A Winter Ballroom Wedding at The Biltmore Ballrooms in Atlanta, Georgia

College life at the University of Mississippi brought together Laura, 23, and Jon, 26, when both were working at the on-campus recreation center. She was an Atlanta native, while he was an Oxford local. He stayed on campus to complete his master's degree, where he proposed in the spring at her home. They were married almost two years later at Cathedral Christ the King in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. Tradition is important to Laura, so they had a Catholic Mass and her father escorted her down the aisle. The bride wore a fitted long-sleeve lace gown, the first she tried on. “I always wanted to have sleeves, so we had a beautiful bolero made that I wore for the ceremony and pictures but took off at the reception,” Laura says. The bridesmaids wore similar lace, full-length Mori Lee gowns in navy, while groomsmen donned black suits paired with gray vests and ties. Arrangements of hydrangeas, roses, tulips and ranunculus dressed up the ballroom reception, where guests enjoyed a seated dinner before a night of dancing. As for advice for future to-be-weds, Laura suggests investing in a planner. "Our planner really picked up on our personalities and knew how to turn our wedding into a classic occasion that wasn't too over-the top," she says. "That being said, not everyone has the same taste—so do whatever you want!"—Caroline Eubanks