courtney and Colin’s story begins with a random roommate and high school friend. “It all started back in August 2014 in Milledgeville, Georgia. We had just moved into our apartments and were getting ready to begin our sophomore year of college at Georgia College & State University. Colin moved in with his friend and I moved in with two completely random roommates - one of which ended up being a life-long friend and bridesmaid, Lydia,” Courtney explains. “Lydia and Colin were high school friends, so Lydia and I would often go over to Colin's apartment and all hang out together. We did this for a whole year before something clicked with the two of us to lead to today.”

Six years later, Courtney and Colin tied the knot on a rainy but still gorgeous September night.

Colin proposed 10 months earlier with the help of Courtney’s sister Cassidy. Back in the summer of 2019, Courtney had asked her sister to take couple photos of her and Colin. The planned photoshoot ended up not happening since Courtney’s sister had to head back to college. Courtney thought that was that, but Colin had other plans.

“Randomly at the beginning of November, my sister texted me and said she was free for the next couple of weekends and could take our picture if that was something we still wanted to do. Little did I know, Colin had called her and they planned the whole thing,” Courtney said.

Courtney and her sister chose a weekend to do the photoshoot. After asking a lot of questions like, “How long is this going to take?” Colin *finally* agreed. Sneaky, sneaky! 

“We met Cassidy at East Cobb Park and found a cute little overlook area and started taking pictures. As we were running out of poses and wrapping up, Colin said, "I have one more pose," and dropped to one knee. To be honest, neither of us remember what all he said but I do remember him finishing with, "Will you marry me?"

Courtney and Colin toured and booked with Four Oaks Manor back in January. She says the the backyard environment and everything offered with her package is what led them to choose Four Oaks.

“I am not a DIY-er nor do I have an eye for putting together table centerpieces. With Four Oaks, there was so much that was offered – a day-of wedding coordinator, in-house catering, decor closets, table decor and chairs, the fire pit, and more – that I knew it would help me not only save money and stay organized but would be the perfect place for our outside “fall” wedding.”

Courtney, Colin and their wedding party arrived at the venue a few hours before the ceremony to get ready and start taking photos.

​Courtney’s GamGam was her maid of honor – how sweet is that! We love seeing couples add extra meaning to their wedding day in special ways like that.

While the girls were all upstairs in the bridal suite, Colin and the guys were down in the grooms room getting ready. Just before photos began, Colin’s best man helped him pin on his boutonniere.

Before the ceremony, Courtney and Colin decided to share gifts with each other. Since they decided not to do a first look, they opened their gifts separately. Courtney opened her giftbag to find a note from Colin and a book of questions for couples to ask to help grow their marriage. Colin opened his gift to find a light blue teapot (like the one Jim gives Pam in The Office), a watch wristband, and a note from Courtney.

While Courtney decided to wait until the ceremony to see Colin, she did have a first look with her dad. They decided to do it on the wraparound porch at the front of the farmhouse, which allowed Courtney to walk up behind her dad without being seen. Their reactions are amazing!

With a wedding palette of burgundy and navy with gold accents, the bridesmaids wore burgundy dresses while the groomsmen all wore navy suits with burgundy boutonnieres.

Once everyone was finished with pre-ceremony photos, they all went back inside the farmhouse to stay hidden away as guests began arriving. Since Colin works for Sherwin-Williams, they opted to have their guests sign paint color fan deck rather than a traditional guestbook. They put so many personal touches to their wedding, making it all the more memorable.

Their altar was decorated by Laurens Floral Art who never fails to do an amazing job. On top of our white chiffon fabric, Laurens added eucalyptus, fern leaves, and other greenery to create a full look. They added bunches of amaranth throughout the whole arbor to add some extra color. We are in love with this arbor!

​Courtney’s uncle performed the ceremony for them. Even though there were a few light showers during the ceremony, that didn’t stop the smiles of their faces as they said their vows and were pronounced husband and wife.

After the ceremony, guests were dismissed for cocktail hour over by the smokehouse bar. They filled up on cheese and crackers, an assortment of fresh fruit, and bruschetta. While they munched on appetizers, guests were able to mingle around the reception area and take their seat. To find their seats, guests found their names written on paint chips hanging on our greenery wall. We love the way this idea turned out!

For wedding favors, Courtney and Colin gave their guests customized cups, perfect for filling with beer from the bar.

​While their guests were enjoying themselves after the ceremony, Courtney and Colin snuck away to get photos with their families and wedding party as well as take couple portraits around Four Oaks’ gardens.

​Once finished with photos, the newlyweds and their wedding party were announced into the reception off of the farmhouse’s red porch.

​After being announced into the reception, Courtney and Colin went straight into their first dance under the gazebo. They followed the first dance with father-daughter and mother-son dances.

Since there were rain showers on their wedding day, they decided to have a tented reception. The reception tables were decorated with navy runners and alternating centerpieces of ash grey lanterns and floral arrangements. Their head table displayed Courtney’s gorgeous bouquet as the centerpiece, while they sat in our Mr. and Mrs. chairs.

​​While everyone was finishing dinner, Courtney and Colin moved inside to the carriage house to do a private cake cutting. Courtney and Colin chose to have a small, two-tiered cutting cake for themselves, which they wanted to then save for their first anniversary. For their guests to enjoy later, they provided an arrangement of different types of cookies, which were displayed on tiered stands to provide some height and dimension to the arrangement.

​What comes after cake? Party time! DJ Aaron cranked up the music and everyone danced the night away.

​To close out the night, Courtney and Colin walked out to a sparkler grand exit. Even though it began drizzling again, that didn’t stop them from having a blast!

​“I feel so lucky and happy with my wedding day experience. My wedding coordinator, Morgan, was amazing and handled everything to keep me stress-free all day. Even with rain making an appearance, the day was perfect. The rain made for amazing lighting for our pictures and a fun story to carry with us.”

We followed up with Courtney a few months into their marriage, and she explained her favorite part of marriage so far is taking on this chapter of life together with her best friend, whatever it brings.

Courtney and Colin, thank you for entrusting us with your wedding day! We wish you many wonderful years together.

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Floral Design: Laurens Floral Art
DJ: Disc Jockey Etc.
Photography: Aurora Photography
Videography: Garrick DeBowles
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Want to see more weddings from Four Oaks? Visit our Real Weddings page!

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