Joyce & Kevin | A Romantic Summer Garden Wedding

Maekoi Photography

“As I started to pray for my future spouse, I found myself somehow praying for Kevin each time. So, when he confessed and asked to start dating, I said yes and took my leap of faith. Since that day on, I fell deeper in love with Kev through each high and low we faced together.”

That’s how Joyce told the story of how she and Kevin began dating. But their story actually begins a few years earlier as freshmen in college.

“The first time I met him during our freshman year of college, he was this big, silly, loud guy that went on and on about his high school football career. However, with all of his muscle mass, football stories, and crazy energy put aside, I got to know Kevin as a deeply compassionate, patient, and steadfast person.”

“That year, we were in the same bible study group together, and this is where we both formed a genuine, personal relationship with Jesus and also with each other. Our friendship deepened as we navigated through late-night jam sessions, getting baptized, deciding our majors, spending long nights at Emory library for Orgo, writing cringy poems together for our poetry class, going on spontaneous road trips, and everything in between. Of course, each season brought on a whole different set of smiles and breakdowns for us, but we lived through it all together as friends…This was until my junior year, when I began to care if I had washed my hair before I saw him and got unusually excited from his "wya?" texts.”

Joyce said that as she began praying for her future spouse, she always found herself praying for Kevin. Since the day he asked her out, she “fell deeper in love with Kev through each high and low we faced together.”

In February, Kevin decided to take his own leap of faith and ask Joyce to marry him. He wanted to propose in Joyce’s hometown of Savannah and settled on a beautiful gazebo in the middle of Whitefield Square.

“We walked down her memory lane as we visited her childhood home, church, and school while our closest friends helped organize and set things up. Operation proposal had lots of last-minute changes, but it was truly a wonderful, memorable day that we will always remember!”

Less than 5 months later on June 25th, Joyce and Kevin tied the knot at Four Oaks Manor in Buford, Georgia.

“Four Oaks was actually the very first wedding venue we toured when we first started our wedding planning journey, and we immediately fell in love. Even though we toured in the winter season, we still thought that the outdoor venue was absolutely beautiful. It was really so easy to envision myself walking down the aisle. We loved the garden vibe of the outdoors and the privacy and the structure/pathways of the garden made it so fun and lovely. We also loved the all-inclusive package that Four Oaks had! The fact that a wedding coordinator, decorations, and food were all included at THAT price....is actually very hard to find.”

Joyce and her bridesmaids arrived earlier in the day to start getting ready at the farmhouse.

​While they were getting ready, Joyce surprised her bridesmaids with gift boxes which included personal notes, prayer cards, and more. What better way to give thanks to your biggest supporters than with deep, meaningful personalized gifts!

With a color palette of blush and dusty blue, Joyce’s bridesmaids wore mismatched dressed from Birdy Grey while her bridesman wore a navy suit with a blush tie. We’re big fans of mismatched dresses since there are so many different ways to take the trend!

Meanwhile, Kevin and the guys were downstairs in the groom’s room getting ready for the day.

Their navy suits came from Men’s Wearhouse and the groomsmen’s blush ties and Kevin’s bowtie were from The Tie Bar.

While Joyce and Kevin chose not to do a first look, they still wanted to take a moment before the ceremony to pray over their marriage together.

Time for the ceremony! The altar in the gardens was decorated with faux greenery and white floral garland, creating a perfect, whimsical backdrop for their summer wedding. And since it was a summer wedding in Georgia heat, they placed fans at each chair for guests to use during the ceremony.

As the wedding party made their way down the aisle, Kevin greeted each groomsman with a hug. Finally, Joyce walked down with her father to Haley Reinhardt’s rendition of “Can't Help Falling in Love."

During the ceremony, they chose to honor their parents by taking a moment to bow to and take each of them for their support through the years.

​Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs.!

While guests went off to enjoy mimosas and appetizers, the newlyweds and their wedding party stayed behind to get some more portraits.

They also wanted to get some photos in their hanbok as a nod to their culture.

With threats of rain earlier in the week, the impending weather held off for the reception. They were instead graced with sunshine, no humidity, and even a cool breeze. The reception was held in Four Oaks Manor’s gardens under our bistro lights with beautiful weather, even in the middle of summer. They decorated their reception with dusty blue linens, soft lambs ear greenery, and gold accents.

​Both the wedding party and the newlyweds were introduced into the reception off of Four Oaks Manor’s back porch. Joyce and Kevin originally were supposed to go straight into their first dance after being introduced, but Kevin had a surprise in store.

Over the weeks leading up to their wedding, Kevin and the guys had put together and practiced a dance to a mashup of songs to surprise Joyce. Needless to say, her reaction was priceless!

​After Kevin’s surprise dance, it was time for his and Joyce’s first dance in the gazebo, followed by a blessing over the food.

Their guests enjoyed a pasta dinner provided by Four Oaks’ in-house chef. As the meal was wrapping up, the newlyweds spent time visiting each table.

It wouldn’t be a wedding without toasts! Their maid of honor, best man, and both fathers gave speeches which were filled with joy, laughter, heartfelt memories, and all focused on their love for Christ. Joyce and Kevin then closed it out by giving a thank you speech each.

There’s nothing quite like cake to get a party going. Bohemian Bakery made a cutting cake for the couple with flavor-matching cupcakes for their guests.

Before the dancing got started, they sat back-to-back to play the wedding Shoe Game, which included questions like “Who is the better driver?” and “Who said ‘I love you’ first?”

Dance time! DJ Connection provided the music on the dancefloor and their guests danced away. We’ve got to say, we haven’t seen many wedding guests dance as hard as their guests did!

​Thank you Joyce & Kevin for choosing Four Oaks for your wedding! We pray you continue to grow together through your marriage. May it be filled with an abundance of joy, laughter, grace, and love!

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​Interested in seeing more weddings at Four Oaks Manor? Check out our blog's Real Weddings page and get inspired! Or stop by our venue for a tour and start picturing your wedding at our venue today!

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Photographer: Maekoi Media
Venue & Catering: Four Oaks Manor
Coordination: McKenzie with Four Oaks Manor
Invitations: Paperless Post
Bride’s Dress: Carrie’s Bridal Collection
Bridesmaids Dresses: Birdy Grey
Groom & Groomsmen Suits: Men’s Wearhouse
Groom & Groomsmen Ties: The Tie Bar
Bridal Veil: Etsy
Makeup: Susanna Wom
Hair: Alice Lee
Cake & Cupcakes: Bohemian Bakery
Florist: Best Flower
DJ: DJ Connection