Today’s real wedding is actually a real elopement in the heart of Savannah. Between the low hanging Spanish moss, the old fashioned getaway car and dimly lit restaurant reception for the closest of family and friends — this wedding gets an A++ from us. Alternative Life Photography & Design did a beautiful job capturing the day, and there are SO many more detail shots in the gallery that you really ought to see…
Can you give us an overview of the event? On 11.11.11, we were married in the Gastonian Inn’s historic side garden, at 12:30 in the afternoon. “Delafuente” means “the fountain,” so the beautiful four-tier fountain in the inn’s garden was the perfect place for our wedding ceremony. That date was very popular, and we spotted countless weddings all over the city, so we were very glad of the serenity and privacy we had. We also chose the Gastonian because November weather can be unpredictable in Savannah. The inn’s lavish parlor had a working fireplace and would have been a perfect alternative, had it rained. We also chose it because it has one of the most gorgeous bridal suites in Savannah.
(Continued) As a former wedding/event planner, I knew I wanted our wedding to be very intimate, so David and I could enjoy every moment. Unfortunately, no matter how well planned, even just a 50+ guest event will have the bride and groom shuffled around most of the time. We’re so happy we had a very intimate wedding total of seven. My daughter, Tess Endicott, of Augusta, Georgia, was my maid-of-honor. We’ve always had an amazingly close relationship because we’ve been through so much together. We literally are the “Gilmore Girls,” and before I met David, it was always just the two of us. They have a great relationship and she is so happy for us. It was absolute heaven having my little girl, all grown up, helping and celebrating with me all day. David’s closest friend, Dr. Stephen Crimmins, was his best man and traveled from Landstuhl, Germany, to attend our wedding and it wouldn’t have been the same without him there, either.”
My father, Jim Endicott, gave me away and spent part of the day with us. My stylist back home in Augusta, Lycia Hiebert, did my hair and makeup as her wedding gift to me. I would have been lost without her! My dear friend, Amna Bulhoon, who I met during graduate school, is a United Arab Emirate diplomat in Sweden and traveled from Europe, too, to attend our ceremony. We promised each other long ago to attend each other’s weddings. Ours was quite the diverse little group and Lycia commented that despite the fact that most everyone began as strangers that day, “everyone blended so well and easily, it let us know that you two are definitely a great match.”
(Continued) After the ceremony, we went into the inn’s dining room and enjoyed red velvet cake and champagne toasts. We gave Stephen his gift, which was an engraved pocket watch, but David had no idea I had the same gift for him. David’s gift to me was the incredible wedding we had, and a phenomenal 10 day honeymoon cruise to five countries in South America. Later that night, we gave Tess her gifts- a sterling silver necklace and “Maid of Honor” pendant and two antique books, Little Women and Little Women Married and The Little Colonel: Maid of Honor.
We arrived at 6:00 for our wedding dinner at the Olde Pink House. Built in 1770, the house is so phenomenal, and the food- exceptional! We’ve traveled a great deal, and this is, by far, some of the best cuisine we’ve ever experienced. We had our dinner in the “Front of the Club” room, because it was easy to close off with the huge old panel doors and we also wanted a working fireplace there, too. The room’s huge windows also overlook beautiful Reynolds Square.
Bianca Raub, event director for the Pink House, was a dream to work with. The service, throughout, was beyond compare and everyone was truly, genuinely happy for us during the entire event. Wine Sommelier and Manager, Jason Restivo, perfectly paired a different wine with each course. The Pink House staff will go to just about any length to ensure everything is pulled off to perfection, and Bianca, and her assistant, Danielle Tosky, even helped to bustle my gown after we arrived- like I said, exceptional people work there!
(Continued) We were also thrilled to be the first group to initiate use of the famous bank vault downstairs in the Planter’s Tavern. It was added in 1812, when the house became the first bank in Georgia, the Planter’s Bank, and held all the monies for the 13 original colonies. It’s been a wine cellar for quite some time now and it was completely romantic enjoying our miniature wedding cakes there. Chef Michelle Still, of Delectable Designs, was brilliant in complementing the taste of the raspberry-filled wedding cakes with the aromas and taste of the Savannah Verdelho Special Reserve Madeira we served with them. We have the bottle from that night and will use it to toast our future anniversaries. The cellar was such a truly unique and special experience, we will remember it, forever.
What inspired the theme or style? Savannah was the beginning of our inspiration. It’s always been our favorite place to spend our spare time, so it was only natural for us to get married there. The city drips romance, all day long. I’m a Southerner who never gets tired of the Deep South’s gorgeous moss-drenched Live Oaks and cotton fields, so we incorporated both the moss and cotton bolls into the fresh ivy garlands. Our friends, Melanie and Charlie Waters, from Guyton, Ga., actually picked the cotton for us at a friend’s farm, which made it even more special to us.
David calls me a “tree-hugger,” because I deeply appreciate them. (One of our friends noted on our wedding day that I probably liked the Spanish moss so much because it looks like my hair. I laughed pretty hard about that one.) Our photographer, Sharon, is also a graphic arts designer, so we had her create a wedding monogram for us that included an old tree, the Gastonian fountain, and two birds. She did a great job and we used it for the Pink House menus. We will continue to use it as our permanent stationary monogram.
What inspired the theme or style? (Continued) Fall is our favorite season, but we didn’t want to use the typical fall wedding color scheme, so we incorporated our favorite colors instead: David’s is purple, so I chose eggplant for Tess’ dress, and the pale pink roses represented mine. We also used “ghost pumpkins” everywhere there was an available spot, instead of the traditional orange ones. The silver-white gourds are gorgeous for a wedding! We also had dozens and dozens of candles everywhere, which was so pretty.
What were your playful twists that made the event unique? Our personalities are very much like Kermit and Miss Piggy’s, but the origination of their use stems back to the beginning of our relationship. On one of our first dates, I asked him if he was attached to a blanket or a pacifier when he was a baby, and he avoided answering, so, of course, I cajoled it out of him. He was, instead, attached to a Miss Piggy doll. My response, when he finally told me, was, “If you loved Miss Piggy, we’re going to get along just fine.” Three Christmases later, I gave him the same-style doll and the look on his face that morning was priceless! It’s so hysterical to all of us, because he’s such a typical tough guy. I’m also a stick-to-the-classics kind of girl, so we had to have Groucho Marx glasses. The intention was for everyone to use them at Wormsloe, but I forgot about them, and as we were beginning our dinner, Tess remembered and passed them around the table. Here we were, at a very formal dinner with full service, wearing Groucho glasses and looking at each other over candlelight. It absolutely fractured everyone there.
Did you DIY any of the details? The most time-consuming hands-on project was the heirloom bouquet, but it was so much fun to create. Family and close friends sent me packages in the mail to add to my bouquet, which were exciting to receive, and work with! I also used the first palmetto rose David bought for me during our first weekend together in Savannah, back in 2007. The alterations person gave me the material left over from the hemming of my dress to cover the stems of the bouquet. I used the rest in the bottom of a display case, where I keep the bouquet now. I left some space in the front of the bouquet for future family brides to add their own special pieces to it for their wedding day. My mother, Jacquelyn Barton, gave me several costume pieces I will always cherish, and I was also grateful for my deceased grandmother’s brooches. I was very close to my grandmother, and it was really nice having her there in spirit. The most special sentiment of them all, however, was using many of Tess’ jewelry pieces from her childhood. I hope carrying this bouquet is the start of a new tradition for my daughter, her future children, and theirs.
What was the most memorable moment? During the car ride to Wormsloe, we finally got to be alone and it really hit both of us that we were actually married now. We just kept kissing each other and laughing with happiness. It still makes me cry to think of it.
Tell us how you met: We met as new faculty at Augusta State University, Augusta, Ga., in the fall semester of 2007. We had to attend a breakfast event where our department chair would stand up and tell quite a bit about each new member. David sat down next to me and we chatted and laughed throughout. I didn’t know until later he had noticed me the day before at the benefits fair. He emailed me the next day for a lunch date on campus, and the rest is history. We clicked immediately and we’re so happy every day that fate brought us together. Life is incredibly good when you’re with the perfect person for you.
What were the honeymoon plans? For over a year, David kept our honeymoon plans a secret. I love surprises, so I didn’t ask for details. I knew whatever he chose, would be phenomenal. He booked us a ten-day cruise to Aruba, Panama, Columbia, Costa Rica and Jamaica. He told me our destinations the day we embarked from Fort Lauderdale. It was so exciting! We had a private balcony and it was amazing out there in the mornings for breakfast and at night before we’d go to bed. We were also very lucky because our balcony always faced every port we visited. We were waited on hand and foot and it was really, really nice not having to unpack more than once.
Style Source
Venue: Gastonian Inn | Restaurant: The Olde Pink House | Wedding Photographer: Alternative Life Photography | Hair and makeup artist: Lycia Hiebert | Floral: Garden on the Square, Julie Driscoll | Transportation: Timeless Motor Coaches, Historic Savannah Carriage Tours | First Wedding Cake (Gastonian Inn): Kerry O’Connor Cake Design | Individual Wedding Cakes: Chef Michelle Still with Delectable Designs | Other: Dillard’s
