A Contemporary Souther Wedding at Victoria Belle Mansion in Hogansville, Georgia

You could say that math is Taylor Self’s, 21, an early childhood teacher, and Kyle Phillips’, 25, a high school math teacher, favorite subject, because it’s thanks to Taylor’s freshman math class that the two met. Years later, when Kyle decided to propose, he knew he wanted the moment to be extra special. “I had no idea what to do,” says Kyle, “but after some thought I came up with the idea of placing the ring inside a decorated egg and hiding it on Easter Sunday.” On Easter, Taylor announced that she couldn’t stay for longer than an hour and a half, so that she could go visit her family. Afraid she would leave before the egg hunt, foiling his proposal plan, Kyle tried to find any way possible to speed things up. When it was finally time for the egg hunt, Taylor turned to Kyle and said ‘What if this egg hunt is your ploy to propose and you put the ring in the prize egg?” Kyle was horrified, thinking she’d figured it all out, but quickly brushed it off, denying that anything was up. “We went outside and Taylor took off like a rocket trying to find all the eggs. I was boggled. I wanted this to be sweet and romantic, to hold hands and walk around to find the egg, but no such luck,” says Kyle. “I had to run around the house to the prize egg and wait for Taylor to come around so I could tell her I found it.” Once Taylor came around, Kyle showed her the egg — and finally, the special prize waiting inside. For their wedding, the couple went for vintage, Southern elegance with a subtle contemporary appeal. Victoria Belle Mansion in Hogansville, GA was the perfect spot to host the affair, the stately, historic architecture was nothing short on Southern flair and created the ultimate backdrop for the occasion. Taylor and Kyle totally transformed the Mansion’s rustic barn, using crisp white linens, striking centerpieces of baby’s breath and roses arranged on tall hurricane vases and light airy fabric hung from the ceiling. DIY lanterns made with mason jars, pearls and lace were placed on all of the tables to add an air of warm ambiance to the room as the evening went on. Pops of peach were woven throughout the day for a fresh punch of color and a subtle, feminine touch.