Update: As of 2:10 p.m. (EST), comments are working again! Woo! Thanks so much for your patience. I appreciate it!!
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Kaitlyn and Kailon’s wedding day was a chilly one in Savannah, Georgia, but the unsuspecting cold weather didn’t bother anyone since every minute of their special day was filled with warmth, love and so much laughter. If you ask anyone about Kaitlyn and Kailon, their shared sense of humor would undoubtedly be one of the first things mentioned about this couple.
Kaitlyn and I were in the same sorority in college and she met Kailon during our time at UCF, so their wedding was packed with college friends and people who have known and loved them together for years.
Kaitlyn invited our group of college girlfriends to her bridal suite during the day of her wedding, so after a delicious brunch at B. Matthews Eatery (the same place we went to eat for my sister’s bachelorette party!), my friends and I were able to join Kaitlyn and her bridesmaids and all get ready together which was such a nice treat. I loved being able to spend some quality time with the bride!
Once the photographer signaled that it was time for pictures, we hugged Kaitlyn goodbye, told her she looked stunning and headed back to the big house we rented to join the guys and put our dresses on before it was time to drive over to the venue.
(As you can tell, I didn’t end up wearing one of the dresses I loved from Rent the Runway. When I went to order the dress *I was going for option A*, the price for shipping jumped to $35! Since that was way more than I was willing to spend on shipping, I opted out. I’m hoping to rent a dress in the future when I plan ahead a little better and don’t have to pay for faster shipping. The dress I ended up wearing worked well though since I was grateful for the long sleeves in the chilly weather!)
We arrived at the Mansion on Forsyth Park, a gorgeous hotel featuring a stunning gallery with works of art by local, regional and internationally acclaimed artists. As someone who used to work at an art museum, I loved this!
We walked around the gallery while we waited for someone to tell us to head into the beautifully tented courtyard to take our seats.
The courtyard looked fabulous and was thankfully blocked from the chilly wind so we were warmer than expected!
Soon, the music let us know the ceremony was starting and we all waited for the moment when Kaitlyn would walk down the aisle. The ceremony was easily one of the most amazing wedding ceremonies I’ve ever witnessed because it was so unique and perfectly Kaitlyn and Kailon. There was humor and love in every moment!
Before Kaitlyn emerged, the bridesmaids walked down the aisle and the very last one was Kaitlyn’s man of honor, a friend she’s had since birth! They’ve grown up together and she had him walk down the aisle with a “bro-quet” which absolutely cracked everyone up! It was funny and sweet all at the same time.
Then it was time for Kaitlyn to walk towards her groom.
The music changed to “The Final Countdown,” which, yet again, had everyone smiling and laughing so hard.
It was so perfectly Kaitlyn and Kailon and when I glanced at Kailon as he watched Kaitlyn walk toward him, he looked so incredibly happy.
(You can see Kaitlyn’s fantastic man of honor behind her!)
The ceremony itself was wonderful and incorporated so many unique touches. Without a doubt, my favorite part of their ceremony occurred when they read surprise vows they both wrote for each other that incorporated a series of funny promises about things they promise not to do in the future.
For example, Kailon had Kaitlyn promise not to fall asleep when they have guests over (she is known her her ability to nap anywhere!) and never stop rapping to “Jump Around” and “Gangster’s Paradise” whenever they hear those two songs. So amazing! (And Kaitlyn is ridiculously good at rapping “Jump Around!”)
Eventually it was time for the couple to exchange their real vows which were the perfect combination of serious, loving, sweet and funny. My girlfriends and I all agreed it was a wedding ceremony nobody wanted to end!
Once Kaitlyn and Kailon sealed their vows with a kiss, they headed back down the aisle with huge smiles on their faces.
Then it was time to party!!!
Their reception kicked off with a cocktail hour before we headed inside a big ballroom for dinner and lots and lots of dancing.
Dinner featured a huge buffet with everything under the sun, including oysters (!!!), shrimp, ravioli, salads, beef, pork and more. Everything was so delicious and there was more than enough to go around.
Kaitlyn and Kailon’s first dance was all kinds of amazing. The couple chose a slow version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya” by Obadiah Parker.
They invited everyone to join them on the dance floor toward the end of the song and we all swayed and sang. It was such a fun and sweet moment!
The dancing continued throughout the evening and the dance floor was always absolutely packed with people. I danced my face off with Ryan and my girlfriends and had the BEST time. The DJ did such a great job of playing upbeat music that made everyone want to jump around, sway and dance.
The best dance floor moment occurred when the bride and groom were surprised with a slow song that played back the wedding vows that they had just exchanged only hours earlier. Hearing their voices say their vows and watching Kaitlyn and Kailon look at each other while they listened had me in tears and was unforgettable. What an incredible surprise!
Kaitlyn and Kailon’s wedding concluded with a beautiful sparkler send off!
It was such a fabulous wedding and I am so grateful Ryan and I were included in their special day.
Congratulations again to one heck of an awesome couple!
Sam says
The wedding looked gorgeous and I especially love the flowers. Glad you guys got to spend time with friends!
Skinny Fitalicious says
Looks like you guys had a great time! You look gorgeous and so does the bride too!
Crystal says
Gorgeous bride! BTW did you ever do a tutorial on curling your hair? It looks beautiful and I’d love to know what technique you’re using.
Julie says
I still need to!! I just wrap my hair around the outside of a curling iron and hairspray the heck out of it. 🙂 The tutorial is on my to-do list!
Alisia says
Obsessed with these pictures! everyone looks so beautiful and that venue looked amazing. Talk about a great wedding
Liz says
Looks like you guys had a great time! I love Kaitlyn’s choice of colors and flowers!
Beth says
I’m obsessed with all the LBDs you girls are wearing!
Jamie B. says
I’m actually planning a wedding now and have been looking for great song ideas! thanks!! Did Kaitlyn play the ceremony songs with a CD or did she have an instrumental group perform live…?
Julie says
A recording! 🙂
Abbi Schwinn says
Where is your dress from? I love it!
Julie says
Thanks! It’s BCBG. 🙂
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
Wow what a beautiful wedding! Now one of my friends needs to get married! haha
Jenny says
Looks beautiful!! I am loving your dress you decided to go with. Where’d you find it?
Julie says
I’ve had it for quite a while actually! It’s BCBG but I got it on sale through RueLaLa.com. 🙂
Megan Holt says
Unconventional weddings are always the best and most memorable!! I don’t even know the bridge and groom, but just from the pictures and festivities alone they seem like two fun, amazing, and beautiful people! Congratulations to them… And nothing but best wishes and a lifetime of happiness!
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green says
Love that dress! It’s the perfect LBD for fall!
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
The black dress looks great! Beautiful wedding. Love those flowers!
keen peach says
I posted this earlier but I will post it again. Beautiful wedding and you look beautiful too!
Beautiful Balance (@christinaschu) says
What a beautiful wedding! Looks like everyone had an awesome time!
Mary @ Gold Layer Cake says
Uhm, you look so great in black!!
Julie says
Thank you, Mary!
Daisy- Fit Wanderlust Runner says
The bride’s dress is gorgeous! Seems like you guys had such a great time 🙂
Julie says
She was stunning!
Mary says
This sounds like an amazing wedding. I love it when weddings have so many personal touches that really make the day.
Your hair looks so pretty curled. 🙂
Angela @ HonestlyAngela says
I love when you recap weddings! Everything looks so beautiful, but I exorcist love the bride’s dress, the flowers, and the chandelier.
Leah says
Thanks for the arm crop. You da best. 😉
Julie says
I’ve got your back 😉
Lauren Nordhaus says
What a beautiful wedding! I am in love with the shoes you wore! Where did you find them?
Julie says
Thank you! They’re Nine West but I got them at Nordstrom Rack in Charlotte. 🙂
AB says
I totally teared up reading about the last song with their vows…incredible. Crying even more as I write this. So sweet!
Julie says
It really was such a touching moment!
Ash says
Such a beautiful recap of the most wonderful weekend 🙂 Miss you to pieces!!! Lets do it all over again next weekend….
It’s Amazing, It’s Amazing, It’s Amazing 🙂
kaitlyn says
Thank you for such a wonderful recap of our wedding. We had an amazing time!!!
Kate says
I used to work at the Mansion years ago! It’s so funny to see it on your blog and be able to picture everything again!