Jenna and Evan met through UGA BCM. During their senior year, Evan did video for a project and Jenna did the photography… And now they’re a husband and wife wedding photo-video team known as We Two Photo Video! You can see their adorable engagement session where they incorporated their love for photo/video + traveling here.
Their wedding was such an amazing day full of friends, family, and an incredibly fun bridal party! The ceremony was held at the Julia A. Porter United Methodist Church, and the reception was next door at the Historic Porter Memorial Gymnasium. We walked over to the Mill at Yellow River for portraits after the ceremony. Jenna’s dad grew up in Porterdale and used to play basketball in the gymnasium. The gym burned down years ago and was turned into an event center, so it made sense to have the wedding + reception in such a personal and meaningful place.
Evan is a writer and has been writing Jenna poems since before they started dating. Leading up to the wedding, he decided to write her a poem every day for 6 months. He wrote the poems in a journal he made himself out of leather. He cut it, designed it, stitched the pages in by hand, and added the closure himself. To top it off, he cut pallet wood with a handsaw to create a box for the journal. I watched and photographed as he wrote the last poem on the morning of the wedding and wrapped her present before delivering it to her bridal suite. Needless to say, Evan got major props from the room of bridesmaids who watched as Jenna opened such a thoughtful gift.
Evan’s groomsmen gifts were engraved pocket watches by Tipo’s Creations. Jenna’s dress was a gorgeous champagne color with ivory lace details, and she chose to spend the day barefoot with her bridesmaids wearing TOMS. Jenna & Evan love exploring, climbing, and everything outdoorsy, so I wasn’t surprised when I heard that they wanted a picture sitting on top of one of the brick walls of the venue. Their hashtag and theme for the day was #simmonsinatree … how cute is that?!
Some of my favorite parts of the day include: Jenna & Evan’s intimate First Look, when they passed their rings around during the ceremony for everyone to individually pray over, when everyone sang happy birthday to friend & musician Sam Burchfield at the reception, and when everyone blew bubbles around the couple during their last dance of the night. The day ended with quite a memorable sparkler exit… When people see my sparkler exit shots, they often think that we’ve spent a lot of time staging them, but it’s actually the opposite: The couple runs through a chaotic crowd waving sticks that are on fire, stop for a quick kiss or dip, and I have only a split-second to capture the shot. During Jenna & Evan’s exit, I DID get the shot, but Jenna also got burnt on her head. Luckily when she saw the photo, she said it was worth it (and she’s just fine!). :)
To read more about the special touches they incorporated into their big day, you can check out an article Jenna’s dad wrote in OnlineAthens.
Venue: Julia A Porter UMC || Reception Venue: Porterdale Memorial Gym || Bride’s Dress: Sweet Elegance Bridal || Groomsmen Wear: Men’s Wearhouse || Bridal Party Wear: David’s Bridal || Officiant: Reverend Franklin Scott & Nathan Byrd || Reception music: Sam Burchfield || Rings: D Gellar & Son || Photography: Claire Diana Photography || Catering: Pippins BBQ || Cake: Jeannine’s Cake and Catering || Makeup: Ann Peterson from MAC || Hair: Erin Wagner of Bei Capelli Salon || Pocket Watches: Tipo’s Creations || Groom’s tie: HoBo Ties || Groomsmen ties: Skinny Tie Madness
- Emma Rose | UGA
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